The Best Bacon For Infusing Bourbon

Just as bourbon adds richness to savory bacon jam and amps up a candied bacon recipe, bacon-infused bourbon has also become a popular delicacy. We consulted Lone Wolf bartender Anton Kinloch during NY Bartender Week, for his opinion on the best bacon for infusing bourbon.

He said, "For seasoning, we have found that working with a hard-wood smoked bacon or country ham is great. Lay out your bacon on a sheet tray and place into a cold oven, then turn to 350 and cook until golden, brown and delicious. The fat slowly renders out so you can maximize the texture of the bacon (if you want to use as garnish)."

Hard-wood smoked bacon refers to bacon that has been smoked over real wood as opposed to using liquid smoke. The type of wood used to smoke it is a matter of personal preference. You can draw from the tasting notes of bourbon to inform your choice; pecan, maplewood, and applewood smoked bacon would all bring out the fruity, sweet, and nutty notes of bourbon.

Once you've baked bacon in the oven, you'll never want to use a skillet again; you can make large batches, mess-free, and with the crispiest results. Bacon benefits from a cold oven starting point because, as Anton Kinloch suggests, gradual heat renders fat more thoroughly. It also cooks the bacon more evenly and achieves a very crunchy bite. The fat on the baking sheet can easily be poured through a mesh strainer to infuse bourbon.

Upon isolating the flavorful smoked bacon fat, the infusion process is simple. Simply add some of your favorite bourbon to the bacon fat in a freezer-safe bowl, give it a stir, and let it sit for a few hours. Then place the bacon-infused bourbon into the freezer overnight to separate the fat. The fat will freeze, creating a congealed solid layer you can pluck off the top of the golden liquid. Any residual fat will need a finer filter. Place a coffee filter into the funnel you use when pouring the bacon-infused bourbon back into its original bottle — or any other suitable container — to catch the smallest fat particles. These 1-liter kilner jars do the job; and this set of stainless steel kitchen funnels may also be useful for the process.

Bacon-infused bourbon elevates classic and unconventional cocktails alike. Add some to this old fashioned recipe or this smoked version of an old fashioned. You could try blending bacon bourbon with chocolate bitters, coffee liqueur, and cream for a supremely decadent brunch cocktail.

The best part of infusing bourbon with bacon is that every component, from the fat to the crispy bacon, can be repurposed. The fat from the top of the bourbon is infused with bourbon flavor, and you can use it in many recipes. Stir it into refried beans or use it to saute the aromatic foundation for baked beans. If you can manage not to eat any spare crispy bacon hot out of the oven, incorporate it into sandwiches, salads, baked potatoes, and even as a garnish for your bacon bourbon cocktails.