I’m making rumaki – chicken liver wrapped in bacon, which I will broil until done. I know how to do that. But I find I have 3 leftover strips of bacon. Should I:
Make room on the broiler and cook it alongside the rumaki?
Put it in my cast iron frying pan, and heat (low? high? pre-heat the pan? start cold?)
Toss a baking pan below the boiler, and cook it in the oven with indirect heat?
Cover with a paper towel and put it in the microwave? That was trendy 30 years ago…
I realize this isn’t a hugely consequential decision, and I’m sure it will come out tasty whatever I do. But I figured I may as well ask.
And… I prefer my bacon crispy, and somewhat evenly cooked.
If you do it in a pan start cold. Johnny’s method is a good way to get evenly cooked bacon done to just the point where you like it. Don’t sweat the details, it’s very difficult to ruin bacon.
I make cat treats from chicken livers (lover,heh!). I bake them to make them real dry. The liquid that oozes out is not good for anything I’ve found.
Put the bacon in another small tray. Save the baon grease. Free flavoring. Win!
You obviously don’t enjoy chicken liver. I’m eating mine. And most of the bacon is wrapping the livers. (Each liver is cut in thirds, one piece for the small lobe, and the large lobe is cut in half.)
I think chicken liver wrapped in bacon was a popular canape in the 50s. I haven’t seen it sold commercially since 1998, in Wausau Wisconsin. That spot in the “appetizers” menu seems to have been replaced with scallops wrapped in bacon, which is also good, but not what I have a hankering for.
Oh wow, plain bacon cooks a LOT faster than bacon wrapped around something wet, like a chunk of liver. I went to flip my rumaki, which were juuust barely ready to be flipped, and the three strips of bacon on the outside of the pan (farthest away from the heat) were completely done – just barely beginning to burn, even. They taste great, though. So no harm done.
As a bacon fan, it may be sacrilege, but after experimenting with many different techniques, I’ve found that the best way is to just put it in the microwave sandwiched in paper towels. Fast, easy, and results in even, crispy bacon with no gross stringy/fatty bits. Of course the crispiness means it’s not good for wrapping around stuff.
Only way to ruin bacon is to burn it. Baking is best for a batch; much more forgiving. For 3 strips spray a non-stick frying pain with oil and cook it on a medium setting five minutes. If you prefer crispy to fatty flip it over until desired texture, checking every few minutes.
One of the things I have noticed about sous vide bacon is that it is perfect for wrapping other items. Since it is already cooked, all it has to do is crisp up. It gives both perfect asparagus & bacon for example.
Well, the bacon does want to cook a little longer than the liver, but I’d rather have slightly un-crisped bacon with slightly overdone liver than add an extra step.
That is a great idea. You can get a similar effect by baking in the oven at 325F, but you still have to get it out at the right time.
puzzlegal, I love chicken livers also. It is tricky to get the livers and the bacon just right but the sous vide approach may be the way to go for any pre-cooked bacon so you can still finish it to your satisfaction.
I’m eating mine. And most of the bacon is wrapping the livers. (Each liver is cut in thirds, one piece for the small lobe, and the large lobe is cut in half.)