Oh, you betcha. We’re really doing this.
Why? Because who wouldn’t want a fresh picked bouquet of salt-cured meat? It’s possibly the most romantic display of affection, ever.
Remember this tutorial on cute little felt rosettes? Sort of the same thing going on here. But with bacon. Oooh, is anyone else having visions of a bacon wreath now? Just me? Okay. Anyway, take a strip of bacon and roll it up. Most strips of bacon have a “meaty” edge and a “fatty” edge. You’ll want the meaty edge to be the top of the flower, so keep the fatty edge aligned at the bottom. On a side-note, I think that’s the first time I’ve used the terms “meaty” and “fatty” when describing flowering shrub. I knew I went into horticulture for a reason…
Keep a pair of clean scissors nearby as well. If your bacon is oddly shaped you may need to snip off a bit after you roll to make it lay nicely. Now, I’ve seen lots of ways to make these after my sister first sent me a link, and some of them called for ridiculous things like drilling holes through a mini muffin pan. There’s no need to ruin your best bakeware here, just grab some toothpicks. Insert them in the bottom of the roll, keeping them both as close to the bottom of the bacon as possible and close to each other. You can actually do this without toothpicks, but it’s a little safer with them, since sometimes the bacon comes unraveled.
This not only holds the bacon together, but it creates a little stand for it, so it doesn’t topple over during cooking. Place those little beauties on a rack, sitting over a foil-lined baking sheet. Cooking them on a rack lets the bottoms cook as well so you don’t end up with mushy-bottomed flowers. Because that would be an atrocity.
Pop them in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. The outside should be crisped and browned, and the inside won’t be crisp, but it will be cooked.
After my little rosebuds came out of the oven, I realized I wanted a heftier flower in there, and thus was born- the jumbo bacon flower:
Just layer on another strip. That’s a real man-flower, there.
Now, for such a thing as glorious as a bacon flower, you really need to display it tastefully. Super tastefully.
So grab some discount silk flowers from the craft store. I found these in the clearance bin outside Michael’s for 75% off, plus I had a 20% coupon that was apparently only for Canadians, but since I totally look Canadian and know all of the words to Oh Canada I got to use it. Bam.
The only thing that can be really annoying is if you grab a batch of flowers that happen to be super-glued onto the stems, which some are. So just take a quick peek, and make sure you’re buying the kind that can be easily pulled apart.
Pull those red petals off. Some flowers have several parts in there that you might have to disassemble, but basically, you want this part left:
That green base and the thing sticking up in the middle of it. The bigger the “thing” the better for your bacon stability. Wow, that sounds very technical. Pop those babies right in there, like they were always meant to be.
And then gaze upon the beauty and majesty of the salty blooms, freshly picked from your kitchen. If only bacon roses really grew in the ground…
Guaranteed to make grown men swoon. Or at least giggle like little girls. Either way it’s a win-win for you.
And just because I know you need it, here’s a printable to go along side that gorgeous vase on your table:
Happy Baconing.
And Happy Pinning to you Pinners:
Questions & Reviews
Just made a test batch of these for my husband’s Valentine’s Day gift and they turned out PERFECT! I didnt have a rack to place mine on while cooking but they didnt turn out soggy on the bottom at all. In fact, the bottom cooked in its own grease and turned out nicely crunchy!Thanks so much for this WONDERFUL idea!!
They turned out SO AMAZING!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Definitely bake for 30 minutes, especially if doing hefty roses 🙂 thanks a million, this is amazing!
About to tmake a test batch of these for my boyfriend’s Valentine’s day gift… Fingers crosses! 🙂
Are they going to stay on the “thing” as easily as it looks in the pictures?
I’m making these for this Friday (V Day!!) they’re awesome!! Quick question though, did you use thick cut?
No, don’t use thick cut.
I am so so so grateful you put this up!!!!!!!!! With Valentines Day coming around I needed something creative for a guy friends and all the tutorials had drilling through a muffin tin which I didnt really want to do.. This was a great how to!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey guys I found this cool kit that includes everything you need to make the perfect bouquet of bacon roses here. Check it out!
