BBq Pecans
It doesn’t matter where you are in the world—if there’s a tub of bacon fat in the fridge (or in a coffee can under the sink), you’re in a Southern home. We love our bacon, and would certainly never let the melted fat left in the pan after cooking it go to waste, thank-you-very-much. I use bacon fat to sauté vegetables, as the base for many soups (especially corn or clam chowder), in cornbread, and to make these snacks, which turn happy hour into … very happy hour. A hit of pimenton, which is Spanish smoked paprika, adds to the smokey, spiced feel here, while brown sugar rounds it all out. This, my friends, is good snacking food.
PS: Yes, barbecue purists, I see you, and I know these pecans are not barbecued by any traditional measure. But the flavor they get from the combination of pimenton and bacon fat just … has a barbecue vibe.
Makes 2 servings (you should probably make more)
4 tsp bacon fat
2 cups pecan halves
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pimenton (see note)
2 tsp light brown sugar
Heat your oven to 375 degrees F. Melt the bacon fat in an oven-safe sauté pan over medium heat. Once the fat has melted, add the pecans, and toss them to coat them with bacon fat. Sprinkle the salt and pimenton over the pecans, and toss again.
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the pecans for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the brown sugar on top, toss the pecans again, then return the pan to the oven. Cook the pecans for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the brown sugar has melted and they are fragrant. Remove the pan from the oven, toss one more time, and let cool at least slightly before eating.