Get creative in the kitchen with versatile bacon

>>> morning on how to cook everything today. the canned of of meat, bacon . mark bittman "how to cook everything the basics," and all 25 recipes will apower in the upcoming issue of "new york times" magazine. i had to bring al in with me. some real expertise.

>> i won't leave. bowed my way on to this segment.

>> the raw pork belly .

>> this is raw pork belly , can be cured or smoked and just smoked and then we call it bacon .

>> and then you can call raw pork belly bacon , too, but what we think of as bacon is usually cured in a brine and smoked or just smoked.

>> here we're looking at it slide.

>> thick slices. here's some diced, what you might call minced.

>> and pancetta is basically bacon , too.

>> it's raw bacon that's cured with herbs really and spices.

>> and the difference in quality is what?

>> it's the same as it is with pork. sort of industrialially raised pork and more humanely and individually raised pigs, and these are not that we would ever plug anything, but these are some brands of sort of higher quality pork that make higher quality bacon . since bacon is getting more expensive. yeah, it's not a shortage actually, but it is going to get more expensive. meat in general is going to get more expensive. you might as well, i think, pay the extra money and look at no nitrates and from better pork and it tastes better.

>> the best way to cook it?

>> you know, i was writing the piece for "the times" and i liked doing it in the oven and broiler and on top of the stove. if you have a really big piece, can you grill it.

>> i've done that.

>> so great, but we tend to do the stove top thing.

>> this is one of my favorites. at some hoity-toity event with my wife, and there were guys in tuxedoes and white gloves with plates of this bacon and every man was around it.

>> well, this morning, there has never been so much buzz about a story.

>> this is party bacon .

>> you cook bacon slowly, and as it's finishing you sprinkle it with brown sugar and then whatever else you want, but we're using rosemarie here, so you get this, you know, it's -- as if it weren't sticky and sweet enough it gets stickier and sweeter, and i would suggest trying that.

>> i suggest that, too.

>> and chicken, you're cooking chicken wrapped in bacon as well. talk to us about this recipe.

>> well, this is -- that's what it is. chicken wrapped in bacon . so you take a chicken breast , a couple of slices of bacon . twist it around. you wrap the chicken breast .

>> you wrap the chicken breast in bacon and then slide it into the ban. when the bacon is done, the chicken is done.

>> that's pretty easy.

>> this is smart, too, as you're cooking the chicken. brussel sprouts , not my favorite. my wife loves brussel sprouts but bacon is a nice complement, right?

>> you take bacon and brussel sprouts , toss them together in the oven together.

>> a little olive oil to get it started and this one we put chestnuts, makes it a little better.

>> more past a. this is the more basic of bacon pasta. pasta a la --

>> hey, hey, what's going on over there?

>> bacon .

>> you get it yourself but you don't have thumbs.

>> where's the bacon . where is it? where's the bacon ?

>> where's the bacon ?

>> natalie's dog zara. she sees it on the monitor.

>> she can't stand the smell in here.

>> bacon were peccorina and this is the best, bacon popcorn. really love it. eat it hot.

>> always loved you, mark bittman , but love you more.