Super Bowl Snacks: Bacon-Cheddar Popcorn
Serious bacon lovers know that if bacon had a team in the NFL, it would most certainly be in the Super Bowl. So if you're having people over for the big game, or even if you're watching with immediate family, or hell, even if you're watching the game by yourself, you know that you want dips and chips and other finger food at your side.
The best source for seriously delicious bacon-centric finger foods and dips is James Villas' incomparable
Bacon Cookbook,. So we're going to feature recipes adapted from Vilas' book every day leading up to the big game.
Today, bacon-cheddar popcorn. 'Nuff said.
Note: Villas says the key to maximum deliciousness with this recipe is adding the bacon fat to the cooking oil.
Bacon Cheddar Popcorn
Ingredients
4 slices cured bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/4 pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
Plenty of kosher salt
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. In a skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till crisp, drain on paper towels, and crumble finely.
3. Pour 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat into a stove-top popcorn popper or deep, heavy saucepan with a lid, add the oil, and heat over moderately high heat till the mixture begins to smoke. Add the popcorn into a large ovenproof pot, add the cheese, bacon, and salt, and toss. Heat in the oven till the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
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7 Comments:
What, no melted butter? I think I'd pour it on with everything else before I melted the cheese. Although, if the cheese were very finely grated, melting wouldn't be necessary. Might not need much salt, which would make it a health food. Yeah, I'm SO making this!
PerkyMac at 3:10PM on 01/31/09
Just to be picky....when you say "Add the popcorn into a large ovenproof pot, etc", you mean after it's popped, right?
chanterelle at 3:46PM on 01/31/09
I'm also confused by this direction "add the popcorn into a large ovenproof pot." In the previous sentence you have the reader adding oil and bacon fat to a deep heavy pot until smoking. These two sentences great an incongruity, with regards to popping the corn. We don't know how to pop the popcorn. In the oven, or on the stove? Please advise before tomorrow, because I am also TOTALLY making this.
ps. I'm adding Louisiana Gold.
Sir Cooksalot at 3:55PM on 01/31/09
I think the directions are nearly clear. You're instructed the pop the corn with the bacon grease on the stovetop in a large popper or pot with cover. If that pot isn't ovenproof, then transfer the popped corn and additional ingredients into an ovenproof bowl with the rest of the ingredients, so that you can melt the cheese in the preheated oven.
PerkyMac at 4:07PM on 01/31/09
@PerkyMac, I concur. I think the second pot is also needed because of the need to toss the voluminous popped corn.
chanterelle at 9:49PM on 01/31/09
Basically the recipe just forgets to mention when to add the popcorn kernels. They should be mixed in with the oil, from what I understand. If you've never made popcorn on the stove before (I wouldn't say this is a very common method anymore), it's easy to get confused.
Rdour at 12:44PM on 02/02/09
People, people! Come ON! Y'all KNOW how to pop corn!
Pop the corn in the bacon grease, then put the popped corn in a BIG dish and add the cheese and bacon and pop it in the oven for a spell.
Then, eat it for dinner!
(oh wait...I mean eat as a snack for a sporting event. No...I mean dinner. I'm eating this for dinner tonight. I'm shameless.)
missbhavens at 5:32PM on 02/03/09