Hot Bacon Salad Dressing
How to turn rendered bacon fat into a brilliant hot bacon salad dressing that makes you feel like a world-class chef. It's a warm, smokey, savory, and sweetened goodness that tastes like the famous Houston's (Hillstone) restaurant version!
Servings: 12
Calories: 188kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon thick-cut is preferred
- 1 shallot
- ½ cup reserved bacon fat if needed, add canola oil or olive oil to the bacon fat to get to ½ cup
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Slice the bacon into small pieces, about ½ an inch. Place a large skillet on the stovetop and set it to medium-high heat. Add your chopped bacon into the skillet and begin cooking. Once the bacon is starting to splatter, reduce the heat to low and turn occasionally. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning the bits.
- Once crisp, remove bacon from the skillet and place on a paper towel-lined dish. Reserve the bacon pieces for a salad or to top roasted vegetables.
- Measure the reserved bacon drippings in a pyrex cup to see if you have ½ cup. If you are short on the volume, add canola oil to the bacon drippings to get fat up to ½ cup.
- Peel and chop the shallot.
- Return the oil to the skillet and add the shallots. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they have softened.
- Whisk in the white vinegar, water, and granulated sugar to the skillet of softened shallots in bacon drippings over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Mix 1½ to 2 teaspoons of water with the cornstarch to make a slurry.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the skillet. Allow the dressing to come to a low boil to activate the thickening traits of the cornstarch. Once thickened, reduce the heat under the skillet to warm until ready to serve or transfer to a jar with a lid to store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Serve warm.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions
- Remove the crisp bacon from the skillet and finish making the dressing in the pan.
- Let the dressing cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight jar stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Store the bacon in a separate sealed container and rewarm in the microwave at 10-second intervals on a paper towel-lined plate until crisp.
- To reheat the dressing, microwave it for 30-60 seconds, then whisk or shake the jar to combine. Alternatively, you can warm the dressing in a small saucepan over low heat.
Nutrition
Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg
