Over the last year, I’ve read in numerous places – namely pork industry marketing materials – that jalapeno bacon is all the rage these days and is one reason why bacon has recently seen an increase in popularity.
However, I’ve been skeptical of this claim, largely because I haven’t seen widespread availability of jalapeno bacon in grocery stores, or even in specialty butcher shops.
I’m really picky about flavored bacon because I think a lot of the gimmicky flavors currently available through specialty purveyors actually detract from an otherwise delicious bacon. More specifically, I’m not a big fan of jalapenos. So needless to say, I had some bias against the concept of jalapeno bacon.
But last night as I was strolling through my favorite grocery store in Phoenix, AJ’s Fine Foods, I happened to notice some jalapeno bacon behind the butcher counter. I’m a big fan of AJ’s applewood smoked bacon, so I decided to put my bias aside and give jalapeno bacon a chance.
And I’m sure glad I did. I was completely wrong in my bias against jalapeno bacon. This stuff is pretty damn good.
When you unwrap the bacon from the butcher paper, you are immediately struck by a spicy scent that smells like it’s going to taste delicious.
The scent of the bacon while it was cooking reminded me of Mexican chorizo or spicy Italian sausage. And that’s how it tastes. This bacon is definitely spicy and not for the faint of heart.
As with most flavored bacon, the key to frying it in order to maximize the flavors is to cook it slow over low heat.
After I was done frying the bacon, I drained most of the grease but left a little in the pan to scramble my eggs in.
This is what Sunday morning breakfast is all about, folks. Go find some jalapeno bacon now. You won’t be disappointed.