Bacon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the bacon overnight in cold water, or for a few hours if it is very fresh.
Trim and pare the bacon, removing all discolored fat and scraping the rind clean.
Cook
Place the bacon in a pot with cold water and bring to a gentle boil.
Skim off any foam that forms.
Let the bacon boil gently until done, about 1 hour for a 2-pound piece.
Finish
Remove the skin.
Cover the top with grated crust of bread.
Check if done by ensuring the rind comes off easily.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Bacon
- Its fat and rind give the cut its flavor and texture as it cooks slowly in water.
The step that matters
Let the bacon boil gently. A vigorous boil toughens the meat and can break up the rind, while a gentle simmer cooks the connective tissue evenly so the meat stays tender.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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