The Wired Piggy Dark Roast Bacon Burger Coffee Recipe #Shop

Momma Told Me: Smarties know how to shop, but they also know how to cook with any ingredient.

I like to refer to Momma as a whiz in the kitchen. Raising a family on a shoestring budget, you have to get creative, or else it'll be boxed meals and frozen dinners. Not only did Momma know how to shop Smart & Final to take advantage of bulk pricing on her everyday ingredients, but she also knew how to prepare these dishes for 'freeze ahead' meals. And, in the unspeakable event that a second package of something was opened before the prior was finished, Momma knew how to coax the leftovers into an entirely new dish. However, cooking with coffee is something I first became familiar with through my German heritage, though, today, I use Momma's ingredient ingenuity to forge my own coffee recipes. Long before me, my European ancestors where using day old coffee as a substitute for water to infuse baked goods with extra moisture and flavor. Today, I #ChooseSmart ingredients, like coffee, our family can use for multiple dishes and drinks throughout the week.

In 2013 one of my most popular recipes infused freshly brewed coffee with molasses, vinegar, and mustard for an elevated Pork Chop dish many of my readers have since hailed as their favorite. Today I revisit the coffee and pork pairing to create another unique twist on a classic American favorite, the Steakhouse Hamburger. While we have 2 Keurig single cup brewers in our home now (thank you 2013 holidays), I never pass down the hot beverage aisle without picking up a package of ground coffee as well. Brands such as Ambiance, found at Smart & Final, offer a wide range of formatting, from single serve K-Cups to instant crystals and coffee grounds. They also offer a generous range of product sizing to help me save money on the roasts I use most. While we usually drink and cook with (liquid) coffee that is a darker roast, such as Ambiance French Roast, I prefer to use raw coffee grounds no higher than a medium blend. My reasoning for this, is that raw grounds will inherently be stronger in aroma and flavor than the liquid that is consequently brewed from them.

The secret to my Coffee Glazed Bacon Burger, now affectionately known as the The Wired Piggy, is all in the delightfully simple glazed bacon and quick fix roasted garlic aioli sauce.The Bacon craze has swept the nation, and our family is no exception; I served my father a handcrafted Bacon Rose Bouquet for his Father's Day this year, and I regularly make candies bacon for an especially sweet treat worth squealing over. One you know how to candy bacon in the oven, the rest is just piglet play! For this Dark Roast Candies Bacon recipe you only need a Medium Roast Ground Coffee such as Ambiance Ground French Vanilla, Molasses, Brown Sugar, a dash of Chipotle and Water. The secret is in the sticky, mud like, concoction you rub over your rack of bacon the night before baking it.

Worried about using raw coffee grounds on your food? Don't be! Cooking with fresh coffee grounds had been done in coffee recipes for centuries, and many people pay a pretty penny to enjoy chocolate dipped coffee and espresso beans raw- it's the same thing; we are simply using the flavor to highlight our food. Your Dark Roast Coffee Bacon paste will only be spread on the fat up, edges of your packaged bacon, as to create a thick crust; and you can always gently wipe off any extra, unwanted, coffee ground mixture. The molasses and brown sugar will act as a marinade and candying conduit when you put your separated bacon strips on a baking sheet and into an oven. Then it's just 10-12 minutes until smokey flavored coffee goodness! Just remember you're making this bacon to go with a burger, and try not to eat it all before it has a chance to hit the patty.

To compliment my Dark Roast Glazed Bacon I made a simple Roasted Garlic Aioli consisting of olive oil mayonnaise, lightly roasted diced garlic, and lemon juice. This acted as my wet ingredient to cohesively hold the burger together and interact with the pepper-jack cheese. As a side I tossed some First Street 1/4" Shoestring Fries (frozen) in a garlic reduced olive oil and baked them in the oven for 15 minutes. When they came out I was sure to sprinkle a little garlic salt, and the spared garlic from my oil reduction for Fair Quality garlic fries. As with most dishes, when cooking with coffee, so not expect coffee to be the overwhelming flavor, but to act as an extraordinary spice that enhances flavor and brings new tastes together harmoniously.

The Wired Piggy Dark Roast Bacon Burger with garlic aioli and coffee glazed bacon is a delightfully refined steakhouse burger with a wonderful smokey flavor that has light citrus highlights and is very clean to eat. All the indulgence of an afternoon cup, without any of the caffeine! Best of all, you can stock up on your favorite blend of Ambiance coffee and be entered to win one of 10 Keurig Single Serve machines or 10 $100 SmartCash cards, beginning January 2nd! And be sure to follow the Smart & Final Facebook page where you'll also have the chance to win daily giveaways through January 15, 2014.

