13 Bacon Hacks You Shouldn't Live Your Life Without

Sweet, sticky, and utterly irresistible, beer-glazed bacon is the one recipe every bacon-obsessed person needs to try. You'll have to practice a little patience as the bacon roasts slowly in the oven, but it's well worth the wait. A combination of a dark lager, honey, maple syrup, and mustard creates a glaze that coats each bite of bacon that'll have you licking your fingers.

Get the recipe: beer-glazed bacon

Chocolate and bacon go together surprisingly well, and everyone who appreciates sweet and salty desserts will love chocolate-dipped bacon. Roasting the bacon in the oven and melting the chocolate in a double boiler is a foolproof method to getting it perfect every time.

Get the recipe: chocolate-covered bacon

Bacon fat — not just the bacon itself — is an irreplaceable ingredient. One of the best ways to make use of the leftover grease in the skillet after cooking bacon is to scramble eggs in it. You'll end up with more flavorful eggs than ever before, and the grease acts as the perfect nonstick agent to get soft scrambled eggs.

Get the tip: how to scramble eggs in bacon fat

The splatter-proof method to perfectly cooked bacon is to make it in the oven rather than on the stove. Lining a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper makes for easy cleanup, and you can roast the bacon to your desired crispiness.

Get the recipe: oven-roasted bacon

As perfect as prosciutto is on its own, it's almost better when it's crispy, and the quickest way to make that happen is the microwave. Heating it up for a minute or two is the easiest way to get Italian bacon — or prosciutto chips — in the morning or to use as a garnish on a number of dishes.

Get the recipe: prosciutto chips

Why put regular jam on your crackers when you could have bacon jam? You'll never buy the jarred kind again after learning how to make your own. It only takes a few staple ingredients (like onions, coffee, sriracha, and brown sugar) to simmer up a batch of this bacony treat.

Get the recipe: bacon jam

Part dessert, part jerky, and even better than a regular slice of bacon: candied bacon. Serve this as an upgraded side to waffles or pancakes, or incorporate it into your favorite baking recipes.

Get the recipe: candied bacon

Speaking of adding bacon to desserts, these maple bacon cupcakes should be next on your baking to-do list.

Get the recipe: maple-bacon cupcakes

Spinach with a hot bacon-infused vinaigrette? Now that's a salad. Another case for saving leftover bacon grease is to add it to a salad dressing (along with the chopped bacon) to add plenty of flavor to an otherwise-standard salad.

Get the recipe: spinach salad with hot bacon dressing

If you're a sucker for adding bacon bits to anything remotely resembling a salad, you'll love this homemade version. Free of preservatives and ingredients you can't pronounce, these bacon bits keep well in your freezer and are ready any time you need a sprinkle.

Get the recipe: homemade bacon bits

Chopped bacon, a little brown sugar, and a stovetop are all it takes to make your own candied-bacon garnish that goes well with cheese, dips, and more.

Get the recipe: candied bacon baked brie

When bacon is finely chopped and added to a brownie mixture with other ingredients, it's so subtle you just get a trace of it, but it makes all the difference. Once you try bacon-infused brownies, you might never go back.

Get the recipe: bacon chocolate chip homemade Crunch Bars

Just because you can't see the bacon doesn't mean it's not there. Using smoky bacon in a barbecue sauce only enhances the sauce's flavor even more and makes it more decadent.

Get the recipe: chipotle-bacon-bourbon barbecue sauce