Wilted lettuce is usually thought of as the enemy of delicious salads, but intentionally wilting it (or “killing it,” as it is sometimes called) with bacon grease is a thing of beauty.




This Appalachian technique seems a little wrong, but it tastes very right. Hot bacon grease makes up the majority of the “dressing” coating the once crisp leaves with salty, greasy goodness, and killing them oh so softly. There are a lot of ways you can doctor it up (check out Food52's take in the link below), but the most important part is the hot grease, spooned lovingly over the leaves. From there, you can add vinegar, hot sauce, or even an egg. Go crazy. (Just make sure you don’t forget the actual bacon from which your grease was rendered. That would be tragic.)

Do Right By Your Lettuce: Kill It | Food52