Billionaire’s Bacon

Billionaire’s BaconCredit: David Sawyer

SERVES 8 – 10

The late chef and food consultant Gene Hovis gave the recipe for this decadent bacon to Mortimer's in New York City; it was subsequently adopted by that restaurant's successor, Swifty's, and served at cocktail parties both on premises and off.

1 lb. bacon
1 1⁄2 cups light brown sugar

1. Separate strips of bacon and blot dry with paper towels. Put sugar into a wide dish. Coat both sides of bacon in sugar, firmly pressing sugar into each strip. Lay bacon out on sheet pans as coated (some sugar will fall off).

2. Cook bacon in a preheated 425° oven, turning once, until browned and lacquered, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled sheet pan to let cool. Break slices into thirds.

Billionaire’s Bacon

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #82

Ratings & Reviews (12)

noAvatar

if you have any doubts. don't. if it sounds amazing. amazing isn't good enough. make it right now.  saveur can throw in the towel, and publish a magazine that is only this recipe, and articles about how great it is.

careful it can go from perfect to burn quickly (especially considering inconsistencies in bacon thickness) 

 stop reading, go make this.

noAvatar
Made it for a party; disappeared in seconds.
Such an easy thing to make- baking it
renders fat better than frying, and I'll mention a few tips:
-Line baking pan with foil for easy clean up. Sugar caramelizes on the bottom with the grease, making a sticky, dangerous concotion that is a pain to clean once cooled.
-use a nonstick baking pan & rack so the grease dripped away from the meat.
Worth the trouble!
noAvatar
I recommend thick bacon.
noAvatar
Made this years ago and had to just say no. My family went nuts. They never wanted to eat bacon cooked the old fashioned way. It really does become a bit of an addiction. Look out cholesterol!! SOOO good.
noAvatar
Don't take a bite... if you do it's impossible to stop till the end.

Some pain to clean but my god it's soooo gooood!

J'ai vraiment resté surpris par le goût, pour moi je ne pouvais m'arrêter d'en manger, c'est croustillant avec un goût de fumé, sucré en même temps j'ai hâte de le faire à des invités
noAvatar
Serve on top of French Toast..or Waffles...or Oatmeal whole wheat pancakes...or Corn cakes Great for Mothers Day...
noAvatar
As a diabetic, always looking for ways to make foods more acceptable. I have used splenda brown sugar on thick sliced bacon as well as pouring sugar-free syrup over(not as successful if using a baking rack, have to baste). Never a rasher left!
noAvatar
As a diabetic, always looking for ways to make foods more acceptable. I have used splenda brown sugar on thick sliced bacon as well as pouring sugar-free syrup over(not as successful if using a baking rack, have to baste). Never a rasher left!
noAvatar
We like to surprise or friends with this treat. Everyone loves it.A friend made Bacon Ice Cream. It seemed so wrong, but it was so tasty.
noAvatar
Fantastic! We're going to make as a side dish at Thanksgiving this year.
noAvatar
Living and loving lifestyles of the rich and infamous billionare's bacon!
This is easy and delicious. I used thick bacon and Splenda brown sugar (half Splenda, half white sugar) and pressed the bacon into it. I was able to brush off a lot of the sugar and the bacon still came out shiny, crisp and delicious.

Tip: when it's done, put it on parchment or aluminum foil and don't just leave it there. In five or ten minutes, move the pieces around to loosen them from the parchment or foil, or their stickiness will fuse them to the surface.
View Full Site