• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 pound bacon (preferably guanciale or prosciutt0), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 large red onions, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 Tbsp crushed red chili flakes
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup trebbiano or other Italian unoaked dry white wine
• 1 (16-ounce) can San Marzano plum Tomatoes, crushed by hand
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound bucatini pasta
• 12 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the bacon until lightly browned and some of the fat has rendered out, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the bacon is fully rendered and the onions are slightly caramelized, about 12 minutes. Add the chili flakes and tomato paste and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper to taste. (be careful here) Add the crushed tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Placed the cooked pasta in the sauce and mix thorough. Add the grated cheese. Serve.

source: I Love Bacon

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle in adobo, including some sauce, divided
• 4 bacon slices
• 3/4 pound ground beef chuck (not lean)
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 large red onion, cut into 4 (1/2-inch) thick rounds, each stuck with a wooden pick to keep it together
• 1 firm-ripe avocado, quartered lengthwise, peeled, and cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch thick slices
• Olive oil for brushing on onion and avocado
• 2 hamburger buns, grilled or toasted

In a food processor or blender, purée mayonnaise, mustard, and 1 tablespoon chipotle; transfer to a bowl.

Cook bacon in batches in a skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain.

Gently mix beef with 1 tablespoon chipotle, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt until combined. Form into 4 (4-inch) patties.

Prepare a grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas).

Meanwhile, brush both sides of onion rounds and avocado slices with olive oil.

Oil grill rack then grill onion rounds, turning over once, until charred, 2 to 3 minutes total. Discard wooden picks.

Grill avocado slices, turning once, until grill marks appear, about 30 seconds on each side.

Grill patties, covered only if using a gas grill, until they reach 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 5 to 6 minutes on each side.

Put sauce on buns and make burgers with lettuce, avocado, bacon, onion, and cilantro.

source: epicurious.com

• 2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. canola or olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup small-diced carrots
• 1/2 cup small-diced celery
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup stout beer, such as Guinness
• 4 oz. medium-coarse white bread, such as Italian or French, cut into 2-inch pieces (about
• 2-1/2 cups)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground veal
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar
• 1/4 cup dried mushrooms, rehydrated in hot water and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 oz. sliced bacon (about 9 strips)

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, stirring frequently, until softened and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the stout, and simmer briskly, until almost dry, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool until warm.

In a shallow dish that holds it in a single layer, soak the bread in the milk, flipping once, until soggy but not falling apart, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the coarseness and freshness of the bread. Lightly squeeze a handful of bread at a time to remove some of the milk (it should be wet but not drenched). Finely chop and add to the bowl with the vegetable mixture.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

Add the beef, veal and eggs to the onion mixture. Scatter the Cheddar, rehydrated mushrooms, and parsley over the meat, and then sprinkle with the Worcestershire, 2-1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Use your hands to gently mix all the ingredients until just combined; try not to compact the mixture as you do this.

Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment. Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the baking pan and form into a 10×4-inch rectangular block (it becomes loaf-shaped as it cooks). Finish the meatloaf by draping it with slightly overlapping strips of bacon, tucking the ends under the loaf.

Bake until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F in the center of the meatloaf, 40 to 55 minutes.

Broil the meatloaf about 6 inches from the broiler element until the bacon is brown and crisped, about 3 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board or serving platter with a large spatula and cut into 3/4- to 1-inch-thick slices.

 

source: finecooking.com

• 8 baking potatoes (Yukon gold’s are good for this)
• 1 cup bacon grease, softened, not melted (Olive Oil is ok too, if  you can’t get bacon grease)
• Stubbs BBQ Spice Rub
• Cow Camp Garlic Season All

Wash and dry potatoes. Rub warm, soft bacon grease into the skin of each potato, covering completely.Place potatoes in large bowl. Shake BBQ Rub liberally over potatoes. Cover completely with Rub. Remove potatoes from bowl and place in a foil pan. Shake Cow Camp Garlic Season  All over one side potatoes.

Place on hot grill in a smoker, Smoke for 1/2 hour at 250 deg, turning once and puncturing the potatoes with a metal skewer.  Smoke another 1/2 hour then remove potato and wrap each in double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil**. Seal the foil and place back in smoker for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until soft when poked.

**I’m going to try to mix it up and foil half the potatoes and leave the other four unwrapped. That way I can see which is preferable.

source: This isn’t exactly ground- breaking.