If the idea of boozy bacon sounds appealing, one Iowa distillery hopes to cash in on the intriguing flavor pairing of pork and whiskey.
Templeton Rye Distillery in Templeton, Iowa, has launched the Pork Project, which involves raising 25 pigs raised on a special diet incorporating distillery grain from the whiskey-making process.
The purebred Duroc swine are known for their superior meat quality. According to Nick Berry, who works in the commercial pig industry and knows the Templeton owners, this particular type of experiment has never been done before. However, there are many recipes online for bacon-infused bourbon, so there is an established fan base for the mixture of these smoky, sweet flavors.
Templeton Rye Distillery co-owner Keith Kerkhoff says that he has been fielding many requests from well-known chefs and barbecue pit masters about obtaining one of the pigs from the project. The distillery will be hosting a tasting in Des Moines, Iowa, at the end of June.
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