I’ve often been told that I am very creative and imaginative. But, this is about the most amazing idea I have seen yet. This is truly a masterpiece. I am going to set this up as a centerpiece for my family breakfast the morning after Thanksgiving and place biscuits around the bottom of the vase. My family will freak out and fall in love with this. Thanks again for such a wonderful idea.
Couple of quick questions about the jumbo ones:
1. Do you add the second slice at the beginning or after the first slice has cooked?
2. How long should they go in the oven for and at what temp?
Thanks! 🙂
400, 20-30 minutes, and put all the bacon on at the same time 🙂
Using thick cut bacon helps it look a little more robust without having to double wrap it too. And a little brown sure sprinkled on the top b4 baking adds a little extra flavor. Good luck!
You had me at Bacon… clearly Bacon makes everything better, even floral arrangements! Some more baconey gifts for the bacon-lover in your life:
http://www.bitememore.com/wrapme/70/bacon-gifts
My boyfriend has been gone for a month in Europe. I’m making these for him now!
What an amazing idea. I am TOTALLY going to make these for Father’s day. I’m sure all my brothers, my husband, and both fathers will LOVE them. Thanks for the great idea and printable.
Thanks so much for this! Just made it for my hubby for Valentine’s Day and it was a big hit!
Thank you! They turned out great! For reinforcements, I stuck half a toothpick in the center of each stem so the bacon would have a little extra support. Worked like a charm! No bacon fell during the bumpy car ride. Thanks for the great post!
how cool is this! thanks for sharing. Happy <3 day!
You may also want to consider wiping all the leaves and stems of the flowers before you put your bacon on it. No one wants dust or someones finger germs on their bacon rose.
When would be the best time to present these? My bf goes to a college that is an hour and a half away from mine, so unless I’m able to get a hs classmate to make them for me, I’ll have to drive. Will the bacon roses be okay not fresh? Or are they better fresh?
My husband just looked over my shoulder and was highly intrigued! If he gets me roses this year, I’ll make him a bacon bouquet, lol. 🙂
This looks really weird and maybe a little bit gross, I am totally going to make it!
The best Valentines idea for my man! (He just happens to be a bacon whore!! )
You guys are the best!
These are awesome! It is really too bad that my husband doesn’t like bacon…maybe I will have to make them for myself. 🙂
God bless you. I was just about to go onto the dizzying land of Pinterest for a Valentines day for my hubby. While I was stalling out on FB I found this THIS IS IT! Nothing says I love you to my man like meat. I was considering something with beef jerky but this is way better. I’d repost, but he will see it. So, thanks for sharing! And I LOVE the new cookbook. And both of you.
I tried this last year with turkey bacon and it totally didn’t work because it doesn’t really curl up the way regular bacon does. Just thought I’d mention it in case anyone on a healthy kick wanted to give it a try.
I made these today for me and my boyfriend’s 1 year anniversary! Before rolling them, I coated them in a seasoning mixture of chili powder and brown sugar mixed together. Should be amazing!
Hahaha! This totally has me cracking up at with excitement because of my love for *anything* bacon!
Thank you for such a creative, yet simple (and delicious!) idea to celebrate Father’s Day! My husband loved it and I think it might become a tradition, maybe even carrying over to Mother’s Day?! Like many others, I had to share on my blog and linked back to you guys, since my photos don’t do it justice!
http://alohaperrys.blogspot.com/2012/06/io-puaa-uahi-bacon.html
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BACON BOUQUET!!!
I fixed this for my husbands birthday.It was fantastic.He loved it.
He is a true bacon connoisseur and he could not believe it.
This made his birthday!!!
Thanks so much,
Kathy
We did it! We made these for my husband and it was such a blast! I’ve been married to him for 20 years and I’ve never seen such a reaction. It was A HUGE HIT!!!
I blogged about it on my blog with all credit given to you as well as a direct link to your blog in my post. Thank you so much for sharing this idea with us!
Hugs,
Snoopy & family 😀
http://snoopyshomemadefun.blogspot.com/2012/06/bacon-bouquet-welcome-home-gift.html
hmmm interesting idea. I would want the whole bouquet to be edible and yummy. Maybe with the right kind of lettuce and/or parsley as the leaves. not sure what to glue it together with. hmmmmmmm
So perfect. I love these.