Step 1: Cook the Bacon

1. Cook Bacon in Skillet: Place the bacon slices in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and rendered its fat. This will take about 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bacon and your desired level of crispness.
2. Remove Bacon and Reserve Bacon Fat: Once the bacon is crisp, remove it from the skillet using a slotted spoon or tongs and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess fat. Leave the rendered bacon fat in the skillet – this flavorful fat will be used to cook the cabbage.
3. Optional: Drain Excess Bacon Fat (if needed): If you have an excessive amount of bacon fat in the skillet (more than about 3-4 tablespoons), you can carefully pour off some of the excess fat into a heatproof container. However, bacon fat is a key flavor component and healthy fat source in keto cooking, so leaving a good amount is recommended.

Step 2: Fry the Cabbage and Onion

1. Add Onion to Bacon Fat: Add the sliced yellow onion to the skillet with the rendered bacon fat. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add Garlic and Cook Briefly: Add the minced garlic to the skillet with the onions and cook for another minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
3. Add Cabbage to Skillet: Add the shredded cabbage to the skillet with the onions and garlic. You may need to add the cabbage in batches if your skillet is very full.
4. Stir and Combine: Stir the cabbage to combine it with the onions, garlic, and bacon fat.
5. Fry Cabbage, Stirring Occasionally: Increase the heat slightly to medium-high and cook the cabbage, stirring occasionally, until it is tender-crisp and lightly browned. This will take about 10-15 minutes. As the cabbage cooks down, it will become more manageable in the skillet. Don’t overcrowd the skillet; if needed, cook the cabbage in batches to ensure even browning and prevent steaming instead of frying.
6. Add Butter, Vinegar, and Seasonings: Once the cabbage is tender-crisp and lightly browned, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the butter, apple cider vinegar, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper to the skillet.
7. Stir to Combine and Cook Briefly: Stir everything together to combine well and cook for another 2-3 minutes, allowing the butter to melt, the vinegar to incorporate, and the seasonings to distribute throughout the cabbage.

Step 3: Finish and Serve

1. Crumble Bacon: Crumble the cooked bacon into bite-sized pieces.
2. Stir in Most of the Bacon: Stir most of the crumbled bacon into the fried cabbage mixture, reserving some for garnish.
3. Taste and Adjust Seasoning: Taste the fried cabbage and adjust seasoning as needed. You may want to add more salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, or thyme to your preference. If you like a touch of heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes at this point.
4. Serve Hot: Serve the Easy Keto Fried Cabbage with Bacon hot, garnished with the remaining crumbled bacon and fresh parsley, if desired. Optional: top with shredded cheese just before serving for extra richness.