The Secret To Perfectly Cooked Bacon, According To Pitmaster Diva Q - Exclusive
Danielle Bennett, also known as "Diva Q," got her start in the barbecue world by judging a food competition. She was immediately hooked on barbecue, leading her to learn the ins and outs of the practice and eventually perfect her craft. Now, Bennett is a Pitmaster, a Traeger Grills pro, and she shares her clever ideas and recipes for great food straight off the grill on her Instagram page and through her cookbook. And, while Bennett has a long list of great recipes she's perfected, there's one popular food that, per her website, has even earned her World Champion titles: bacon.
There are a number of ways to cook bacon, and according to Bennett, she has the secret to doing so perfectly. So, of course, we went straight to the source to find out. In an exclusive interview with Mashed, Bennett shared all about the bacon she buys and the way you should be cooking it for the most deliciously perfect result every time.
Diva Q says cooking bacon on a grill is the best method
First thing's first — "Diva Q" starts out by buying the 10-pound box of bacon available at Sam's Club. Because it's thin, Bennett says she loves to use it for wrapping things. (Thick-cut bacon is often in her cart as well.) Then, she cooks it just like she has cooked bacon for every World Champion title she's received — on a grill.
According to Bennett, cooking bacon on a Traeger grill in particular is an absolute game-changer. "One of the things I love about cooking bacon on a Traeger is that it's all indirect [heat], so I don't have any splatter on my kitchen, which is just wonderful — a no mess, no cleanup kind of way," she said. Another major bonus? Cooking it on the Traeger doesn't cause the bacon to shrink up like other methods often do. "That heat is much more gentle," she said. "It keeps its shape very nicely." Plus, you still have the option to customize it to your liking, whether you love crispy bacon or prefer it a bit fluffier.
Learn more about what you can cook on a Traeger here. For more recipes and ideas from Danielle "Diva Q" Bennett follow her on Instagram.