Thick Cut Bacon Rhubarb Chutney

 Cut the carbs. Use our infamously hearty thick cut strips as your vessel for this pleasantly tart rhubarb chutney. From hand straight to mouth. Yum.

Total Time: 25 min prep, 35 min cook

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

2, 12oz. packs North Country Smokehouse Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon
1/3 C sugar
¼ C light corn syrup
3 TBSP white-wine vinegar
8 oz. rhubarb, cut into ½“ pieces
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 TBSP fresh ginger, finely chopped (about 1 ½” piece)
½ habanero pepper, finely chopped (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)
Salt and Pepper

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 375F.

2) Combine sugar, corn syrup, and ¼ C water in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and boil until caramel turns medium amber, 3-4 minutes. Carefully add vinegar (mixture will spatter and caramel will seize). Continue cooking, stirring, until caramel dissolves again.

3) Stir in rhubarb, shallot, ginger, habanero pepper, and ¼ TSP each salt and pepper; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rhubarb is tender and liquid is syrupy, about 10 minutes.

4) Strain chutney, reserving syrup, and transfer to a serving bowl. Return syrup to saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened and reduced to 1/3 C, about 5 minutes.

5) Arrange bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes. Brush tops of bacon with half of rhubarb syrup. Bake 5 minutes more, then flip bacon and brush the other sides with remaining syrup. Continue baking until glossy and most of fat has rendered but bacon is still pliable (it should not crisp), 12 to 15 minutes more.

6) Serve warm with chutney.