Tenth annual bacon & Bourbon Delivers a delightful dinner with a view
VAST is Oklahoma City’s top-of-the-world restaurant. From its 49th floor windows, you can see a 360-degree view of central Oklahoma. Located on the top floor of the Devon Tower, VAST was the venue of okPORK’s tenth annual Bacon & Bourbon event on Nov. 6.
After adding additional tables from last year’s sold out event, this year was no different.
“I couldn’t have enjoyed myself more,” said Joe Popplewell, operations manager at Seaboard Foods. “Seeing old friends and new faces is my favorite part about this great event.”
So, it was no surprise when tickets sold out weeks in advance for the 2020 event.
Chef Paul Langer arranged five delightful pork courses, which were served with five different Jefferson’s Bourbon, provided by Republic Distributing.
We started the night off on the right foot. The first course was bacon carpaccio, topped with a mixture of kale salad, roasted Brussels sprouts, hazelnuts, St. Andre and a spiced apple cider vinaigrette. This amazing carpaccio was paired with Jefferson’s ‘Very Small Batch,’ which had a very soft start, and tasted both smooth and sweet with hints of berry and citrus. The finish had returns of vanilla, cream and toast.
The second course definitely did not disappoint! Langer prepared a charred acorn squash bisque, which was crowned with bacon granola and pickled squash. The bacon was the perfect touch to this course! The bisque was served with Jefferson’s Chef Collaboration, which is a combination of Jefferson’s Rye and straight bourbon. It was the perfect mix of fruit flavors up front with the spice of the rye at the end.
Mouths were watering for more pork deliciousness by the time the third course was delivered to the tables. Carefully placed in front of every guest was a compressed pork belly, topped with caramelized fish-sauce glaze, parsnips and pineapple. It went perfectly with the Jefferson’s Ocean Wheated, which was almost black in color, and had the sweetest caramel flavors, resembling a dark rum.
Pork Two Ways came everyone’s way for the fourth course. Braised cheeks and smoked tenderloin, served with a molasses-cornmeal pudding, bacon confit carrots and onions had every guest ready to call it a night because they were so full! They kept on trucking, though, and gushed about the Jefferson’s Reserve paired with it. Scents of almonds and honey mixed with a hint of caramelized ginger, menthol and Big Red chewing gum filled the room. The Reserve tasted like vanilla, overripe plums, jelly and notes of licorice. The finish was unlike any other. At first, vanilla, followed by a hint of burnt ends and a grape note, added with touch of root beer at the end. It was incredible!
As if the previous four courses had not been delectable enough, Langer served the fifth and final course – a bacon and bourbon ice cream sandwich, perfectly paired with Jefferson’s Pritchard Hill Cabernet Cask Finish. This bourbon was extra aged for one year in French Oak casks, which once held Pritchard Hill Cabernet. The wine barrels lend a sweetness to the bourbon by adding notes of dark berry, espresso and chocolate. It was the perfect ending to the perfect evening!
“The two-way pork with the braised cheeks and smoked tenderloin was my favorite course this year,” said Popplewell. “I need to find out how they smoked the tenderloin, because it was one of the best I have had.”
The tenth annual Bacon and Bourbon highlighted some of the most flavorful pork dishes you can imagine, combined with an amazing array of bourbons. There was not an empty belly in the room once the night was over!
We look forward to Bacon & Bourbon each year, and we cannot wait to start planning for next year’s event. A huge “thank you” to everyone who continuously supports the Oklahoma Pork Council.
