Bacon Is The Savory Twine That Literally Ties Your Next Meal Together

Kitchen twine is a tool of the utmost usefulness, but for whatever reason, many cooks neglect to have a roll of it on hand. The realization always hits at the worst moment, right when we need to truss a chicken or keep a meat roulade from rolling open. The good news is there's an easy, tasty option already hiding in your fridge in the form of bacon. 

Yep, according to a 2020 Reddit post, bacon can serve as a tasty alternative to kitchen twine. Flexible and easy to work with, bacon can be more than the default breakfast protein. Streaked with threads of fat that impart elasticity and delicious flavor, bacon can literally be tied into knots, securing whatever you need to be tied tight for your cooking endeavors. As long as you follow a few tips, you'll never be caught without a means to tie your dinner together. So how should go about turning this pork belly into string, and what are all the ways you can use it? 

Before you get tying, make sure you're working with the right bacon for the job. Though thick-cut bacon has its uses, it can be a little cumbersome in this instance, so select regular-thickness bacon. Second, skip the turkey bacon, as it lacks the amount of stretchiness you need for binding. 

Prep-wise, you don't need to do much with your bacon beyond checking the time your recipe will roast. If you use your bacon to tie up a chicken or another long roasting piece of meat, you can work from raw, as the bacon will cook properly in that time. However, if you're working with a shorter cooking time, like the one called for a bundle of asparagus or shrimp, you may want to par-cook your bacon. This can be accomplished by roasting the bacon for 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which will get it golden on the edges but keep it flexible for tying. 

So what recipes should you try this with? Try using it on both chicken and skirt steak roulades as well as with free-standing meatloaf dishes. It also works well for securing herbs to your filet mignon or T-bone or binding together bundles of green beans, asparagus spears, or carrots. The options are deliciously endless.