course, with the injection of added water and
insufficient time to dry, this shortcut bacon is far
wetter than dry-cured bacon, with two results. First,
it means that you’re paying more for it than meets
the eye. That 1-pound package contains at least an
ounce or two of added water weight. Second—and
more important—it won’t cook the same way.
Try it: fry a piece of regular supermarket bacon
side by side with a strip of high-end dry-cured bacon.
The supermarket bacon will shrink and curl
considerably more than the dry-cured bacon as its
moisture evaporates. It’ll also spit and sputter far
more, due to the excess water droplets it’s expelling
as it cooks. So, putting flavor aside, if you’re
constantly enraged by bacon grease sputtering onto
your stovetop or that darned strip that just won’t lie
flat, you may want to consider switching to a bacon
produced the traditional way, with a dry cure.By cooking bacon over low heat, the shrinkage
differential can be minimized, keeping your bacon flatter
and allowing it to cook more evenly. A large heavy skillet
with even heat distribution is essential.
Want to cook bacon for a crowd? Do it in the oven. An
oven heats much more evenly than a skillet does, delivering
perfectly crisp bacon by the trayful.