What Daughter Says: Work your favorite flavors into new cuisine to create surprising results with minimal skill.

The Wired Piggy, Dark Roast Bacon Burger

****Click here for complete printable Coffee Bacon Burger recipe.

Ingredients:

Coffee Glazed Bacon:

* 6 Slices Uncooked Packaged Bacon

* 1/4 C Ambiance Ground Coffee (Medium Roast)

* 1/2 TBS Chipotle Powder, or Chili Substitute IfI Heat Okay)

* 2TBS Packed Brown Sugar

* 2TBS Molasses

* 1 TBS Water

Roasted Garlic Aoili

* 1/3 C Olive Oil Mayonnaise 

* 3 TBS Minced Garlic Cloves

* 2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

* 2 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice

Burger:

*4 1/3lb Fresh Ground Beef Patties

* 4 Whole Wheat Buns

* Roasted Garlic Aioli (Recipe Below)

* 6 Strips Coffee Glazed Bacon (Recipe Below)

* 1 Head Butter Lettuce

* 4 Slices Pepper-Jack Cheese

* Salt and Pepper To Season Patty

Directions:

1.) Remove strips of bacon from package without separating strips from one another. Cut down middle of bacon wedge to create two even portion. Combine Coffee Glazed Bacon Ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until a dark, sticky, paste is formed. Spread past generously in a thick layer across the (fat side up) edges of bacon. Wrap in parchment paper and place in a ziploc baggy, refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

2.) While bacon is marinating, prepare Roasted Garlic Aioli. Place Olive Oil and Minced Garlic in a small saucepan and simmer over med-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until aromatic. Remove from heat and stir in mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add a pinch of pepper if desired. Refrigerate until burger is ready to be assembled.

3.) Preheat oven to 425F. Remove bacon from fridge and spread single strips about 2" apart on a lightly greased sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in oven for 12-14 MINS until edges are crisped and bacon is desired texture. For candied bacon, bacon will continue to set once removed from oven- allow to cool entirely before serving.

4.) While bacon is cooling season burger patties and cook on grill to desired temperature. Lightly toast buns on grill prior to serving. Spread garlic aioli on top and bottom buns. Build burger from bottom up; bottom bun, aioli, fresh butter lettuce leaves, burger patty, pepper-jack cheese, coffee glazed bacon, aioli, top bun. Serve immediately and enjoy with a savory side such as garlic fries.

Smart Cooking w/ Ingrid Hoffmann's Ropa Vieja + Mexican Rice Recipes

Momma Told Me: Smart Buys require Smart Buyers.

Growing up my family never owned a business, or coordinated large family get-togethers. For the most part Momma fed and entertained a party of 3, 365 days a year; and that alone was a challenge. With a disabled parent, and one income, my family relied greatly on Momma's skills to coupon and shop sales to make our budget stretch through the rough patches. Whenever an unexpected expense would pop up, in the form of a medical bill or household repair, I knew we'd be in for some creative meal planning through the following weeks. One of Momma's biggest tricks was buying in bulk, or making a 'smart buy', that is to pay a little more, for a larger quantity of an item, up front, in exchange for the added value over time. In addition to shopping 'club' based stores, she would frequent Smart & Final, where she could stock up on everything from fresh produce to frozen smart buys that would help her make multiple meals at once. She would go on these cooking crazes, where it seemed she wouldn't leave the kitchen for days; and our freezer would magically become stocked with ready to eat, homemade, meals.

Today I choose Smart and Final for the very same reasons; there is no club membership required and I can save valuable pennies buying everyday items in bulk quantities. For example, my family goes through Teriyaki Glaze like it's water, so we buy our Kikkoman Glaze at Smart & Final, where we pay $.09/oz less than buying individual retail bottles. (And when we eliminate the extra packaging, we're helping out the Earth as well.) Recently I got the 'heads up' on a very exciting promotion that pairs Smart & Final with Procter & Gamble (P&G) favorite products. Running February 13-19, 2013, Smart & Final customers who purchase $25 or more in participating P&G brand products will qualify to receive a free 5.5qt T-Fal Caldero from celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffman's Simply Delicioso cookware line! It's as simple as stopping in to your local Smart & Final store between 2/13-2/19, purchasing $25 or more in the following brands; Always, Bounce, Bounty, Charmin, Cheer, Crest, Dawn, Downy, Dreft, Febreze, Fixodent, Fusion, Gain, Gillette, Glide, H&S, Herbal Essence, Ivory, Joy, Metamucil, Mr.Clean, Olay, Old Spice, Oral B, Pantene, Pepto Bismol, Prilosec, Secret, Swiffer, Tampax, Tide, and Vicks. Then simply print out and mail the rebate form, with required receipt, before 2/26/2013, to receive your Ingrid Hoffmann T-Fal Caldero and Recipe Cards (a $39.99 value) in the mail!

