Baked Camembert with Chilli Bacon Jam
Cook Notes
Cooking Method: Direct & Indirect
BBQ Used: Weber 57cm Kettle
Charcoal Setup: Weber charcoal baskets used to change heat zones during the cook
BBQ Temperature: Approx 180-200C
Smoking Wood Used: None
Total Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients
For the Chilli Bacon Jam
1lb streaky bacon, cut into chunks
1lb onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp Smoky Brae Smoked Chilli Rub
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped chillies, fresh or pre-prepared
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup beef stock
For the Baked Camembert
1 whole camembert
1 garlic clove, sliced into long slithers
fresh rosemary leaves
For the Garlic and Herb Bread Twists
1 pre-rolled sheet of puff pastry
1tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Smoky Brae Smoked Garlic Rub
1tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Method
1. Make your Bacon Jam
Pre-heat a lodge cast iron skillet directly over the coals with a tiny amount of olive oil in it. When it is up to temperature, add all the bacon and cook until the fat has rendered out and it has become brown and crisp.
Remove the bacon from the skillet with your tongs then add the onions into the bacon fat remaining in the lodge skillet. Saute the onions until they start to soften then season with the chilli rub. After a few minutes, add the chopped chilli and garlic.
Next, stir the sugar into the onion so they become caramelised then add the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and beef stock. Mix everything together then allow it to simmer for 30-40 minutes. While the jam is simmering, you can get the other two elements ready
2. Prepare the Camembert and Bread Twists
The Camembert will take 60 seconds to prepare.... which is a beautiful thing! Remove the Camembert from it's little wooden box, take of the plastic wrapping them pop the cheese back into the bottom part of the little wooden tray.
Next, you need to cut a circle on top of the Camembert and remove the coating to expose the cheese. Push the slithers of garlic into the cheese at different points and sprinkle the rosemary leave over the top. That's it... place it to one side, ready to go onto the BBQ later.
For your bread twists, open out your sheet of puff pastry and brush one side of it with a little olive oil. Season your oiled surface with the garlic rub then coat it with the chopped herbs.
Next, take a rolling pin and gently roll across the pastry, pressing all the ingredients into the pastry. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the pastry into 1 inch strips then twist them up. You can check out the video below to see how I like to twist them but any method will do. Place the twists on a lined baking tray, ready to be placed on the BBQ.
3. Remove the Chilli Bacon Jam from the BBQ and put on your Camembert and bread twists.
After 30-40 minutes, your bacon jam should have thickened and most of the liquids will have cooked away, giving it a sticky Jam like consistency. Remove the skillet from the BBQ and allow the jam to cool.
Change the BBQ setup to give you an area of indirect heat. Place the Camembert and baking tray of bread twists in the area of indirect heat, close the lid and baked for 20-25 minutes until the Camembert has a molten centre and the bread twists have turned golden brown.
When the Chilli Bacon Jam has cooled - add it to a food processor and blitz it until you have achieved your desired consistency. I like to make it quite fine but still have little chunks of the bacon in there but do whatever you prefer.
Time to Eat!
Once the bacon Jam is blitzed, you can re-heat it to serve. This gives it a softer texture and makes it easier to eat as a dip. After the bread twists are removed from the BBQ, place them on to a cooling rack to set for 5 minutes then serve.
This is an amazing sharing food. My parents were here whilst I was recording the video so when the camera stopped rolling, we all sat around the table and enjoyed this. It's the perfect party treat or something for Christmas night after a long days cooking.
