Remember when everyone hated brussels sprouts? It was the punchline to all “eat your vegetable” jokes and the punishment kids would face if they didn’t shape up. What happened?!? Now you don’t take a restaurant seriously if they are not on the menu. They are even in the appetizer section. Move over calamari and loaded potato skins, brussels sprouts are the new you!

They are also the new french fries or potato chips.

Or how about a popular topping on pizza? This would have been sacrilegious, I dunno, 5 years ago?

We buy brussels sprouts all the time, and we blanch them, fry them, bake them, steam them, add bacon, lemon, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, etc. etc. But they are never quite as good as the hipster restaurant down the street makes them. Well, we have finally figured it out. We know what elements we want in a good brussels sprout, right? Soft, but crispy, tender, with a little browning, a little salty, and the natural bitterness neutralized.

Here is how we did it.

First we cut them all in half and prepare them for a visit in the hot tub (sous vide at 83 C for about 45 mins). But my trick was to fry up a couple of pieces of bacon, for its grease. I added that grease plus a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the bag of brussels sprouts.

Then once the inside is perfectly done, soft and tender to your liking it is time crispin up the outside in the same skillet you had cooked up the bacon for its grease earlier.

Once the outside is browned, you are ready to serve your hors d’oeuvres, or side dish, or whatever.

Crazy to think that our little Play Gourmet is going to grow up in a world, where everyone appreciates and reveres the brussels sprout. Am I right?