Being a vegetarian, I haven't touched a strip of bacon in years—though I still do hanker for that smoky, crispy, crunchy taste. Somehow a baconless BLT or Cobb salad just doesn't cut it.
But recently, while at a friend's birthday picnic, I was passed a crispy flatbread made by one of the guests. I politely took one and bit into a little slice of heaven—and yes, it seemed to be loaded with bacon. When I inquired, I discovered that the bacony flavor didn't come from a piglet, but a light dusting of hickory smoked salt baked into the crusty top. Wow! What a discovery.
I immediately went to the Internet and found a 1-ounce bag of hickory smoked salt selling for $2.50 at My Spice Sage and an even better deal—5 ounces for $3.39—at A1 Spice World.
When you consider that a pound of the real thing goes for about $6 at the supermarket and packs about 46 calories per slice, one jar of hickory salt will last a lot longer and give you similar smoky flavor without any fat.
