Menu
by Peter Kaminsky & Marie Rama
The cookbook Bacon Nation explores the idea that adding bacon to a dish is the best way to up the flavor and make it special. As they explain in their introduction, “A little bacon can turn a dish from blah to beautiful.” But they are careful to stick to the idea that we should respect “bacon as a delicious invention that can elevate instead of dominate other foods.”
This cookbook honors the goodness of bacon as both the star of the show and as a flavor enhancer to savory dishes. The recipes, all 125 of them, are easy to follow with very detailed instructions. No corners are cut in describing the steps to make each dish. While some experienced cooks might think it’s a bit of overkill, for the average cook, and even more so, the beginner cook, the break down of steps is a welcome approach to these bacon-filled recipes. While the photos included are beautiful, it would have been helpful to include more, maybe even one for each recipe.
Dispersed throughout the cookbook are tips about how to choose the best bacon (after testing over 35 different types of bacon), how to cook bacon, and wonderful extras like suggestions for using oven-braised slab bacon and what makes a great BLT sandwich.
This carefully written and thoroughly tested collection of bacon recipes is sure to be a hit with any bacon lover.
“Bacon goes with just about everything.
More than that, everything is better with bacon.”
These recipes are some of our favorites from the cookbook Bacon Nation.
Starters & Appetizers
Bacon Cheese Straws
Bacon Jam
Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Scallions and Ginger
Soups
Lentil and Bacon Soup
Clam Chowder with Bacon-Tarragon Garnish
Salads
Bacon and Egg Salad with Fresh Basil and Red Onion
Bacon and Edamame Salad with Sea Scallops
Meatier Meats
Bacon Beef Bourguignon
Pork Tenderloin with Bacon, Fennel, and Carrots
Brawnier Birds
Sunday Chicken with Bacon
Paella with Chicken and Bacon
Smokier Seafood
Bacon and Shrimp Risotto with Spinach
Cod Fillets with Bacon and Wine-Braised Fennel
Pasta and Bacon
Pasta Carbonara
Fettuccine with Bacon and Kale
Veggies and Sides
Slow-Cooker Pulled Bacon and Bourbon Beans
Roasted Sweet Potato Sticks with Bacon-Bourbon Sauce
Muffins, Breads & Stuffings
Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Biscuits
Bacon and Cranberry Corn Bread
Breakfast Means Bacon
Nuevos Huevos Rancheros
Candied Bacon Slices
Sweet & Savory
Rum Ice Cream with Candied Bacon Chips
Bacon S’mores
Apple-Bacon Coffee Cake with Bourbon-Pecan Glaze
This video features Marie Rama and Peter Kaminsky, the co-authors of the cookbook Bacon Nation. This interview on KitchenParty discusses what makes the perfect bacon, how to cure pork to make bacon, bacon flavors, and the journey to create this cookbook.
These celebrity chef hosts take on Bacon Nation’s Apple Bourbon Pecan Coffee Cake.