How To Give Bacon A Bold Roasted Garlic Upgrade

Bacon is the crispy, decadent, and utterly savory protein that's usually what we use as an upgrade for everything from burgers to Brussels sprouts. However, bacon can be the subject of an upgrade itself for once with the addition of roasted garlic. Roasting garlic transforms its raw, spicy bite into a sweet and savory treat while also concentrating its aromatic qualities. This bold trifecta of sweet, savory, and aromatic is the perfect seasoning for an equally bold flavor like bacon. Plus, integrating the two couldn't be simpler because you'll roast the garlic and the bacon together.

If you've been frying bacon in a skillet all your life, using your oven to cook bacon is a mess-free, flip-free method that allows you to cook an entire packet of bacon in one batch. For garlic roasted bacon, you'll follow a similar protocol to regular oven-roasted bacon. Start by setting your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit while you prep the bacon and garlic. For 12 thick cut bacon strips, you'll mince 3 medium to large cloves of garlic.

After placing the bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet, sprinkle it with minced garlic and bake for between 12 and 15 minutes. The garlic will caramelize and infuse its bold flavors into the bacon for the most delicious results. The drippings are almost as coveted as the bacon itself, so be sure to reserve that garlic-infused bacon grease for future use. Garlic bacon grease will take a batch of corn grits or refried beans to restaurant-worthy heights.

Now that you've upgraded bacon, you've improved upon an addition to your next burger, BLT sandwich, or continental breakfast plate. But there are plenty of other novel ways to enjoy garlic roasted bacon as well as other methods to integrate the two ingredients. You could chop up your garlic roasted bacon to mix into this roasted garlic spinach mashed potato recipe. They'd also bring a savory crunch to this recipe for the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich. Use garlic bacon as a pancetta swap in your next pasta carbonara or an extra burst of umami in a shrimp Alfredo pasta dish. 

You can also do a complete role reversal with these two ingredients by using bacon grease instead of oil to pour over a head of garlic before roasting it. Bacon grease garlic confit would be the melt-in-your-mouth spread to slather onto slices of baguette or burgers, mash into potatoes, or blend with miso for an elegant sauce to pour over roasted vegetables or a fine cut of steak. Instead of choosing between garlic roasted bacon or bacon garlic confit, you can make them both by simply doubling your ingredients. You could use them both in an ultra-savory mayonnaise and sour-cream based dip with cheddar cheese and diced chives.