Chocolate Covered Bacon

Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies. ~ John Q. Tullius

America came up with the idea of linking the two most favorite food items of its people, bacon and chocolate, and turning it into something better. Every year, Americans organize fairs where they serve bacon dipped in chocolate sauce.

This dish has become so popular that it is sold as a specialty food all over the country. It was served in the Minnesota State Fair as "Pig Lickers", and as "Pig Candy" in the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, California.

The television show, Dinner: Impossible, once hosted an episode by chef Michael Symon, whose main goal in life was to turn the usual Boardwalk food into gourmet meals. An Atwood-based luxury chocolate company, Vosges Haut Chocolates, markets chocolate bacon as "Mo's Bacon Bar". Each strip consists of smoked applewood bacon, alderwood smoked salt, and white or dark chocolate.

Things required:

• Semisweet chocolate morsels - 1 bag (12 ounces)
• Uncooked bacon - 1 lb

Directions:

• Heat a large skillet on a high flame, and then place the bacon strips on it.
• Keep turning the strips using a pair of tongs, till they become crispy. However, if you prefer a chewy texture to the bacon, remove them from the heat, sooner.

• Use a tissue to soak the excess oil from the strips and leave them aside to cool.
• Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and heat it over a medium flame.

• Put the chocolate morsels inside the pan and melt them. Keep stirring the molten chocolate, so that it does not burn.
• Dip the cooled bacon strips into the melted chocolate, using a pair of tongs. With a spoon, layer more chocolate on the strips.

• After that, place them on a waxed cookie sheet. Put the sheet in the refrigerator and allow the bacon to cool for 15 minutes, until the chocolate sets. Serve it chilled.
• If you have white chocolate, you can sprinkle shavings of it on top of the bacon strips.

Things required:

• Thickly sliced slab bacon - 1 pound
• Milk chocolate - ½ pound
• Almonds, toasted (crushed) - ¼ pound

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
• Place the bacon strips on a baking tray and let them cook until they turn crisp. This will take about 25 minutes.
• In the meantime, melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

• Dip the cooked and crispy bacon strips in the chocolate and place them back on the baking tray.
• Sprinkle the crushed almonds (you can even use pistachios, instead of almonds) on the strips, and keep the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Things required:

• Bacon slices - 12
• All-purpose flour - 2 cups
• Unsweetened cocoa powder - ¾ cup

• White sugar - 2 cups
• Baking soda - 2 teaspoons
• Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
• Sea salt -½ teaspoon
• Eggs - 2
• Cold, strong-brewed coffee - 1 cup
• Buttermilk - 1 cup
• Vegetable oil - ½ cup
• Unsweetened cocoa powder -1 teaspoon (for dusting)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Place the bacon strips in a deep skillet, or pan. Cook these over a medium flame, till they become evenly brown.
• Then, crumble the strips and set the pieces aside to cool.
• Mix the flour with the cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, in a large bowl.

• Add the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, and oil, to it, and keep stirring the mixture till it blends well. Add ¾ of the bacon to the mixture, keeping the rest to garnish the cupcakes. Pour the batter into the cupcake tray.

• Bake these in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Let them aside cool down. Arrange the cupcakes on a platter, frost them with your favorite frosting, and sprinkle the rest of the crumbled bacon on each one. You can also sprinkle cocoa powder on the cupcakes.

You can also make chocolate-covered pretzels at home, to enjoy as a side dish. Get together all the above ingredients to make your own chocolate-covered bacon, and treat yourself, your family, and friends, to this mouth-watering dish.