Fig Jam and Coke Braised Bacon

I recently had a friend for dinner, named Meat Guy.  Yes, that was his name.  We had worked together in Whistler at the Bearfoot Bistro, and he was in my town for the night.  We cooked for the girls, and decided to do roasted pork tenderloin, and some potatoes terrine.  But the piece du resistance was the glorious slab of bacon that was served on top.

Fig Jam and Coke Braised Bacon

This is really easy, and exceptionally versatile.

1. Fry the bacon
2. Mix fig jam (substitute a multitude of fruit jams or jellies) with a small amount of coke.  The coke and sugars from the jam will caramelize and turn all sticky and yummy
3. Pour the goodness on the goodness
4. Roast for around 20 minutes, we just put it in for the same amount of time as the pork (not really a slow braise, but it’ll do the trick to reduce the fig coke.)

If you have time, you can actually soak the bacon overnight in a bowl filled with water to remove salt. You could marinade with Coke, or if you dare, Cherry Coke,  but they may do some funky things to the meat because of the acids.

If you always reach for the sliced bacon packs while at the grocery store, you may want to look at getting a slab.  Many grocery stores carry large slabs that can be cut up into squares and frozen for future use.  It is such a better way to use bacon in almost anything, as it can be cubed sliced, thick cut, thin cut etc…

This was a really nice topper for the pork.  Serve with your favorite starch and some green beans and you’re in business.  I hope you enjoy!