Tiny New York Kitchen: Bacon

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By Victoria Hart Glavin of Tiny New York Kitchen

Bacon is prepared from several different cuts of meat. It is usually made from side and back cuts of pork, except in the United Sates, where it is almost always prepared from pork belly. The side cut has more meat and less fat than the belly. Bacon may be prepared from either of two distinct back cuts: fatback, which is almost pure fat, or pork loin, which is very lean. Bacon cured pork loin is known as back bacon.

Screen Shot 2014-11-07 at 8.13.34 AMI like bacon that is thick and crispy, not thin and limp. I favor a 1/8-inch sliced bacon that is apple wood smoked for a full, sweet flavor that seems to complement, not overpower, other foods.  You can buy this at a butcher’s shop where they will slice it for you from the slab. Many supermarkets now carry thick-sliced bacon.

To make bacon without the stovetop splatter, I bake it in a 350 degree oven. Place bacon strips in a single layer in a large baking pan with at least one inch deep sides and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and using tongs, transfer bacon strips to paper towels to drain excess fat.

“Work With What You Got!”


Victoria Hart Glavin has been cooking and writing recipes since she was a teenager. Originally from Nebraska, her appreciation for culinary technique took off when she moved to Lyon, France.

While living in France, Victoria studied French cooking from an expert Lyonnais chef. Victoria learned to love the local culture of preparing and enjoying fresh, seasonal foods. While in France, Victoria experienced the joys of shopping for local produce at the market and preparing fresh foods simply and beautifully in order to enhance the experience of the table. During her time in France, she says she “learned how to squeeze tomatoes at the local market” and “took everything in by osmosis.”

Currently, Victoria creates tasty treats in her tiny kitchen, in New York City, for all to enjoy and on weekends she explores Fairfield County where has a second home. Victoria has shared her recipes with others and now you can enjoy the Tiny New York Kitchen recipe collection, too!  Victoria is a member of Culinary Historians of New York and a member of the Association for the Study of Food and Society.