Bacon Jam makes an impact on the NBC News team. The video of the broadcast is below.
It is important for Chef Micky to create and demonstrate dishes that work. If you have ever used a cook book that left you feeling like a failure because your dish never looked like the picture or tasted like the description explained, it can be frustrating. This short demo is a snapshot of our signature bacon jam. The best way to taste it is to give us a call but here is how you can try making it at home. There are a few ingredients and of course, you can adjust the recipe to your taste.
- 1 pound of bacon
- 2 onions - use any combination of sweet (vidalia), white, yellow (spanish) or red onion to develop your flavor
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 t brown sugar 1/4 t ground allspice 1/4 t chili powder1/4 t ground black pepper
- 1/4 maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coffee
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Method of production: Chop the onion finely - food processor works fine. Mince the garlic. Grind the bacon into tiny bits - the food processor works for home cooks but this can also be ground in a meat grinder. Cook bacon in sauté pan until all of the fat has been rendered. Separate bacon from fat and reserve the bacon bits (The bacon fat can be saved for other dishes like biscuits or fried potatoes). Sauté onions until they caramelize, when there is about 5 minutes left before brown onions, add the minced garlic and saute until aromatic. Once onions and garlic are done, add back the bacon bits, add dry ingredients (spices and sugar). When they have been incorporated, add the liquids. Reduce to syrup like consistency then call everyone you know to come over to enjoy your new dish. Spread it on sandwiches or a bagel with cream cheese to give them that extra UMPH!
It was not my intention to post about pork products as my second entry on our new website, but the past few weeks have been rife with them. There have been jags of bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches for breakfast. Chef made a batch of tomato marmalade and bacon jam and he has smoked and slow roasted four pork shoulders in his smoker in the last 2 weeks. It has become an event around the complex where we are. The smoker goes on in the morning and we get a few visitors wondering what is in the works. So while this website has been coming online and we are busy introducing ourselves into the Chicago scene, Chef has kept himself busy playing with his pork. I know there are people that do not chose to eat pork. They could have religious or dietary restrictions, it could be the issue of meat in general. For those people, I am sorry if our excitement is offensive. It is not my intention to offend you. There is just something wonderful about watching a chef enjoying his work and being proud and excited about the product he has created.