To Baconize your Bourbon?

15 years ago

A friend sent me a link to a guest blog entry he recently wrote. I'm not sure if I'm willing to try this yet lol....

"Alcohol is very good at extracting flavors. ItÂs easy to use for infusions. Throw some raspberries in some gin, let it sit for a day or two, strain out the raspberries, and voila, youÂve got raspberry gin. Unfortunately, your raspberries are going to taste pretty nasty now. ThatÂs fine for fruit, but who wants to waste bacon? Luckily, thereÂs a better way.

ItÂs unappetizingly called "fat-washing." It works on the basic principle that most of the flavor elements in a fat are also soluble in alcohol. This means that instead of having to ruin good bacon in an infusion, you can just use the melted fat. I got to sample a use of this technique last month at Tales of the Cocktail, a fantastic annual convention of cocktail enthusiasts held in New Orleans every summer. IÂm getting baconostalgic just thinking about it. This recipe comes from PDT in New York and it makes a bourbon with an intense, smoky aroma and a true bacon flavor.

What youÂll need: A 750 ml bottle of good bourbon. PDT recommends Four Roses Yellow Label. IÂve used Bulleit, which you might have an easier time finding. Also bacon, as smoky as possible. PDT uses BentonÂs from Tennessee, and while any smoky bacon could work, my own substitution didnÂt produce nearly as much smoke character as what I sampled in New Orleans.

To make it, cook up 3-4 strips of bacon. Retain a fluid ounce or so of the rendered fat, letting it cool but not solidify. Discard of the bacon in the manner of your choosing (IÂm sure youÂll think of something). Pour the fat and bourbon into a glass jar and let it sit to taste, a matter of hours if the bacon is strong enough.

Now youÂve got a very greasy looking jar of bourbon. To make it ungreasy, put it in the freezer over night. The fat will conveniently congeal for easy straining, and you can clean it up even further with a run through a coffee filter.

If all goes well, your bourbon will now taste and smell distinctively like your bacon. Drink it neat, or try out PDTÂs breakfasty BentonÂs Old-Fashioned, a version of which is pictured above:

2 oz bacon bourbon

1/4 oz maple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Stir with ice and pour into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with a twist of orange. Enjoy.

[Photo from the Flickr stream of Dansays.]

Â Jacob Grier"

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Comments (23)

ann_t
15 years ago
Sounds strange to me. But then again I'm not a Bourbon drinker. I have a hard time imagining that a true Bourbon drinker though would want to taint his/her bourbon with bacon.

Ann
annie1992
15 years ago
Ann T, I think it sounds a little strange too, but I'm of the opposite opinion, I wouldn't want to ruin perfectly good bacon with bourbon! LOL

I could see several members of my family trying this, though...

Annie
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Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
15 years ago
Now, I could see a bourbon glaze on my morning bacon...
lindac
15 years ago
Just keep that bacon grease outta my Scotch!
ann_t
15 years ago
Good point Annie. I agree.

Ann
rachelellen
15 years ago
Nice to know there's another Scotch drinker 'round here, Linda!

I like bacon. I like liquor.

I could do without ever having a bacon martini, thank you very much. :P
bunnyman
15 years ago
Put me in the burbon is for cooking and scotch is for drinking crowd. Bacon and burbon as a bbq maybe.

: )
lyra
canarybird01
15 years ago
I have a great recipe for pork tenderloin in bourbon sauce and this reminds me of it. I don't drink bourbon but it does go well with pork so I imagine that would include bacon. Still I wouldn't want to drink it.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1/4 cup Kentucky Bourbon
* 1/4 cup light soy sauce
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
* 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, or 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* dash hot sauce
* 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

PREPARATION:

In blender or food processor, combine bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, mustard, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and oil; pulse until smooth. Place tenderloin and marinade in a food storage bag; refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Cook 4 inches from a hot charcoal fire for 15 to 25 minutes or until the pork has reached 165Â° internally and is no longer pink in the center. Baste occasionally while cooking. Slice in 1/2-inch thick slices to serve.

Serves 6.

Source: Diana Rattray,Your Guide to Southern U.S. Cuisine.
Type of Prep : Broil, Grill
Cuisine : Southern, U.S. Regional

SharonCb
lyndaluu2
15 years ago
Yeah...I agree lindac keep the bacon out of my Scotch!!!

