Travis Milton, executive chef at Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards in Bristol, Virginia, was raised on this salad. In his family it was called Killed Lettuce salad because “you ‘kill’ the lettuce by pouring hot fat over the greens.” Making it is a sensory experience, with the hot bacon fat crackling joyfully as it’s poured over the vinegar-drenched greens. For the optimal crispy-chewy texture, consider buying slab bacon instead of thick-cut slices and chopping it into robust nubbins yourself. There will be a pool of very tasty liquid at the bottom of the salad bowl. Sop it up with cornbread as Milton does.
