Waffles, bacon, bourbon. When selecting an appetizer to get tastebuds primed and ready for the main course, it’s important to choose a standout for the holiday table, both in flavor and in presentation. What could be better than three trendy food items wrapped into one tasty and beautifully presented bite?
Butler’s Pantry’s Chef de Cuisine, Chuck Friedhoff, who recently spent his vacation on a bbq tour studying various proteins, brines, marinades, sauces, and sides, offered Catersource one of his favorite new nibbles sprung from this excursion: Three Little Pigs.
From backyard BBQ to weddings and corporate events, this bite-sized bit of tasty goodness has received rave reviews and requests for the recipe.
Photo by Sara Ketterer
Butler’s Pantry Three Little Pigs Appetizer
Yield: 24
Corn Cake Waffles
Ingredients
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
¾ cup yellow corn meal
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup milk
1 Tbsp honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Method
1. Combine all dry ingredients
2. Combine all wet ingredients
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Do not overmix!
4. In a mini wffale iron prepare desired number of corn waffles.
Bacon jam
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds bacon
2 medium yellow onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup jalapeno pepper jelly
¾ cup brewed coffee
1 cup bourbon (not the really good stuff)
Method
1. Dice bacon and render in oven or in skillet on stove top
2. Drain bacon fat and reserve
3. Sauté sliced onions and garlic in reserved bacon fat
4. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low overnight, or until syrup consistency
Slab bacon
Ingredients
½ pound slab bacon
1 cup of your favorite bbq sauce
Method
1. Cut bacon into pieces slightly larger than the mini waffles
2. Grill or smoke the bacon using fruit wood
3. Glaze with the bbq sauce
Assembly
1. Place a small dollop of bacon jam on top of one mini corn waffle
2. Place one piece of slab bacon on top of waffle and jam
3. Pierce with bamboo skewer and serve with a sweet pickle.
