Is there anything better than bacon? Probably not. But there is a way to make bacon even better than it already is.
Just ask TikToker Abby Durlewanger (aka @houseofketo). The keto food blogger's passion for bacon is helping others achieve their dreams of heaping plates of crispy cured pork.
In a video about her "twisted bacon" cooking technique, Durlewanger shares the perfect way to cook an entire package of bacon on a single baking sheet.
"All you do is take a slice of bacon, and you just start twirling it," she says in the clip. "You're twisting it. You can make it tight or loose."
For chewier bacon, Durlewanger suggests looser twirls. For a crispier bite, twist the bacon tightly.
Durlewanger said she's lost 130 pounds during the last five years of following a ketogenic diet — and bacon has been one of her secret weapons.
"Bacon is beautiful," she told me. "It can be a main protein, not always a topping or accessory we wrap our food in. It's also such a great protein option for people doing keto because it has a great ratio of protein to fat leaving us more satiated gram for gram."
Durlewanger discovered the technique a few years ago, when she volunteered to bring bacon to a party at her gym.
"I had so much to make and it was taking forever," she explained. "I overcrowded the pan and started twisting them to fit more and they cooked perfectly and looked so fun."
"I think it works well because you can cook the entire pack on the sheet pan and don't have to worry about it overlapping," she continued. "It also helps to get just the perfect amount of crunch with slight chewiness to make the perfect bacon."
Since her hack went viral on social media, Durlewanger has seen people use the twisted pieces of bacon as garnishes in bloody marys and as accents on charcuterie boards. In her home, where her husband, children and dogs all follow a keto diet, bacon is most often eaten as a snack, on salads and wraps or as the main protein at dinner.
I tried Durlewanger's bacon hack at home, following her instructions exactly, right down to seasoning part of the twists with everything bagel seasoning and using a favorite jalapeño and red chili seasoning on the other half.
After twisting a pound of bacon and letting it hang out in my oven on 400 F for about 40 minutes, I was rewarded with bacon perfection. Each slice was browned, crispy and ready for snacking.
Durlewanger recommends a low-sodium bacon that doesn't list sugar in the ingredients, and if you're seasoning your bacon, she recommends getting a bit adventurous with it.
"The sky is the limit with your seasoning flavors," she said. "We're from Maryland, so we love a good Old Bay bacon. We've made lemon-pepper bacon, chili-cayenne bacon, garlic-herb bacon, jalapeño bacon and so many other wonderful combinations. I believe bacon is meat also, so we season it the same we would any other meat."
Even Al Roker was inspired by this new twist on a breakfast favorite!
