Another Thanksgiving appetizer.
Last year i made Bacon Wrapped Asparagus. Everyone loved it but I didnt love how I prepared it. When I think bacon with a vegetable, I think bacon flavor INFUSED into the vegetable and in order to do that you have render the fat. When i made my asparagus last year I baked it, the flavor was okay but I really wanted to snap into a crispy bacon greasy spear of asparagus on bacon crack, ya know?
I was asked to prepare a side dish and I almost immediately thought “something green with bacon” and I wanted a challenge. My family eats with their eyes. If it looks gross they wont eat it. But I also wanted to dare them to eat something they wouldnt normally eat prepared the regular way.
Brussel Sprouts. Everyone thinks of them as the god awful vegetable that was forced upon children to eat…or else no dessert for you. I will proudly wolf these bad boys down because they got bacon in ‘em. MMMM!
Start with a pack of bacon. I got whatever was on sale. Just make sure its smoked (and i dont think turkey bacon will yield the same effects). Get a frying pan screaming hot and add the bacon to it. No need to add anything to the pan because the bacon has its own grease (Oh sweet Cheeses!) I put the bacon on medium and kept moving it around the pan to help them crisp up.

Next, Pearl Onions. Adorbs! I was gonna use shallots but C-Town had a very sad looking bucket of rotting shallots the day before Thanksgiving… travesty! So i figured Pearl onions were oniony enough but mild at the same time. I boiled these for 5 minutes to help with the peeling processs.
After 5 minutes, let these babies cool. then slice off the ends and you can give them a litlle squeeze while the pretty parts “ploop” out.
I made 1.5 lbs of brussel sprouts. I wanted them to be soft so I trimmed them (what a pain in the ass!) and sliced them into 4′s. I boiled those for 5 minutes too.
If you want them to be mush tender, boil them a lil longer but I boiled these till they were slighty fork tender.
Drain. and wait for bacon to crisp.
Takes a while. Smells great. My dog kept licking her lips when i turned the pan… dogs love bacon as much as I do. See all those bubbles!! GREASE!!!
Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the crispy stuff as this will be your garnish when the veg is done. Lower the heat and gently add in your onions and brussel sprouts to the bacon grease. Fold them every 2 minutes and let them saute in the bacon drippings for 5-10 minutes.
When you plate them, garnish them with crispy bacon.
Under normal circumstances I roast my brussel sprouts with a little salt and pepper but for thanksgiving its okay to go full fat. Its just one day a year. And I will say that a few family members tried brussel sprouts for the first time at the Thanksgiving table and really enjoyed them… but who wouldnt love a vegetable that is cooked in bacon drippings???
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