matilda beer bacon: a review

it's a simple equation, really. bacon + goose island matilda = crazy delicious, and i probably wouldn't have known about its existence if not for twitter.

it all started when the good folks at bacon fest chicago tweeted a link to this article about matilda beer bacon. i was instantly intrigued. goose island matilda is one of my favorite beers, and y'all know i love me some bacon, but putting the two together? my mouth watered.

and then i figured out that provenance, one of the shops that carries this amazing delectableness, is this close to the lincoln square farmers market, which has become my default farmers market this summer.

so i stopped in at provenance and bought a pack. did i mention that provenance is featuring dreymiller & kray products during july for 10% off?

anyway...i bought a pack of matilda beer bacon and actually managed to wait a couple of days before i tried it out. the first time, i just made a few slices (yeah, i'm using "few" loosely) in the oven, on 350° for 15 minutes. turns out 15 minutes is a bit too long - finished product came out a little charred but still edible. and omg was it edible. wait...i almost forgot that you can actually smell the beer when you sniff the bacon before cooking it. yeah, i did a sniff test on this bacon. i was curious. sue me.

next experiment? grilled cheese sandwiches. specifically, grilled sammiches with honey, tomato, cheddar & monterey jack cheeses, and a few (in this case, 3) slices of matilda beer bacon. omfg epic nom. this time i cooked the bacon in the oven at 350° for about 12 minutes, and that worked out better than experiment #1.

i can't, in good conscience, recommend this third experiment to anyone who's even remotely trying to maintain healthy eating habits. this is definitely a "cheat day" entree. i made sauteed spinach to go along with this to ease my guilt at having so much porcine goodness.

that said: matilda beer bacon + bacon burgers from c&d family farms + 5-cheese garlic spread from river valley mushrooms (see my previous post about farmers market finds for links to those last 2) + monterey jack cheese. it happened. it's rare that i'm rendered speechless and even more rare for me to render myself speechless by my cooking. that burger/sandwich/monstrosity/whatever you wanna call it was proof that god wants me to be happy and fat. definitely a "sometimes food." don't consume this on a regular basis, people. i mean it. i want y'all to live long and productive lives. please. moderation is our friend. :-)

needless to say, i went back to provenance last week to pick up another pack of matilda beer bacon. the saleswoman remembered me and admitted to having some matilda beer bacon in her fridge. this package is in my freezer. i make no promises as to how long it'll stay there.