Chocolate covered bacon
Encyclopedia
Chocolate-covered bacon is a North American
dish that consists of cooked bacon
with a coating of either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. It can be topped with sea salt
, crumbled pistachio
or almond
bits. References on the internet date back at least to 2005. The popularity of the dish has spread and the dish has featured on television shows about food. A variant has been served at state fairs, where the bacon is served with chocolate sauce for dipping. It was even developed into a gourmet food bar.
Chocolate-covered bacon is sold as a specialty food across the United States
. It appeared at the Minnesota State Fair
under the name "Pig Lickers"; it is sold at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in California
and under the name "Pig Candy" by a chocolate maker in New York City
.
The dish has appeared on the television show Dinner: Impossible
as one of the foods served by chef
Michael Symon
as part of his "mission" to turn everyday boardwalk
foods into a gourmet meal at the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey
.
Bacon was served with a chocolate dipping sauce at the 2009 Florida State Fair
, where one review called chocolate covered bacon the "greatest thing since deep-fried Pepsi." Time
magazine videotaped the making of a bacon bar.
Streaky bacon is used to make chocolate-covered bacon. It is first cooked, then immersed in melted chocolate; toppings (if any) are added, and the dish is allowed to cool. A variation is to dip the bacon in melted chocolate for a partial coating, leaving some of the bacon showing.
A British variation is to wrap a cube of chocolate in uncooked bacon, and to cook the bacon parcel in the oven as normal. The result is a hot bacon package, with a sweet melted chocolate center.
Candied bacon has become especially popular at "Big Boy's Cupcakes" in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Owner and operator Kevin Patrick Martin has come up with fifteen different ways to candy bacon and match them with suitable cupcakes. This technique has become known as "swining the cupcakes."
The recent popularity in the United States of bacon combined with sweet ingredients, caused by the quick (and sometimes viral
) spreading of recipes in national media and on the Internet, has led to unexpected culinary inventions, such as candied bacon cubes, which are based on a recipe for "Candied bacon with whipped cream" printed in The New York Times, and bacon strips baked with brown sugar
used as garnish for martinis.
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
dish that consists of cooked bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
with a coating of either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. It can be topped with sea salt
Sea salt
Sea salt, salt obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. It is historically called bay salt or solar salt...
, crumbled pistachio
Pistachio
The pistachio, Pistacia vera in the Anacardiaceae family, is a small tree originally from Persia , which now can also be found in regions of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Sicily and possibly Afghanistan , as well as in the United States,...
or almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
bits. References on the internet date back at least to 2005. The popularity of the dish has spread and the dish has featured on television shows about food. A variant has been served at state fairs, where the bacon is served with chocolate sauce for dipping. It was even developed into a gourmet food bar.
Reception
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It appeared at the Minnesota State Fair
Minnesota State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It is the 2nd largest fair in the United States, and the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance, though the State Fair of Texas runs...
under the name "Pig Lickers"; it is sold at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and under the name "Pig Candy" by a chocolate maker in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The dish has appeared on the television show Dinner: Impossible
Dinner: Impossible
Dinner: Impossible is an American television program broadcast by the Food Network. The first episode aired on January 24, 2007. Food Network began airing the eighth season on March 3, 2010....
as one of the foods served by chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
Michael Symon
Michael Symon
Michael D. Symon is a James Beard Foundation Award-winning American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author. He is seen regularly on Food Network on shows such as Iron Chef America, Food Feuds, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate, as well as Cook Like an Iron Chef on the Cooking Channel...
as part of his "mission" to turn everyday boardwalk
Boardwalk
A boardwalk, in the conventional sense, is a wooden walkway for pedestrians and sometimes vehicles, often found along beaches, but they are also common as paths through wetlands, coastal dunes, and other sensitive environments....
foods into a gourmet meal at the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325...
.
Bacon was served with a chocolate dipping sauce at the 2009 Florida State Fair
Florida State Fair
The Florida State Fair is held annually at the bugger Florida State Fairgrounds near Tampa. The official state fair of Florida, it includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, rides and shows. It is a chance for the state to showcase its agricultural industry. The Fair also offers competitions and food...
, where one review called chocolate covered bacon the "greatest thing since deep-fried Pepsi." Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine videotaped the making of a bacon bar.
Preparation and variations
A British variation is to wrap a cube of chocolate in uncooked bacon, and to cook the bacon parcel in the oven as normal. The result is a hot bacon package, with a sweet melted chocolate center.
Candied bacon has become especially popular at "Big Boy's Cupcakes" in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Owner and operator Kevin Patrick Martin has come up with fifteen different ways to candy bacon and match them with suitable cupcakes. This technique has become known as "swining the cupcakes."
The recent popularity in the United States of bacon combined with sweet ingredients, caused by the quick (and sometimes viral
Viral phenomenon
Viral phenomena are objects or patterns able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them....
) spreading of recipes in national media and on the Internet, has led to unexpected culinary inventions, such as candied bacon cubes, which are based on a recipe for "Candied bacon with whipped cream" printed in The New York Times, and bacon strips baked with brown sugar
Brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content, or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white...
used as garnish for martinis.
See also
- Chicken fried baconChicken fried baconChicken fried bacon consists of bacon strips dredged in batter and deep fried, like chicken fried steak. It is an American dish that was introduced in Texas in the early 1990s...
- Bacon explosionBacon ExplosionA Bacon Explosion is a pork dish that consists of bacon wrapped around a filling of spiced sausage and crumbled bacon. The American-football-sized dish is smoked or baked....
External links
- Chocolate Bacon! How-To guide
- Chocolate Covered Bacon Recipe Recipe