Home › The Waldorf Kitchen › Broiled Bacon
Broiled Bacon
Broil in a double gridiron in front of a clear fire some slices of streaky bacon nicely trimmed, turning frequently till done. Or the slices cut to one size may be rolled up and stuck on skewers when they may either be broiled or baked in an oven. Remove from the skewer before serving.
A two-line method from the era when a coal or wood fire was the default heat source. The technique translates directly to a broiler, a grill pan, or a sheet pan in the oven.
- Double gridironA hinged wire basket that clamped the slices between two grids so they could be flipped as a unit over the coals. A grill basket does the same job; a slotted broiler pan set 4-5 inches under the element is closer to what most kitchens have.
- "A clear fire"Means coals burned down past the smoking, flaming stage to steady radiant heat. Bacon fat dripping into open flame flares badly, which is exactly what a clear fire avoids.
- Streaky baconBritish-style side bacon, the same cut sold in the United States simply as bacon: alternating fat and lean from the belly. Not back bacon or the lean Canadian style, which will not render enough fat for this method.
- Oven temperatureThe recipe gives none, only "baked in an oven." A reasonable modern equivalent is around 400F on a rack or a parchment-lined sheet, roughly 15-20 minutes for standard slices and longer for thick-cut; rolls on skewers will take longer than flat slices. Turning is generally unnecessary in the oven.
- The rollsTrim slices to equal length so they cook evenly, roll tightly, and run the skewer through the seam to keep them from unwinding. Wooden skewers should be soaked; metal ones conduct heat and cook the centers faster.
- DonenessPull the bacon while it is still slightly flexible. It firms as it cools, and bacon that looks correct in the pan is usually overdone on the plate.
- Yield and useThe recipe gives no quantity. Two or three slices per person alongside eggs or game, or one skewered roll per plate as a savory accompaniment.
This entry reads like a note to a cook who already knows what he is doing: no quantities, no times, just the two acceptable ways of doing it. The rolled and skewered version is related to the bacon rolls that garnished roast game and grilled fish in nineteenth-century service, and to the devils on horseback and angels on horseback of the same period, in which the roll wrapped a prune or an oyster. Broiling in front of the fire rather than over it, in a hinged gridiron, was common for fatty meats before gas ranges made the overhead broiler widespread, and the phrase "a clear fire" recurs in Victorian and Edwardian cookbooks as shorthand for coals that have stopped smoking.