34 Bacon Recipes for BLTs, Burgers, and Beyond (2024)

Do you think salty, savory bacon is the best thing on Earth? If so, allow us to introduce you to some of our favorite bacon recipes. We love turning bacon into a jam (and better yet, enjoying bacon jam on pimiento cheeseburgers), glazing bits of it with chile crisp, and using it to flavor baked beans. And of course, bacon is perfectly delightful on its own whether crispy or floppy. Bake it up in a coating of brown sugar and chile powder for an extra-special appetizer. Here are those recipes and even more ways to cook with bacon.

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BLT Hot Dogs with Caraway Remoulade

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These "BLT" hot dogs are topped with crispy bacon, fresh tomatoes, and crunchy lettuce dressed with a creamy caraway-pickle mayonnaise.

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Linguine with Clams, Bacon, and Tomato

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Clams and bacon form a delectable union enhanced by wine-flavored tomato sauce. We recommend chopped clams, which are sold in refrigerated containers in many fish shops and at supermarkets, but you can also use good-quality canned clams.

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Baked Beans with Maple-Glazed Bacon

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For a zippy version of a New England classic, chef Laurence Jossel bakes buttery Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye beans in a tangy-hot mixture of apple cider vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, and crushed red pepper. Regular Italian cannellini or Great Northern beans can replace the Yellow Eyes.

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Farfalle a la Vodka

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Chef Andrew Zimmern's family loves this classic pasta. He amps up the tomato sauce with vodka and adds rich, smoky flavor with bacon.

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Warm Mushroom Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

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"Oyster mushrooms are the awesomest," says chef Kevin Willmann. To roast them, he makes a delicious garlic oil that has other applications, too.

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Bacon and Onion Tart

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"Years ago, I was asked by a subscription recipe company to create 20 pie recipes, and to this day they are some of my best. Tested and re-tested, refined and polished, they are faultless and balanced. This is one of my favorites. It's a bacon and onion filling bound with soft, ripened goat cheese and Gruyère, poured fairly shallowly into a delicate pâte brisée," Andrew Zimmern writes.

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Beef Medallions with Bacon and Morels

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Teres major is an ultra-lean steak that's sometimes referred to as mock tender. Its similarity to the tenderloin makes it a great substitute for filet mignon.

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Scallops with Grapefruit and Bacon

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A tangy, buttery white wine and grapefruit sauce with smoky bacon is the perfect accompaniment to sweet sea scallops.

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Smoked Gouda and Bacon Burgers with Barbecue Sauce

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Founding chef Brian Perrone was reluctant to put a burger on the Slows Bar BQ menu because he wanted to focus on barbecue. At the insistence of his partners, he came up with this patty melt-style burger topped with smoked Gouda, sweet housemade barbecue sauce, and hot sauce-spiked onions. He's glad he did: It was an instant hit.

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Quiche Lorraine

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The small amount of sour cream in this recipe gives the quiche a super-silky texture. We use chopped chives here, but plenty of other herbs would be nice, too, such as sage, thyme, or rosemary.

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Bacon Jam

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Brightened by apple cider vinegar and tomatoes, our bacon jam adds sweet, tart, and smoky flavors to countless dishes. We like this condiment spread on toast and served with an egg, layered into a grilled cheese sandwich, or spooned on goat-cheese-topped crostini.

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Bacon-Wrapped Dates

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A perfect cocktail party snack, bacon-wrapped dates are chewy, crispy, sweet, savory, and smoky all at once. Plump and tender Medjool dates are stuffed with a mixture of blue cheese and cream cheese, and a toasted walnut stands in for the pit. Fresh goat cheese could easily be swapped for the blue cheese, and roasted salted almonds can replace the walnuts. For sweeter stuffed dates, drizzle them with honey before serving.

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Pimiento Cheeseburgers with Bacon Jam

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"This is like a bacon cheeseburger that went to heaven," says chef Edward Lee of Whiskey Dry in Louisville. The pimiento cheese and sweet bacon jam both melt into one dreamy, messy bite — this is not a burger for the faint of palate. Save any leftover spreads for an out-of-this-world grilled cheese sandwich.

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Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

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These two-bite quintessential cocktail party appetizers never get old. The bacon adds a nice smoky flavor, but you can also prepare this recipe with prosciutto or pancetta.

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Baked Clams with Bacon and Garlic

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In this ultimate version of baked clams, chef Daniel Humm includes chopped clams in the filling, doubling down on briny clam flavor. Bacon, parsley, lemon, and a touch of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese add a savory, herby kick.

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Bacon and Butter Sandwiches

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Pastry genius Dominique Ansel gives the beloved English "bacon butty" a French accent by subbing a slender baguette for the standard white toast. He also replaces the traditional ketchup with sherry.

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Sheet-Pan Chicken with Sourdough and Bacon

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F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple's roasted chicken legs drip meaty, delicious fat onto a smoky, peppery bed of potatoes, red onion, bacon, and crispy croutons.

