Boiled bacon

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 kg boiling bacon with rind
1 medium onion
4 cloves
1 large bay leaf
1 tbsp brown sugar
Pepper to taste

Method

1. Put the bacon into a casserole dish and cover with cold water (an inch or so above the bacon). Add the onion, cloves, bay leaf, brown sugar and pepper. Bring to the boil (will take about 20 minutes).

2. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 65 minutes. Ensure the bacon is always covered with water by topping up as and when needed. Adjust cooking times according to the bacon's size: a good rule of thumb is 20 minutes per pound/450g plus 20 minutes.

3. Take the bacon out from the casserole dish, leave to rest on a plate and take off the rind. Keep warm until the moment of serving.
Note: if you want to serve cold, leave the bacon to cool in the cooking water to prevent it drying out.

Notes

Adjust recipe according to the size of the bacon. Allow 250g bacon per person. Never add salt as the bacon is salty enough.