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Few words can conjure up intrigue the way chocolate - dipped - bacon can. A touch of smokiness, saltiness, and of course sweetness; there’s no star in this recipe, only layers of perfection with a crunch.

I was inspired to try making some at home when I was shadowing Stacey during In the Kitchen with David two weeks ago and Saltopia presented their collection of infused salts. I loved the idea of the Rosemary Salt and decided to experiment a little with an already beloved treat.

There are a few ways to make this:

1. Use store bought candy melts or
2. Temper chocolate (my preferred method). The below includes the tempering method but if you prefer candy melts, simply follow the instructions on the bag and dip away.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A candy thermometer (must read 80-120 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 1 ½ lbs. of dark chocolate (it’s easier to temper)
• Sliced Bacon (as many strips as you’d like- I did 12)
• Baking sheet with a rack
• Heat proof bowl and pot (to create double boiler)
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Toppings: salt, nuts, coconut, etc.

That’s it! Simple enough. Now we get to work.

Part 1: Make the bacon

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F
2. Lay out the bacon strips flat on a half baking sheet with a rack in a single layer.
3. Bake at 350 until cooked and crispy- about 15-18 min.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven (don’t spill the fat)
5. Place bacon strips on paper towels to drain excess fat.

Tips:

• We need the bacon to be crisp with the fat drained or the liquid will ruin our tempered chocolate when we go to dip them
• If you have a dehydrator- use that
• Baking the bacon keeps the pieces flat and renders off the excess fat (feel free to store the fat for soups, biscuits, etc)

Part II: Temper the Chocolate *These are the steps for dark chocolate, milk or white chocolate would have slightly lower temperatures

1. Bring a pot of water to a simmer (not boiling or chocolate can overheat)
2. Place heat proof bowl on top of pot but make sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl
3. Add 2/3 of the 1 ½ lbs. of dark chocolate chips to the bowl and stir frequently until they’re all melted. (I used a silicone spatula) *Check the chocolate’s temperature frequently to ensure it doesn’t go past 125 degrees F   
4. Remove the bowl of chocolate from the pot of water (wipe the bottom - this is an extra step to prevent water getting in the chocolate). Don’t turn off the stove yet - leave water at simmer.
5. Add the rest of the dark chocolate chips and stir until the dark chocolate temperature drops to 85 degrees F.    

Tips: You can reduce temperature by adding chocolate to the melted chocolate or spread some of the melted chocolate on a marble slab with an offset spatula and spread back and forth until it hardens (indicating it’s cooled). Then scrape that off the marble and add to your bowl of melted chocolate

1. Reheat chocolate over simmering water for a few seconds (remove bowl and put it back multiple times) until temperature reaches 87-91 degrees F.

Part III: Dip the bacon in the chocolate

*You can dip the full strips but I cut my bacon strips into three pieces so they would be bite sized.

1. Cut the strips of bacon into 1 ¼ inch pieces. In my case 1 bacon strip yielded 3 pieces.
2. Lay parchment paper on a half baking sheet.
3. Dip one piece of bacon at a time into the bowl of melted chocolate and shake off excess chocolate. You can do half dipped pieces or even a drizzle but I fully emerged my bacon pieces in the chocolate.
4. Lay the strip on parchment paper and top with your choice of salt, nuts, coconut, etc. I used rosemary infused salt from Saltopia.
5. Repeat until all your bacon pieces are coated.
6. Put in the refrigerator to cool.

*You’ll know you tempered the chocolate correctly if the chocolate stays hard at room temperature, doesn’t have white streaks, and has a nice snap when you bite into it