Bacon can add a savory-salty crunch to pizza, but adding uncooked bacon straight to the pizza before putting it in the oven can be dangerous. Bacon must be thoroughly cooked before eating because it could contain bacteria and other organisms that cause illness. Boiling bacon prior to cooking has two benefits. First, it ensures that the bacon have been heated properly to kill harmful organisms and, second, it renders out fat from the bacon, which keeps the pizza from becoming saturated with bacon fat.
Step 1
Cut the bacon into ¼-inch pieces with cooking shears.
Step 2
Fill the 1-qt. saucepan halfway with water.
Step 3
Place the cut-up pieces of bacon into the cooking pot, and cover it with a lid.
Step 4
Turn the heat to high, and bring the water to a boil.
Step 5
Remove the lid, turn the heat to medium, and cook the bacon an additional five minutes.
Step 6
Dip the cooking skimmer into the water, and remove all the boiled bits of bacon.
Step 7
Dry the boiled bacon pieces on paper towels.
Tips and Warnings
- For a more concentrated bacon flavor, use just enough water to cover the bacon. The time it takes to bring the bacon to a boil will be significantly shorter when using less water. The temperature you use to cook the pizza will impact how the boiled bacon on your pizza cooks. Higher temperatures mean crispier bacon.
- Use a heat-resistant mitt when removing the lid, and open it up away from your face to prevent the steam from burning you.
Things You'll Need
- Sliced bacon
- Cooking shears
- 1-qt. saucepan with lid
- Cooking skimmer
- Paper towels
References
- United States Department of Agriculture: Bacon and Food Safety
- United States Department of Agriculture: Fresh Pork from Farm to Table
- The Cook's Thesaurus: Bacon
- "Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore About America's Favorite Indulgence"; Joanna Pruess, Bob Lape and Liesa Cole; 2006
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