This post is sponsored by Gifford’s Bacon. Thank you for supporting brands we love!
What could be more decadent than brussels sprouts seared in bacon fat then tossed with smoky bacon into crispy fried rice? The answer is nothing. This is a recipe that’s been bouncing around in my head for awhile, so I was ecstatic to partner with Gifford’s Bacon for this post! Their bacon is my absolute favorite. It’s perfectly smoky, thick cut bacon that crisps up for whatever recipe you’re making. It would be amazing in a BLT or to add flavor to a soup, but today I decided to use it in the best way possible — Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Fried Rice.
Lately, I’ve been trying to reduce my waste in the kitchen, and saving bacon fat has been a way for me to do this and add tons of flavor to dishes. I love using it in place of butter to fry eggs. You can also use it to make homemade flour tortillas in place of lard. Or maybe you can just use it to add flavor to sautéed vegetables. So please please do not throw away your bacon fat! Just keep it in a jar in the refrigerator and get creative with it.
This simple Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Fried Rice is also the perfect way to use up leftover rice from takeout. In fact, you should only use leftover rice for this recipe! Freshly cooked rice just won’t crisp up like day old will. The other secret to perfect fried rice is that toasty flavor from sesame oil. That’s one thing you shouldn’t substitute, since it’s the thing that really gives the dish that fried rice taste.
I love buying quality ingredients, and Gifford’s Bacon has been a welcome addition to my refrigerator staples. Plus, great news for you is that Gifford’s is now shipping their bacon! What used to be exclusive to restaurants and chefs is now available to everyone. Check out their site and make this Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Fried Rice recipe below.
Thank you for supporting Gifford’s Bacon! You can buy their bacon or other lovely products here.
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or neutral oil
- 4 slices of Gifford's Bacon
- ½ lb brussels sprouts
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 thumb sized ginger root
- 3 cups of cooked, day old, white rice
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp chili sauce (such as sambal oelek)
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- kosher salt to taste
- 2 green onions
- Slice your bacon pieces into ¼ inch strips crosswise. Trim and slice the brussels sprouts lengthwise. Peel and mince the ginger. Slice your green onions crosswise and discard the white parts.
- In a large nonstick skillet, add the vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add your bacon, stirring every 30 seconds until browned, about 4 minutes. Once browned, remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Pour out all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat from the pan. Save the bacon fat in a jar for later.
- Keep the pan over medium high heat. Place your brussels sprouts, cut side down in the fat, and cook without disturbing them for 3-4 minutes until the bottoms are browned. Stir them up a bit and cook for another minute. Remove them to the plate with the bacon.
- In the same pan, add 2 tbsp of sesame oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger and cook for one minute. Add the rice and flatten into an even layer in the pan. Let this cook without disturbing for 30 seconds. Mix up the rice and flatten again, repeating for 3-4 minutes until rice has some crispy bits. Add the soy sauce and chili paste, and stir in the bacon and brussels sprouts. Squeeze in the lemon and stir the rice. Cook for one minute.
- Push all the rice to one side of the pan. In the cleared part of the pan, add a little oil. Crack your egg and let it set for just 30 seconds. Then scramble it with a spatula or wooden spoon. Once the egg is cooked through, stir it into the rice. Add the sesame seeds and taste the rice for salt. Add salt if needed. Top with sliced green onions to garnish.
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