If you eat meat, you probably love bacon. So do we. But who’d think about combining bacon with gouda or or caramel or bourbon and maple syrup? Now you’re talking super bacon!

Our friends at Smithfield, producers of fine bacon products, offer these amazing bacon recipes that’ll have you singing, “Yay for bacon!”

Recipes courtesy Smithfield www.smithfield.com

Crispy Bacon Twists with Gouda and Apricot Preserves (see image above)



nonstick spray

flour, for dusting

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

1 egg, beaten

1 cup (12 ounces) apricot preserves

2 cups (about 7 ounces) Gouda cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

2 pounds (about 25-30 slices) bacon (they use Smithfield Hometown Original Bacon)

Heat oven to 375 F. Line two rimmed baking pans with foil, set baking racks in pans and lightly spray racks with nonstick spray.

On lightly floured surface, roll out one puff pastry sheet to roughly 8-by-12 inches. Brush top with egg and thinly spread 1/2 cup preserves over dough. Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon rosemary, lightly pressing cheese mixture into dough. Fold short end of dough over to enclose cheese mixture and lightly roll to seal. Cut into 15 1/2-inch strips. Repeat with remaining puff pastry and ingredients.

Lay one slice bacon diagonally. Grab one strip of prepared dough by ends and place one end of dough strip horizontally at top end of bacon and roll bacon with dough downward, stretching dough strip while rolling. Place spiral-wrapped bacon twist on prepared rack and repeat.

Bake twists 35-45 minutes, or until pastry is browned and bacon crisp, rotating pans as needed for even cooking. Let cool 5 minutes and gently use spatula to remove twists from racks. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 15

Tip: For a different flavor, try smoked or aged Gouda or fresh thyme instead of rosemary.

Caramelized Bourbon Bacon

2 packages (16 ounces each) thick cut bacon

4 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup bourbon

4 tablespoons maple syrup

Heat oven to 375 F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper. Remove bacon from package and space evenly on pans without overlapping slices. Place pans in oven and bake 15 minutes. Rotate pans halfway through baking time.

Meanwhile, combine honey, bourbon and syrup. Remove bacon from oven. Carefully drain grease from pans. Brush bacon with bourbon mixture. Return to oven and bake 3-5 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve. Serves 12

Sea Salt Caramel Bacon

2 packages (12 ounces each) thick cut bacon

4 tablespoons caramel topping

1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

Heat oven to 375 F. Line two baking pans with nonstick foil. Remove bacon from package and space evenly on pans without overlapping slices. Place pans in oven and bake 10 minutes. Rotate pans and continue baking until crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Using tongs, place bacon slices on clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Let cool slightly.

Heat caramel in microwave 10 seconds. Drizzle bacon with caramel. Sprinkle with sea salt. Return to oven and bake 2 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes. Using tongs, remove to cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serves 12