Chocolate Covered Bacon = Choco-Bacon

So I have been getting a ton of emails and comments from my friends that I have failed to make a bacon dessert.  So I decided to make chocolate covered bacon.  Salty and sweet and 100 percent awesome!!!  Before I started, I discussed the possibilities of chocolate bacon with my friend Jeff and his sister Spud.  Spud had a some insight into the process behind chocolate covered bacon.  She told me that the bacon had to be extremely crispy and the chocolate tasted better when it was dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate.  So I picked up a pound of bacon and 8 ozs of Ghirardelli.

I must admit that the salty sweet factor in choco-bacon is a great combination.

Choco-Bacon

• 1 lb thick cut bacon
• 8 oz dark chocolate – at least 60% cacao

The key to great choco-bacon is super crispy bacon.  The only way to cook a ton of bacon and have it cook evenly is to bake it in the oven.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and then place a rack in the pan.  Next place the bacon on the rack in a single layer.

If you don’t have a rack you can place the bacon directly on the aluminum foil, but you will have to flip the bacon a couple of times during cooking.  The rack eliminates the need to flip the bacon as the grease just drips below the pan.

Cook the bacon for 20-40 minutes.  This depends on the thickness of the bacon and if you are using a rack or not.  The bacon cooks a lot faster when it is not on a  rack.  Cook the bacon till it is browned and crispy.  The time between perfectly cooked and burnt is about a minute, so make sure to keep an eye on the bacon.

Remove the bacon from the rack or pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels.  Allow the bacon to completely cool.

While the bacon is cooling setup your double boiler or place a tempered glass bowl over a pot of simmering water.  Then cut up the dark chocolate into small pieces. We will need to temper the chocolate so that it is glossy and hardens at room temperature.

Place 2/3rds of the chocolate into the double boiler.  Stir until melted.  Check the temperature with a candy thermometer or an instant read thermometer.  Don’t let the dark chocolate exceed 115 degrees.  When the chocolate reaches 110 degrees remove it from the heat, wipe the bottom of the bowl or double boiler and then continue stirring.

Add the remaining chocolate and continue to stir.  Stir until the chocolate reaches 85 degrees.  If there are any chunks of chocolate that have failed to melt, remove them from the chocolate.

Now place the bowl or double boiler back over the heat for 10 seconds, remove from the heat and then start dipping the bacon into the chocolate.  Place the bacon in the bowl and using a spoon drizzle the chocolate over the bacon.

Once the bacon is covered, allow the loose chocolate to fall off the bacon strip.

Place the coated strips of bacon on a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper to all the chocolate to cool and harden.  To speed up the cooling process you can place the choco-bacon bars in the refrigerator.

When the chocolate has cooled and hardened, place the bacon strips in a seal-able plastic container until you are ready to eat.  If it is warm where you live, you may want to store it in the refrigerator.

Salty and Sweet, these are the perfect candy treat.  Didn’t mean to make a rhyme but it works. You have to give this a try.  It is awesome!!

Chocolate Covered Bacon (Choco-Bacon)

A delicious salty-sweet treat combining crispy bacon with tempered dark chocolate.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Cooling Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 1 Pound

Course: Candy, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb thick cut bacon
• 8 oz dark chocolate – at least 60% cacao

Equipment

• silicone mat or parchment paper
• aluminum foil
• double boiler or glass bowl
• candy/instant-read thermometer
• Sheet Pan

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place a rack in the pan
3. Place bacon on the rack in a single layer
4. Bake for 20-40 minutes until browned and crispy (time varies by thickness and whether using a rack)
5. Remove bacon and place on paper towel-lined plate to cool completely
6. Set up a double boiler with a tempered glass bowl over simmering water
7. Chop dark chocolate into small pieces
8. Place 2/3 of chocolate in the double boiler and stir until melted
9. Heat to 110°F, then remove from heat and continue stirring
10. Add remaining chocolate and stir until it reaches 85°F
11. Remove any unmelted chunks
12. Place bowl back over heat for 10 seconds
13. Dip bacon strips in chocolate, using a spoon to drizzle chocolate over
14. Allow excess chocolate to drip off
15. Place coated bacon on silicone mat or parchment paper to cool (refrigerate to speed up)
16. Once hardened, store in sealed plastic container (refrigerate if warm environment)

Notes

Use thick-cut bacon for easier handling when dipping. Dark chocolate (60%+ cacao) works much better than milk chocolate. A rack prevents needing to flip the bacon. Proper chocolate tempering creates a glossy finish that hardens at room temperature.