"Fry Yourself a Pound of Bacon"

In order to prepare for our next step in this crazy life-long faith journey, we've been going through our piles of stuff...all of it: that little closet back in the corner of the house; the scary, dark, spider-filled spaces in the attic under the eaves; the dustbunny colonies under the beds...

In every little nook and cranny I find memories, and its made me a bit homesick for the Lowcountry of South Carolina.  When this mournful longing hits, I have no choice but to shell some shrimp and fry some bacon.  You see, all the best recipes in my hometown of Ravenel, SC start with "Fry yourself a pound of bacon."  MMMMmmmm!  Makes me smile just thinking about it.

So, here's my very favorite cure for the Lowcountry blues:

Red Rice and Shrimp

1 lb of GOOD bacon (not the cheap stuff, splurge on the Hormel black label or the Oscar Meyer center cut)

2 lbs of jumbo shrimp (raw, shelled and deveined)

2 cups of Uncle Ben's converted rice (it makes a difference.  You want the pieces of rice to stand alone and not get clumpy.  UB's is the best for that.)

28 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes in juice (you want the juice, so don't drain it)

1 box of chicken broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a big skillet with a tight fitting lid, fry yourself a pound of bacon (big smile).  Remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain.  Add the shrimp to the bacon drippings and fry just until the shrimp is opaque (pink and white).  Don't over cook it.  Remove shrimp to the towel with the bacon.

(I cut the bacon into three pieces per strip, and I make sure I make enough bacon and shrimp so I can "test" a few pieces while I cook the rice.  Best to make sure its good, you know!)

Add the two cups of rice to the remaining bacon and shrimp drippings, over medium heat saute the rice until it begins to turn opaque white and golden brown.  Don't let it scorch!  Stir it constantly.

(My cell phone takes yucky pictures, but if you look closely you can see some solid white pieces of rice in there.  They won't all turn white, though.  Once you see a few pieces of white, add the liquid.  You will be tempted to drain some of the grease.  Fight the urge.  Its SO much yummier when it clogs your arteries.)

Next stir in the tomatoes in juice and the box of broth.  Stir a bit and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once its got a good boil rolling, turn down the heat to medium-low and put on the tight lid.  Don't touch that lid for at least 25 minutes.  

(I like to use a pan with a glass lid, so I can just spin the lid and see how its going inside the pan.  If you don't have a glass lid, wait at least 25 minutes and then take a super quick peak inside.  You want to see holes in the rice with just a little bit of bubbling in the holes.  I know that sounds like a crazy description, but you'll recognize this when you see it.  Check it every five minutes to see if you have slightly bubbly holes.  It usually takes 30-40 minutes. DO NOT STIR THE RICE!!!  If it gets a little extra done on the bottom, it'll have yummy crispy bites in it...but you don't want black bits!)

Once the rice is cooked, stir in the bacon and shrimp you still have (after "sampling") and heat through.   Some folks like the bacon crumbled, but since I cut it before I cook it, I like the big pieces.

There are a couple of crazy good side dishes I serve with this:  

Green Bean and Benne Salad

Green Beans cooked with pork fat 

Layonnaise Squash

Also, you simply cannot eat this meal without real Sweet Tea...not a mix...not with Splenda...and certainly not that nasty brown water called "unsweet" tea...GAG!  You simply have to brew it in a pan on your stove top and let the sugar dissolve in the boiling water first.  There is NO substitute.

And, because my life always has a soundtrack, you need some good old southern rock in the background.  Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, or my all time fave, The EAGLES!  

ENJOY!