BLT Salad with Pickle Beer Dressing

Ingredients

• 6 ounces thick-cut bacon, sliced into small pieces
• 1/4 cup pale ale beer
• 3 tablespoons pickle juice, preferably bread-and-butter pickle juice
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound whole cherry tomatoes
• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon fat melts and the bacon crisps, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a bowl, leaving the fat in the skillet.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat to a blender, and then add the beer, pickle juice, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and pepper. Blend until fully combined and creamy.
3. Add the tomatoes to the pan with the remaining bacon fat and cook over medium heat until the skins are blistered, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Cut the lettuce into quarters and place them on a platter. Top with the blistered tomatoes. Pour over the dressing, sprinkle with the bacon and garnish with the chives.