Goal
Combine the deliciousness of bacon and the deliciousness of bourbon. Yes, this has been done successfully before ([1], [2])
Reason
I've decided to become a vegetarian (again), so making a bunch of BLTs and Baconated Bourbon seemed like a good way to celebrate my last day eating meat.
Method
- Cook .5lb bacon
- Add drippings to 750mL bourbon
- Let it sit (1-7 days)
- Filter by freezing to solidify fats and then filtering cold bourbon
- Enjoy
Makin' Bacon
The oven baking method was chosen due to a) splatteriness of pan-frying and b) additional metals &c added by pan-frying. Microwave just seems wrong.
Oven method 1
- Wire racks on tinfoil-covered cookie sheet
- 10 strips bacon
- 350°F, not preheated
- Results:
- 20min: ends crispy and curled, middles less crispy (fat pooling)
- 25min: ends crispier, still chewy
Oven method 2
Temp/time recommended by the packaging:
- Same as before, but 375°F, preheated
- Results:
- 12min: chewy bacon, edges not crispy
- 20min: more brown, edges crispy
Oven method 3
- Same wire rack/foil-covered cookie sheet setup
- Cut bacon package in half to yield shorter pieces
- 400°F, not preheated
- Results:
- 17min: still chewy-looking but less curled than before
- 20min: telltale "foamy" bubbles indicate crispiness may be achieved! Huzzah!
- Still not as crispy as I'd like but this may be due to our oven running slightly cool
- Note: slightly smoky (open a window if your smoke alarms are sensitive)
Oven method 4
The Emeril method.
- Bacon on foil on cookie sheet
- 350°F, preheated
- Half-length bacon slices (as with method #3)
- Results:
- 25 min:
- 35 min:
Gathering drippings
Typical yield: 1fl. oz. for 1/2lb bacon. Pour into a measuring cup or something.
Combining with bourbon
Recommend combining ~30mL drippings with 750mL bourbon in a second container; after it steeps we can filter it back into the bourbon bottle and not have to worry as much about getting all the fat out.
Open questions
- Add an entire slice of bacon to the bourbon while steeping?
- Pro: more bacon flavor!
- Con: hard to get out of the container, may add other unwanted flavor