Country Fried Floured Bacon

1 pound thick sliced bacon

1 ½ cups half-and-half cream

2 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ pinch white sugar

2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Cut the bacon strips in half, and place into a shallow dish with the half-and-half, crisscrossing the bacon in a star pattern. Soak the bacon a minimum of 30 minutes, but no more than 2 hours. This step helps reduce the curling of the bacon during frying, tenderizes it, and adds a wonderful flavor.

Stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and sugar in another shallow dish until blended; set aside. When the bacon has finished soaking, remove it from the half-and-half, and shake off the excess. Press each piece into the flour mixture to coat, then set aside. If desired, you can place a sheet of wax paper between the rows of bacon once the plate is covered. However, the flour does a good job of keeping the bacon from sticking to each other.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet over medium-low heat. Fry the bacon in batches until browned and cooked to desired degree of crispness, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.