Only done on rare occasions as a treat, for obvious reasons, this batch of pig candy was a special challenge since the knifemaker's aunt did not have the conveniences of her kitchen or her regular stash of FFA bacon. She produced a batch of pig candy in her hotel room with a microwave, a fork, paper towels, and a saucer...a testament to her culinary skills? Perhaps. A testament to her German stubbornness to pursue a task until arriving as success (a personal skill for which friends and family alike celebrate for, and grumble about), most likely.
Pig candy is brown sugar/cayenne pepper bacon cooked until the sugar caramelizes to hard candy. Initially it is sweet but then has a back flavor of hot spice. The knifemaker's aunt got this from a novel by Lise Funderburg called Pig Candy - a story about taking her father back to his childhood home before he dies. Enjoying the candied skin of an outdoor roasted Cuban pig, then an oven ham, then finally candied strips of bacon is all part of this amazing story of doing what can be done to show someone compassion and love. The knifemaker has been talking about pig candy since his aunt's arrival and how the uncle had eaten it all at Christmas before he got a second piece. Just to be sure he gets plenty in the future (not as a daily treat, mind you!), the knifemaker and his lady friend have been given the recipe. Here it is for your enjoyment too:
As thick and as lean bacon as you can find (the knifemaker's aunt buys the fundraiser FFA bacon from her students in the fall, then freezes it for future use)
Brown Sugar
Ground cayenne pepper
A dash or two of cinnamon
Cut the bacon into half strips (so it's easier to manage)
Cut off large end pieces of fat (the knifemaker's aunt uses scissors - makes it much easier)
Mix up the sugar/cayenne/cinnamon mixture in a large bowl (more or less cayenne to taste)
Cook bacon until it is almost crisp
Take the bacon from the pan into the mixture and toss so the hot fat soaks up the sugar-ness
Place the pieces on a piece of parchment on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little more mixture
Bake at about 375 or 400 until the sugar is bubbly
Take out and place on cooling rack until the liquid sugar hardens
Eat. Then go for a 30 minute walk to work down the blood sugar spike that is sure to happen.
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| Yum! |
