OK, two key discoveries in round two with this recipe.
1.) Turkey Bacon does not fry up nice like pork bacon for the exact reason that most people eat turkey bacon in the first place - not enough fat! But I don't care about reducing fat, I care about nice, crispy, smokey-tasting goodness (minus pork and nitrates). Obvious solution? Add fat! When you first start cooking turkey bacon, it releases some water (instead of the fat released by pork bacon). Thankfully that water quickly evaporates, but unfortunately, you're then left watching dry strips of turkey quietly turning to jerky despite your hope that they'll somehow end up crispy and tempting. In the midst of this travesty I got the bright idea to spray a little canola oil on there and, wouldn't you know it, I was fryin' again! I had nice dark, crispy strips in minutes.
2.) I overcooked them last time - they were yummy, but a little too squishy. What went wrong? Cooked them just the way I wanted them, turned off the burner, and walked away. Duh, they kept cooking! This time I stopped at about the same point (maybe a bit earlier, even), but then took the pot off the hot burner for about five minutes then iced the pot in a sink full of ice water. There may be a more elegant way to stop the cooking process, but that's what I learned back in the Bertucci's days. I'm especially prone to "ice" food I intend to reheat later.
Hope this helps!
