The Recipes You Need To Try Before The Beer and Bacon Fest

A fest of craft beer and bacon, a small piece of heaven is coming to Amarillo Saturday, October 12^th The Amarillo Craft Beer and Bacon Fest!

This event is going to be incredible! It is going to be exactly what it sounds like. The best restaurants from all around the area are going to be serving up their best and most delicious bacon dishes, plus your favorite local and national breweries will be giving unlimited beer samples!

To help prepare you for the event I found the most popular beer and bacon recipes to start your warm-ups!

1
Beer-Candied Bacon
Ingredients:
¹/₂ cup brown sugar
¹/₃ cup beer
1 pound thick-cut bacon
Directions
Preheat oven to 400° F. Combine brown sugar and beer in a small bowl, whisking well to form a thin syrup. Set aside.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top. Place the pieces of bacon on top of the rack, overlapping if necessary. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and brush one side of the bacon with the beer syrup. Flip the bacon and coat the other side with the syrup. Return to oven and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and repeat this process another time or two until the bacon is crispy and browned and you’ve used all the glaze.
Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove to a plate and cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
RECIPE CREDIT TO FOOD52.COM
See full recipe here Food52.com
2
Beer & Bacon Jam
Ingredients:
12 oz thick sliced bacon (8-10 thick strips)
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups amber ale or imperial stout, divided
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup brown sugar
Directions
In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the bacon, working in batches if necessary. Remove the bacon from the pan and allow to cool and then roughly chop. Drain off the bacon grease from the pot, leaving only about 1 tbs bacon drippings in the bottom of the pot. Return the pot to heat and cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup beer and both vinegars, scraping to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the brown sugar and the bacon, reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Place the lid on the pot at an angle, allowing to vent the steam. Cook until reduced to a thick and syrupy consistency, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a food processor along with remaining 1/4 cup beer and pulse until most of the large pieces have been chopped.
Serve at room temperature.
RECIPE CREDIT THEBEERONESS.COM
See the full recipe for here.
3
Bacon & Beer Cheese Soup
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. bacon
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. whole milk
8 oz. lager
4 c. shredded cheddar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Bread, for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp, 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to let drain, then crumble.
Heat skillet with bacon fat over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 6 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add flour and whisk until golden, 3 minutes, then add broth, milk, and beer and let simmer until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add cheese and continue to simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper, then stir in most of the crumbled bacon.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining bacon. Serve warm with bread.
RECIPE CREDIT DELISH.COM
See full recipe here.
4
Bacon, Beer and Cheese Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
8 slices bacon chopped
1/2 yellow onion chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 cup beer I used Guinness
1/2 cup beef broth
2 cups sharp cheddar cubed
6 brioche buns
Instructions
In a large skillet cook the bacon on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until crispy but still bendable.
Remove the bacon from the pan and drain all but two tablespoons of the fat.
Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
Add in the beef, lower the heat to medium and cook well, breaking it apart but leaving some chunks about the size of a raspberry or small grape (don't crush the heck out of it, the larger crumbles will help give the sandwich stability).
Cook until well browned (5-6 minutes), then add in the ketchup, tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, dijon mustard, beer and beef broth.
Stir well, continue cooking until the sauce starts to evaporate and the mixture becomes "sloppy" (about 5-6 minutes).
The consistency you are looking for is reduced enough that spoonfuls can be placed on top of each other with the bottom spoonful not spreading more than a half-inch or so.
Add in the chunks of cheddar and cooked bacon crumbles a minute before serving and stir just slightly to melt them into little puddles.
Toast the buns then spoon over the mixture and top with additional bacon (if desired).
RECIPE CREDIT DINNERANDDESSERT.COM
See full recipe here.
5
Beer Bacon and Cheese Dip Recipe
INGREDIENTS
6 to 8 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced (I just cut whatever package I bought down the middle and use half)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard
8 ounces beer, I used Fat Tire, but any medium bodied ale or pilsner would be good
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Frank's hot sauce, or your favorite hot sauce
Soft or hard pretzels, for dipping
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a large saucepot over medium-high heat.
Add the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring often, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
To the hot grease, add the garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
In a small bowl stir together the flour and dry ground mustard. Add the flour to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the beer and stir. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the cream cheese and cook until melted, stirring often to help break down the cheese. The beer will thicken up when you add the cheese, that's a good thing. You'll want to use your spoon to smush the cream cheese and little and get it incorporated into the sauce.
Add the cheddar and Colby-jack cheeses. Stir to combine until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is thick and smooth, about 5-8 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the hot sauce and stir to combine.
Add almost all of the bacon into the dip, saving a little for garnish. Stir to incorporate the bacon.
Transfer to a serving bowl (or a crockpot set on warm), sprinkle the reserved bacon on top. Serve immediately with soft or hard pretzels.
RECIPE CREDIT BREADBOOZEBACON.COM
See full recipe here.
6
Beer-and-Bacon Toffee Sundaes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced bacon (about 4 slices)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup stout beer (I like Founders Breakfast Stout)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 pints good-quality vanilla ice cream
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
Put the bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until very crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, reserving the fat in the pan.
Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, beer, butter, heavy cream and a pinch each of kosher salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Scoop the ice cream into bowls and spoon the toffee sauce on top. Garnish with the crispy bacon bits, toasted pecans and sea salt.
RECIPE CREDIT FOODNETWORK.COM
See full recipe here.