I had a chance to receive Ingrid Hoffman's T-Fal 5.5qt Caldero in advance of the promotion and headed straight to my local Smart & Final to shop for some ingredients to create an inspired recipe. The Simply Delicioso Caldero happened to match my other cookware beautifully, in it's crimson red finish, and features extra deep walls that make it suitable for everyday cooking from browning and frying to pasta and soup making. On the very bottom, inside, the Caldero is a heat indicator that turns bright red when the Caldero has reached the right temperature for cooking. It's slick non-stick surface and extra wide handles make it the perfect companion for long-term recipes that require hours of simmering on the stove; making it perfect for my chosen recipes, Pork Ropa Vieja and Mexican Rice, adapted from Ingrid Hoffmann's library of Cuban cuisine recipes. While the original Ropa Vieja recipe calls for beef, locating Flank steak proved exceedingly difficult, even in my predominantly Mexican local community. I chose to substitute this with a Pork Butt Roast, that shredded as intended with the Flank Steak.

Pork Ropa Vieja Part 1, Delicioso Adobo Rub

Ingredients:

* 2 TBS Garlic Powder

* 2 TBS Onion Powder

* 2 TBS Dried Oregano

* 2 TBS Lemon Pepper

* 2 TBS Parsley Flakes

* 2 TBS Achoite Powder (From Annatto Seed)

* 1 TBS Cumin

*** 1/2 C Worcestershire Sauce

Combine all dry ingredients, then introduce to Worcestershire Sauce to make a paste.

Pork Ropa Vieja Part 2

Ingredients:

* 6lbs Boneless, or Trimmed, Pork Butt Roast

* 6 Bottles/Cans of Beer

* 1/2 C Canola Oil

* 2 Medium Yellow Onions, Chopped

* 2 Red Bell Peppers, Cored, Seeded, Ribbed, Chopped

* 2 Green Bell Peppers, Cored, Seeded, Ribbed, Chopped

* 6 Scallions, White and Light Green Parts Only, Chopped

* 28oz Canned, Diced, Tomatoes

* 6oz Can Tomato Paste

* Salt and Ground Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1.) Cut the Pork Butt into large and even chunks and place them in a large bowl. Rub Adobo Paste into meat generously. Add beer and allow to marinate in fridge 15 minutes.

2.) Transfer the meat, and marinade, into a large pot and bring to a boil over Medium Heat. Reduce heat to Low, Cover, and simmer until the meat is tender (about 3 hours). Be sure to check on meat regularly to ensure the liquid has not boiled off; if fluid is low, add an additional bottle.can of beer.

3.) Remove the meat from the pot and reserve 2C of cooking liquid. Using 2 forks shred the meat and set it aside. Be careful the inside of the meat will be very hot!

4.) Heat oil in large, deep, skillet over Medium-High heat. Add onions, peppers, scallions, and tomatoes and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and meat to the pan along with reserve cooking liquid. Cover and simmer until juices cook down, about 15 minutes. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

* 2.5 TBS Olive Oil

* 1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped

* 2 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced

* 2 C Long-Grain White Rice

* 1 Bay Leaf

* 2 C Canned, Chopped, Tomatoes

* 2.5 C Low Sodium Chicken Broth

Directions:

1.) Heat oil in a medium saucepan over Medium-High heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft (about 2 minutes). Add Rice and Bay Leaf. Cook and stir until the rice is opaque (about 2 minutes).

2.) Add tomatoes and broth, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to Medium-Low.

3.) Cook until the liquid has evaporated to just below the level of the rice (about 10 minutes). Reduce heat to Low, cover and cook until the rice is tender (about 20-25 minutes). Uncover and fluff with a fork. Serve as desired.

Cooking with the Simply Delicioso T-Fal Caldero couldn't have been more convenient; versatile enough for both of these recipes, and it proved especially well suited for cooking large portions! Ingrid Hoffmann's inspired recipes helped put an authentic Mexican-Cuban meal on my family's table, with plenty of leftovers to share with the neighbors (and that's what good cooking is really all about, right?) Be sure to mark your calendars to stop into Smart & Final between 2/13-2/19 to purchase your $25 in participating P&G family products and claim your T-Fal 5.5qt Caldero; you won't want to miss out on this amazing deal! Stay up to date with the chain's upcoming promotions and sales by following Smart & Final on Twitter.

What Daughter Says: Take advantage of Smart Buys and Smart Promotions when you follow your local Smart & Final!

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Smart&Final.  #CBias #ChooseSmart #SocialFabric.