Spicy Pork Rind-Crusted Bacon

I first saw pork rind-crusted bacon on a terrific low carb blog called, “Step Away From The Carbs”. Being a bacon fanatic, of course I immediately made them, which was a cinch since I always have bacon in the fridge, plus bags of chicharrones (fried pork rinds) in the freezer. I use ground up pork rinds instead of traditional bread crumbs when I cook low carb at home.

In the past, I’ve made candied bacon with brown sugar which gave the bacon a terrific crunch, but it was always a bit too sweet for me. This pork rind-crusted bacon is absolutely my new favorite, low carb snack. I add cayenne pepper and crushed red peppers for an extra kick.

Ingredients:
1 cup of ground, fried pork rinds (store-bought chicharrones)
6 pieces of thick bacon
1 egg mixed with one tablespoon of water in a pie plate (or something similar)
Cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 teaspoon but judge for yourself)
Crushed red peppers (I used a teaspoon to sprinkle on after cooking)
Black pepper (optional)
Parsley or thyme to garnish after plating (optional)

You’ll also need:
Non-stick baking rack (or baking rack with non-stick spray)
Baking sheet
Foil (wrap baking sheet with foil to catch bacon grease)

Preheat oven to 400°. Bring bacon to room temperature.

Blitz pork rinds in food processor or use a sealed bag to crush by hand (or mallet). Add cayenne and black pepper (optional).

Set up a dredging station with the egg/water and ground pork rinds. Take each piece of bacon and dip in egg then pork rinds, shake loose rinds and place directly onto baking rack.

Prep baking tray by lining with foil to catch drippings. If you don’t have a nonstick baking rack, spray with non-stick spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until done to your liking.

I kept the bacon full length in the first batches, then cut them in half to STOP ME FROM eating too many in one sitting (it didn’t work). These are so good on their own, and really bring joy to a salad too.