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Spicy Sesame, Bacon, and Egg Congee

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Taking a cue from Top Chef winner Mei Lin, we're adding spicy pork, creamy egg yolks, and crunchy sesame to classic rice congee. Low and slow cooking is the key to its great texture; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle bubble that results in tender grains.

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Bacon Candy

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Crispy, sweet, and salty, this three-ingredient snack is the ultimate cocktail party hors d'oeuvre.

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Black Cod with Mushrooms, Bacon, and Red Wine Sauce

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A sweet and spicy take on Bordeaux-style red wine sauce makes this tender, flaky fish extra flavorful. Store-bought veal demiglace is the secret to the sauce's depth; look for it in specialty stores or online.

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Hominy Stew with Bacon

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Chef JJ Johnson makes hominy the star in this one-pot stew. The maize kernels absorb flavor as they simmer while retaining a slight chew. Aromatics sauté in the rendered fat from crispy bacon, which is later used as a garnish for each serving.

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Potato, Bacon, and Cheddar Tart

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It's crucial to use thinly sliced bacon here, not thick-cut, to achieve a consistently crisp crust. Seek out new crop potatoes for this recipe because they cook more evenly than potatoes that have been in storage. Save the bacon drippings for toast, basting roasted chicken, or making cornbread.

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Kru Nid's Khao Tom (Thai Breakfast Porridge with Bacon)

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This comforting, creamy rice porridge shines with punchy, savory toppings for a hearty meal. Traditional toppings for khao tom can include Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, or eggs, but writer Kat Thompson's favorite version of this dish is topped with fermented mustard greens and crispy bacon. This khao tom recipe is from Oranij Promsatit, Thompson's beloved Thai teacher and family friend.

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Lobster BLTs on Potato Rolls

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These upgraded BLTs combine tender, sweet lobster meat with smoky, salty bacon, juicy tomatoes, and pillowy potato buns, lightly toasted in bacon drippings.

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Loaded Potato Soup

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Bring this rich and luscious potato soup to the table and let kids and guests build their own delicious bowls with crispy potato peels, cheddar cheese, scallions, bacon crumbles, and more for a comforting meal.

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Chile Crisp-Glazed Bacon Bites

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For this party snack, meaty bites of slow-roasted slab bacon are tossed with a homemade chile crisp that's studded with freshly toasted chunks of dried chiles, fresh ginger, and garlic. Native to Mexico, slender and spicy dried Japones chiles lend their heat to this quick and easy version of the popular Chinese condiment. For an even easier version, try this with your favorite store-bought chile crisp.

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Gnocchi with Roast Chicken, Bacon, and Kale

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This comforting gnocchi recipe with chicken, bacon, and kale has it all. Cook the kale and onion in the rendered bacon fat, imbuing them with that smoky flavor while saving the bacon bits for topping. Store-bought gnocchi and rotisserie chicken do much of the heavy lifting here, making this cozy dinner easy to pull off on a weeknight.

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Pesto and Cheese-Stuffed Brioche Scrolls with Bacon-Tomato Jam

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These savory cousins to cinnamon rolls feature buttery brioche scrolls filled with nutty pesto and salty Asiago cheese. After baking, top the still-warm scrolls with a dollop of homemade tomato-bacon jam. The jam will melt over the warm scrolls, adding a touch of smoky, syrupy sweetness that's balanced by the acid from the cherry tomatoes. Toeing the line between sweet and savory, these hearty pastries are sure to be a crowd favorite; they're best served warm.

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Bacon-Scallion Biscuits with Sorghum Butter

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"The perfect biscuit dough just barely comes together," says chef Hugh Acheson. "After it's lightly rolled out, the biscuits puff up when you bake them." He tops these flavorful bacon-scallion ones with butter that's mixed with sorghum syrup, a traditional Southern sweetener.

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Bacon-Wrapped Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin

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Cooking this pork tenderloin in the air fryer results in perfectly juicy, tender meat that's nicely flavored with fresh thyme and garlic. For ultra-crispy bacon on the exterior, make sure to use regular-cut bacon instead of thick-cut.

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Potato Pizza with Crème Fraîche and Bacon

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This pizza starts with the flavors of the classic Alsatian pizza, made with crème fraîche, caramelized onion, and bacon, and adds soft confit garlic cloves and thin slices of potatoes. A little greenery from kale and chives, and you've got an exceptional pizza to both look at and eat.

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Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches with Cheese Curds

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Cheese curds are small chunks of just-made cheese that haven't been pressed into a shape. They're milky and delicious in a grilled cheese sandwich like this one, which also includes bacon, cheddar, onion, and spicy mayonnaise.

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Savory Bread Pudding

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This bread pudding from chef Sohui Kim is studded with bacon and Swiss chard, plus two types of cheese — Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can prepare it up to a day in advance and then bake it the day you serve it.

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Cheddar Rillettes

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Unlike traditional rillettes — such as pork or duck — which rely on fat to preserve and flavor the meat, this pimiento cheese–inspired version made with cheddar incorporates rendered bacon fat to create the perfect texture and lend a pleasant, smoky flavor. Sprinkle the crisp bacon on top for crunchy contrast.

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