Gordon Ramsay's American-Style Bacon Is A Sweet And Salty Treat

Ask anyone what's the best thing about a full breakfast, and chances are they'll say bacon. Whether it makes an appearance alongside the baked beans and tomatoes iconic of an English-style feast or even the eggs and pancakes typical of an American big breakfast, bacon is a morning mainstay for so many people all over the world. In fact, not even Gordon Ramsay can resist the charms of the salty protein. Inspired by the nation's classic sweet-meets-savory breakfast, the chef extraordinaire shares a trick for revamping bacon and adding layers of flavor in the process.

There's no denying that we're a society of bacon lovers, but what exactly makes the porky delight so good? Well, the answer actually lies in chemistry, specifically processes like the Maillard Reaction. As the meat cooks, sugars react with amino acids and cause the bacon to brown and develop more intense flavors and aromas. Showcasing an ideal ratio of fat, salinity, and umami, the ingredient has so much to offer any dish, breakfast or otherwise.

Yet, just when you thought that bacon couldn't get any better, leave it to Gordon Ramsay to make the fatty strips of meat even more delicious with an easy trick.

The all-American breakfast represents the dichotomy between sweetness and savoriness. But rather than enjoy these two aspects of flavor separately, the chef and restaurateur proposes combining these elements in a singular bite. Using bacon as the canvas for creativity, Ramsay recommends caramelizing the strips for a more irresistible outcome.

Taking to YouTube, the chef shares that all you need to do is add olive oil, butter, and brown sugar (along with some salt and pepper) to a hot pan and combine, before tossing in the bacon. As strips sizzle away, the sugar creates an almost candied glaze over the smoky pieces of bacon. Alternatively, for an even easier hands-off method, you can even prepare bacon in the oven. Simply lay the fatty strips on an aluminum foil-lined sheet pan and top with the brown sugar mixture, before baking in the oven until your kitchen is fragrant and the carbon has browned.

Once the bacon is caramelized to your liking, Ramsay suggests using it to top his recipe for eggs baked in a skillet of golden hash browns. However, you also serve the strips with a plate of flapjacks or use a few pieces to make the ultimate breakfast sandwich. Then again, you could just save the candied strips for snacking — providing you have any leftovers!