What’s the hottest thing going at Minnesota State Fair this year?
From Famous Dave’s (a barbecue restaurant chain in the Midwest) comes PIG LICKERS – a strip of Nueskes, apple-smoked bacon dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with sea salt and served chilled. Your brow may furrow but the crisp, smoky-sweetness and the fatty mouth feel of the bacon combined with the smooth, slightly bitterness of dark chocolate enhanced with the crunchy, saltiness of the grains of sea salt is not just good but “foodgasmic“.
It’s all five senses – sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami – all rolled into one. It’s both a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
It certainly isn’t a Midwest or an American invention. Joseph Marini III, a fourth-generation candy maker and owner of Marini’s Candies, is selling bacon bonbons. Chef Todd Ginsberg of TAP, a gastropub in Atlanta, features a thin piece of bread that is grilled, brushed with bittersweet chocolate, layered with sliced Spanish chorizo and garnished with sea salt and olive oil. Walk through the open air markets of Spain and you will find vendors selling chocolate combined with smoked meats.
I’m not the only one who thinks these are great. Famous Dave’s reported selling 26,000 Pig Lickers in two days. Apparently even vegetarians love them.
Stuart Stein
When it comes to regional, market-driven cooking, many chefs talk the talk, but few walk the walk quite as ardently as Stuart Stein. Showcasing sustainable artisans across the U.S. has become a mission for this chef, author, culinary instructor and restaurateur. Chef Stein's first cookbook, The Sustainable Kitchen - Passionate Cooking Inspired by Farms, Forests and Oceans brings home the thrill of tasting fine cuisine made from the best seasonal ingredients grown locally. Designed for people who want to make food choices that promote the economic, environmental and social health of their communities, this book gives seasonal cuisine new flair using recipes adapted for exciting home cooking. A talented chef shares his passion for the culinary arts and his regional focus that inspires home cooks everywhere to connect with local farmers and purveyors to obtain the freshest produce available. These connections encourage regional food supplies and a strong local economy, maintain community, foster earth stewardship, and protect the future of family farms.
2 Responses to Pig Lickers
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The key was definitely in getting the proportions right. You got a very nice thick layer of chocolate before hitting the bacon. And the bacon was thick, but not quite overpowering. It could have easily been wrong – ok, I still think it’s wrong – but it was actually not disgusting (and I say this as the aforementioned vegetarian of 18 years).
Thanks for linking to my post. I hadn’t ever been to this site, but now that I’ve discovered it, I love it! I wish I’d been here earlier in the CSA season for all the great recipes, but better late than never.
Ooohhh…I tried Mo’s Bacon Bar, a chocolate bar with bacon bits in it, but there wasn’t enough bacon. It was good, I just wanted a little more girth to the bacon. This sounds like a disgustingly richer version.