Slow Cooker Bacon Jam
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound sliced bacon (apple wood smoked is great), cut lengthwise into 1-2 inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, diced small
3-4 garlic cloves, smashed peeled
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed coffee
1/2 tsp Mexican chili powder
2-3 chipotle chilies, soaked in 1 cup boiling water till soft
Instructions:
Cook your bacon until it is browned and the fat is rendered.
Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Save the rest for future use. Add onions and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee, chili powder and chipotle chiles and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet (or not if used oven method) with a wooden spoon. add bacon and stir to combine.
Transfer mixture to a 6 Qt slow cooker and cook on high, UNCOVERED, for 3 1/2 – 4 hours, until liquid is syrupy.
Transfer to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.
Adapted from recipe on julesfood.blogspot.com