Patricias boiling bacon

Last year one of our customers, originally from Ireland, asked for some bacon ribs and a boiling bacon joint (we call it a joint in the UK). The boiling bacon is a popular St Patrick’s day dish - though obviously, you can eat it anytime,

Years ago I used to make sweet and sour ribs with the bacon ribs, you just don’t see them here nor do you see boiling bacon. Basically, it is cured shoulder or loin, the ribs are cured ribs. We had some made and Patricia, one of our Canadian customers tried one and loved it and was kind enough to share her recipe, which sounds delicious! You could also use gammon in this recipe.

Patricia’s Boiling Bacon with apple cider

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb Cobblestone Farm Berkshire boiling bacon joint

• 1 tbsp caraway seeds

• 5 or 6 cIoves garlic

• 1 lb carrots sliced

• 1 small cabbage chopped

• 1 chopped onion

• 4 celery stalks, chopped

• Small palmful caraway seeds

• Apple cider (hard or regular)

Directions

1. Put the boiling bacon and 1 tbsp caraway seeds in a large pot on the stove and cover with water.

2. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour

3. Remove the boiling bacon from pot, (reserve the stock) and put in slow cooker with, onion, celery, cabbage and carrots and a palmful of caraway seeds

4. Cover with a 50/50 mix of cider and the reserved bacon stock 

5. Slow cook until the bacon falls apart.

6. Serve with boiled potatoes.

Tip save the stock for soups