I came across this recipe in the current issue of Everyday Food, and was intrigued.
Sweet and savory, a combination of bacon and brown sugar and maple syrup and cider vinegar and, well, you’ll see; this could be the perfect little gift from your kitchen. I will warn you, tho’ – a pound and a half of bacon will yield only two, half-pint, jars – so stock up on the pork products if you’re contemplating large scale gifting.
INGREDIENTS
•1-1/2 lb bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
•2 medium yellow onions, diced small
•3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
•1/2 cup cider vinegar
•1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
•1/4 cup maple syrup – don’t even THINK about using the fake stuff!
•3/4 cup coffee
•I also added a sprinkling of granulated garlic to the bacon while it was cooking and a couple of dashes of Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Sauce to the mixture when I turned it into the slow cooker.
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned – about twenty minutes.
Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined platter to drain.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet – you can chill and save the rest for flavoring pastries or green beans or any number of treats – it all tastes better with bacon 😉
Add the onion and garlic to the tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan and cook until the onion is translucent – about six minutes. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for about two minutes.
Stir in the bacon to combine and transfer all to a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy.
Note: the recipe says to cook for 3-1/2 to 4 hours – but all was well and truly done in our Cuisinart slow cooker in about two hours – so I would recommend watching your pot until it looks right.
Transfer all to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
Let cool, and then refrigerate, covered, up to four weeks.
Serve with crusty bread or crackers, or you could save some time at breakfast and spread it on your English muffin, add a poached egg, pop a slice o’ cheese on top and call it a sammich!
Spreadable bacon; think of the possibilities!