LOL

Linda
foodonastump
15 years ago
The old fashioned sounds awful, but "neat" or on the rocks I am actually intrigued. The main problem is that for me it would have to be a morning drink, and nothing kills a day like drinking straight liquor in the morning.

I do not see it coming out well with scotch. (Besides, if you touch my scotch with so much as an ice cube I will take issue!!!)
ann_t
15 years ago
".....and nothing kills a day like drinking straight liquor in the morning."

Ain't that the truth. LOL!
whiteorchid75
15 years ago
I refuse to mess up my scotch with bacon either. Same goes for my Jack or Jim. Now, if DSW wants to experiment with making bacon-burbon sauces for his BBQ meats, he can get his OWN alcohol and leave mine alone.

I think I saw bacon burbon on D.D.D. a few nights ago, and if I remember correctly, Guy liked it. Can't promise that's what I saw, though, because I was trying to get Drake back to sleep and it was really late/kind of early. * he's cutting molars and it stinks! *
BeverlyAL
15 years ago
Hmmmm, interesting sounding concoction.
jimster
15 years ago
"Just keep that bacon grease outta my Scotch!"

It isn't necessary to infuse Scotch with bacon. Scotch already has a smoky flavor. Bourbon doesn't.

Jim
lakeguy35
15 years ago
I don't think I would like it, but I would try it if offered a taste. I heard about about chocolate covered bacon a week or so ago while I was doing chores and had the TV on. At first I thought yuck! I do love that sweet/salt combo so I can see myself trying that out.

David
lindac
15 years ago
And, whiteorchid, one of the oldest remedies for a miserable teething babe is to rub a little bourbon on his gums. The alcohol anesthesizes, and the tiny bit they may swallow relaxes and the whole unpleasantness insures they won't be seeking out bourbon any time soon!
Remember....this too shall pass, amd soon you will be spending $$ with an oral surgeon to remove the wisdom teeth!
Linda C
sheshebop
15 years ago
Sharon, I just printed that fabulous-sounding pork tenderloin recipe. thank you!
Sherry
caliloo
15 years ago
I am intrigued by the thought of this, but I don't know that I can actually try it. I love BBQ sauces with a hint of bourbon, so I am not opposed to making the meat (bacon) taste like bourbon, but I'm not sure I am okay with going th opposite way.

OTOH, I heard the next trend in flavored alcohol (now that vodkas have been ruined) will be flavored bourbons. Look for chocolate, pecan, hazelnut and vanilla bourbon on a shelf in your liquor store soon.

Alexa
trixietx
15 years ago
I couldn't do the bacon and bourbon drink, but the pork tenderloin recipe sounds good. I will try that.
bri29
15 years ago
I'm just not sure about making bacon flavored liquor... Now a pineapple habanero infused vodka martini? I'm there! I guess I've heard of stranger things. If anyone tries it you'll have to let us know how it is!

Bri
gardengrl
15 years ago
As the resident guinea pig, I may have to try this, but DH is fiercly protective of his bourbon. I can see him hiding the Maker's Mark right now.

I'll give this a whirl this weekend! I can definitely see this as a good addition to a marinade, BBQ sauce, or glaze.

Kathy
ggrls_dh23
15 years ago
I can see doing this with certain grades of bourbon, such as Ten High, Old Grand Dad, or base level Wild Turkey (NOT the 101 proof or higher or the limited run WT bourbons).

It would be a sin to "baconize" higher grade bourbons, such as MM, Knob Creek, Blanton's, or Pappy Van Winkle. This would be equivalent to "baconizing" Single-malt Scotch.

(Hides the Maker's Mark)
beanthere_dunthat
15 years ago
Dear gods, is nothing safe? And Four Roses, no less. *fans self* And then they want you to put maple syrupMhttp://www.austinshouse.org/Executive_Director_May_08_(2).pdf in it, too? What a flippin' waste of both bacon and good bourbon.

No, I don't want bacon in my chocolate, in my ice cream, and definitely not in my bourbon. And about all I want in my bourbon is an ice cube.

To Baconize your Bourbon?

Comments (23)

ann_t

annie1992

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