Ultra Low Carb (ULC) Recipe - The BLT Redesigned

Fancy makeover on a classic…

If it’s not obvious enough from some of our other recipes or posts, we love bacon! It’s been both a main feature and played a supporting role in more ultra low carb recipes than we can count. So it only made sense to incorporate it in some way into a bite-sized snack and serve it up as a fancy appetizer. Only this time we wanted to try a new take on an old classic – the BLT. We believe that some things are better left as they are, because some classics are classics because they simply work with the ingredients they have. I honestly wasn’t sure how these tiny bites were going to turn out, but I knew that you can’t go wrong with pork belly…and since it’s practically bacon, it just made sense.

Pork belly is the new bacon!

There’s an Asian market that we frequent often and we can always find great deals on various cuts of meat, including pork belly. It almost doesn’t make sense to buy it anywhere else when it’s twice as much money! But we know that not every market sells pork belly, so we also found a great buy from Trader Joe’s. They have pre-cooked pork belly in a box and all you need to do is sear the edges and you’re good to go! If you’re able to find the Trader Joe’s box of pork belly then this recipe just got a lot easier. Not that it’s hard to make, but having that pork belly already cooked just cuts your cooking time in half. Especially since the basil and sun-dried tomatoes don’t require any cooking. Simply layer your bites and watch them be gobbled up.

Unlike some of the other appetizers we’ve shared here, like the Shrimp Salad Stuffed Cucumber Cups, these are best served warm and gobbled up right away. I personally think the best part of these little bites (and pork belly in general) are the crispy edges. After they’ve sat out a while the edges aren’t as crunchy. Still delicious…but not as tasty as they are when first prepared. So I suggest you plan these bad boys out and have they ready when you or your guests are ready to eat!

The BLT Redesigned

* Serving sizes may vary

Servings

BLTs

Unit

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound Pork Belly - cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups Basil leaves - cut into small pieces
1 jar Sun-dried Tomatoes - drained on paper towels
Toothpicks

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add pork belly cubes to hot skillet; brown both sides and transfer to a plate covered with paper towels to absorb excess grease.
Prepare mini BLT's by layering a piece of basil on top of cooked pork belly.
Place a small piece of sun-dried tomato on top of basil and gently slide a toothpick through stack.
These are best served slightly warm so the browned parts of the pork belly are still crispy.