GPAC- Bacon Kettle Corn

I honestly didn't think you could do much to Kettle Corn. I mean it's so simple. Sweet, salty, crunchy goodness. Well folks I was so wrong. I'm fine with admitting I was wrong, really. Now I puffy heart bacon, pork belly,  pork fat in general. I like using home rendered lard for cooking, eating the Chicharrón, making Khai Pa Lo. Bacon and I are tight. Because if loving bacon is wrong, I don't want to be right. I'm talking Bacon Crack-ers tight. So why didn't ever do this before is beyond me. This recipe came about one night when I was cooking ahead for the weekend, and I needed bacon grease because my mason jar in the refrigerator was running low. It was a Friday night, I remember because it was movie night and I was making  Kettle Corn for the movie. I put some bacon in the oven for the next day. The beautiful aroma filled the air- for reals. It was like this throughout my house-

That's when I thought, wait. Why am I making Kettle Corn with vegetable oil? Especially if I've phased the use of vegetable oil almost out here at Give Peas A Chance? Why not flavor the Kettle Corn with the goodness of bacon? Soo, using this Kettle Corn recipe which is a favorite here. Thus Bacon Kettle Corn was born, and inhaled. Mostly by me.
Want some maple? Drizzle some maple syrup on top right after popping, or add it to the pot while popping, see notes below. ORRRR Use Maple Specialty Sugar, or Maple Sugar.

Give Peas A Chance Bacon Kettle Corn

1/2 cup popping corn
1/4 cup bacon grease- strained to remove bacon bits
3 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt

Bacon- cooked and chopped
Two oven mitts or potholders
A big pot with a lid (I used a 5 qt dutch oven and it was perfect)

1. Measure everything out and set it aside. Once you start it's hard to measure things, it moves quickly.
2. Add bacon grease to the pot and heat it on medium high, make sure the grease get hot/glistening but not burning. 
3. Add the popcorn. 
4. SPRINKLE in the sugar over top (do not dump it in a big pile, you want to spread the sugga love out). You can give it a quick stir also.
5. Place the lid on top of the pot and start moving the pot around. The oven mitts help with the heat. 
6. The corn will start popping, once it slows down turn off the heat and slowly remove the lid. 
7. Sprinkle salt on top, mixing the popcorn to distribute the salt.
8. Mix in crumbled bacon.
9. Serve while hot. 

*If you don't have enough bacon grease you can add an oil of your choice to make it 1/4 cup total.

*A tablespoon of maple syrup added with the sugar will caramelize beautifully, and give you a maple flavor.
*A drizzle of maple syrup while stirring in the bacon is yummy also.

*I didn't give an amount for bacon. Just make extra incase you're eating as you go.