Top 10 Bacon Dishes

This first entry is a true Super Bowl classic. It’s got the heat, it’s got the cheese, it’s a convenient finger food, and most importantly, it’s got that perfect crunch that only bacon can bring to a party. You start with jalapeno peppers, remove the stems and seeds and then fill them with cream cheese. Wrap each pepper up in a strip of bacon, and throw them in the oven. If you’re looking for a truly divine experience, bread your poppers and deep-fry them to golden brown perfection. If you’re not into spicy food, try bacon-wrapped Tater Tots for a similarly delicious bacon-wrapped treat.

Once you’ve discovered the joy of wrapping other food in bacon, it’s hard to stop. So head on over to the fridge, get out some asparagus and give it the bacon experience. Many will argue that asparagus is tasty all on its own, with just a little butter or some freshly grated parmesan as garnish. We agree; asparagus is a fantastic vegetable. But we also think you’d be a fool not to introduce such a delicious vegetable to the world’s most delicious meat. Wrap each spear individually or tie a few together like a little gift for yourself. However you wrap it, your asparagus deserves bacon.

When we say jam, you probably think of the contemporary American classics commonly paired with peanut butter, like strawberry, raspberry or grape. Bacon jam on the other hand, is more of a savory-sweet relish type condiment. It has a salty, smoky, sweet flavor reminiscent of candied bacon. To make it, you slow cook bacon with onions, vinegar, brown sugar, and spices. Some recipes call for bourbon to give it a little extra kick. The end result is a spread unlike any other. Try some on a piece of toast or in your next breakfast sandwich. If you’ve never tried it, you’re missing out!

So far we have bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, tater tots and asparagus, but it’s time to leave the minor leagues and turn our attention to big game. Let’s bacon wrap some meat. You’ll be achieving a wonderful result by wrapping a beef or chicken medallion in bacon. First, as the bacon cooks, the fat drippings from the bacon saturate the meat, imparting it with a smoky, bacony flavor. But wait! The fat drippings also keep the meat tender, moist and juicy, cozily snuggled in its bacon blanket. While the bacon is acting as a fairy godmother to your meat medallion, it slowly crisps up to perfection.

Step aside sprinkles, when it comes to doughnut toppings, bacon can’t be beat. For too long, bacon has been relegated to the world of savory dishes. With its salty flavor, crunch factor and fat content, it lends itself perfectly to the culinary realm of sweet treats and baked goods. In colder North American climates, people go “sugaring off,” which means visiting a sugar shack, where maple syrup is produced, to partake in a massive feast that combines maple syrup and pork products. Maple-Bacon doughnuts, although not a traditional part of this meal, epitomize the spirit of the festival in one decadent mouth-watering morsel of food.

Few foods are as near and dear to the hearts of millions around the world as pizza. And if you look to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as role models (and who doesn't?), you’ll know that pizza is the key to happiness. Pepperoni may be the classic pizza topping, but we humbly submit bacon for your consideration the next time you make that late night phone call to order some cheesy doughy goodness from your local pizza place. Pizza is great, bacon is great, get them together and watch the sparks fly. Need more bacon? Why not a bacon-wrapped crust? Give in!

Mac n’ Cheese is one of those perfect comfort foods. It is cheesy, gooey carb-loading at it’s best. It makes you want to curl up on the couch and binge-watch an entire season of your favorite show. Does it NEED bacon? No. But that’s the special ability of bacon. It takes a perfect dish and does the impossible: makes it better. It's like taking something already cool and adding Dave Grohl. Do you need it? No. Will it it blow your mind? Absolutely. Bacon can be mixed in with the macaroni or crumbled on top of the dish. Either way, it’s heavenly.

The first major hamburger related revelation came when some brilliant individual decided to add some cheese to it. Food pioneer: we salute you. Then, some sort of food wizard came along and suggested the inclusion of bacon, resulting in the bacon cheeseburger, or as we like to call it, the culinary world’s equivalent of the first moon landing. One small delicious bite for man, one colossally epic dish for mankind. Wendy’s, meanwhile, expressed their love of bacon cheeseburgers by increasing the standard two strips of bacon to 6 strips in their trademark cheeseburger “The Baconator.” It might be a heart-stopper, but you’ll die happy.

Nothing says “I love you, bacon” like giving it the leading role in a sandwich. Too often, bacon is given the supporting role alongside a more substantial meat. But in the BLT, it finally gets the chance to show us that it can hold a sandwich together, and it gives an award winning performance. Sure, a BLT is basically bacon dressed up enough to call it a meal, but when you take bacon, lettuce, tomato, a little mayo, some fresh ground pepper and two slices of toasted bread, you get a perfectly balanced sandwich that can compete with the best of them. It’s classic.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

Candied-Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bacon Explosion

Bacon Brownie Bites

When it comes to popular dishes, there are few more iconic than bacon & eggs. What popular TV family hasn’t been shown sitting around the table, discussing their plans for the day over this meal? Breaking Bad spent an exorbitant amount of screen time showing Walter Jr. eating breakfast, and more often than not, it was good old bacon & eggs. Ron Swanson of Parks & Recreation has a framed photo of this dish behind his work desk. Whether you remix it in a bacon cheese omelette, package it to go as a bacon egg McMuffin or get creative by mixing bacon into your pancakes, this combination can’t be beat.


Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite bacon dish? For more mouth-watering top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.