I have been planning on making my Bourbon Bacon Marmalade using Super Pig for some time. Since we have a family wedding to go to next week, I thought now would be a good time to make it. Besides, there is a Super Pig Contest to enter. The following recipe will yield about 2.5 pints of marmalade. I took the recipe and made three and one-half batches. That amounts to 7 pounds of bacon. It is fairly time consuming, but the results are worth.
Ingredients:• 2 lbs smoked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark)
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 cups freshly brewed coffee (I used a Kona blend)
• 2 tablespoons Super Pig
• 6 grinds of fresh black pepper
Preparation:1. I cut the bacon into ½ inch pieces and mixed the Super Pig with them before starting to cook the bacon. All the bacon was coated with Super Pig.
2. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, fry the bacon over medium heat until the bacon begins to crisp. Remove bacon from pot and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.
3. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the rendered bacon fat in the pot and cook until the onion becomes translucent. Remove onion and garlic mixture from pot and either discard rendered bacon fat or use a different, heavy bottomed pot. Add bacon and onion garlic mixture to the pot.
4. Add all of the remaining ingredients to pot except the pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low while maintaining a simmer.
5. Simmer for 2 hours, checking the pot every 30 minutes. If the ingredients begin to dry out, add 1/2 cup water when needed.
6. After two hours, most of the liquid should be reduced. If too watery, simmer for up to an additional 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 30 minutes to cool. Add the pepper. Stir to incorporate.
7. Transfer the contents of the pot to a food processor fitted with a blade. Pulse the contents for 5-6 seconds to incorporate all the ingredients together. Do not over blend, you will lose texture if you do.
Here are most of the ingredients I used to make the marmalade.
One last ingredient, a little Kona blend coffee.
Chop, chop on the bacon.
Into the old iron frying pan to render down and then crisp up.
The final product cooling down.
After it has cooled, I will put it in jars and then into the refrigerator to keep.
There is a sweetness from the maple syrup and the Super Pig on the maple smoked bacon. It has a hint of the heat from the Super Pig. The Maker’s Mark blends well with all the ingredients. The Kona blend coffee added some depth due to its deeper roast flavor.
This can be served on almost anything. I have eaten it on bagels for breakfast, burgers for lunch and dinner, and as a snack with various types of crackers. If you had an old ’57 Chevy bumper, it would probably work there, too.
Enjoy the pictures.
Art
P.S. If time permits, I hope to bring samples to the Fall Gathering.
