Remember that Bacon and Egg Roll with BBQ Sauce on a Sunday arvo after a massive night on the booze with ya mates, remember? I do, as clear as day.
Let’s not bullshit here. Who loves bacon?? Who loves the smell of bacon, who are the ones that know that smell and go, “Mmmmmmm, yeah that smell!!”
Well, I love the smell of smoky products. Mexican sauces, smoky black beans cooking for hours in the kitchen, chipotle chillies blended up in mayo and bacon, yep BACON…
Lots of my mates love the smell of bacon, and most of them are vego but they still follow their noses to that smoky, hickory smell that turns our taste buds into that inside mouth dribbble. Yeah, that flavour that hits ya senses and blows your taste buds out of the water… it’s fuckin’ EPIC!!…#insidemouthdribble #justsayin
So far in this life of mine, I have very diverse friends. All of them choose and eat differently to the other, and I LOVE each and every one of them. All these years we have cooked together, and bacon was one thing that was on the menu over the years. Those memories of cooking with one of my good friends, Andrew, has definitely shaped me into the chef I am today. For-EVER great-FULL for our time in the kitchen Andrew, cooking pig!
To all my non-pig-eating mates that used to love eating bacon and now don’t, this is for you all! #nojudgement
And to all my pig-eating mates, well, this will probably annoy you and might piss you all off!! And hey, well, ya get that on the big jobs 😉 #nojudgement
The idea to make Coconut Bacon came to me from a cafe where I ordered a BLT, and I was super curious to know how the fuck they make a BLT in a plant-based cafe. I was super suspicious and wondered if it was mock meat (not a big fan of the fake meat), but hey, I was willing to give my chef’s palate a go.
So, I ordered the BLT and it was fuckin’ absolutely fabulous. I was in awe of the stuff. It tasted great… EPIC actually. I was truly inspired!!
My thoughts went crazy, and I started salivating the very moment I was served! My senses lifted into food memories that are priceless.
The day had come when I thought of making this bacon, not bacon, coconut bacon. It was my friend Donna who gave me my first bottle of smoked hickory liquid, and it was game on! Thanks Donna.
I threw together some coconut flesh, honey, tamari, and a little smoky paprika and… BOOM! The flavour was epic, but the key thing here is liquid smoke. This crazy stuff will give the coconut that glorious smell that will make you salivate and crave more. I used hickory liquid smoke. It has a really strong smell and can be found either as smoked salt or smoked liquid.
You will need a dehydrator (I use my Excalibur dehydrator).
But this is where your patience is tested – you will have to wait for 16 hours before you can enjoy it. It’s way too long, but hey, you won’t regret it once you start enjoying your crunchy not-bacon bacon.
So, how to do it? Take a look at the recipe below.
How To Make Coconut Bacon Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 500g Young Coconut Flesh*
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 2 tablespoons Tamari
- ¼ teaspoon Hickory Liquid Smoke** A few extra drops for more intense flavour
- A good pinch of Smoked Paprika
- *I used frozen coconut flesh and defrosted it completely. P.S. Fresh is best.
- **I made my first batch with ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke, but for the next one, I’ll use ½ teaspoon, as this is what gives the coconut flesh that bacon smell and flavour.
METHOD
- Defrost the coconut flesh (if you have it frozen).
- Put the flesh into a strainer and press it to get rid of all the water.
- Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the honey, tamari, liquid smoke, and smoked paprika and mix well.
- Add the coconut flesh, mix it well to coat the coconut and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
- Spread the marinated coconut flesh onto your dehydrator trays and turn on to 40C (105F). It already smells good.
- After 12 hours, flip it, and dehydrate for 4 more hours. Enjoy it immediately!
It’s just great! You can store it in a jar (mine was good even after a week stored in a jar on a shelf).
Oh, I’m imagining a plate with some crunchy lettuce and silky avocado, my mayonnaise and tomato or BBQ sauce, and this crazy coconut bacon – an epic combo of flavors, textures, and colors! You will love it!
So, follow the recipe, make your bacon that’s not bacon, that tastes like bacon that’s not bacon, that’s coconut bacon LOL…And let me know what you think.
Love love LOVE you all…
Chef Cynthia
