- So hopefully.
Whoa!
(upbeat music)
(logo popping)
Hey everyone, hope you're well.
It's Barry here.
That is the sound of my oven preheated,
and this is some bacon.
But we all know what bacon looks like.
I am cooking it up because hopefully
in the next 24 hours, we will have some bacon jelly.
Yeah, welcome to another Barry Tries video,
part of a playlist where I tries recipes
from famous chefs, blogs,
TikTok, all that kind of stuff.
And today, we're doing a website,
this is called Instructables.
I'm not sure if you've heard of this.
But rolling it back, this is from 2012
by someone who submitted it called Canida.
And if you can see that photo there,
that is bacon jelly.
And it's gonna take a long time,
because there's three layers.
What I liked about it is that
it was super creative.
I'm like bacon jelly, okay.
But the bacon, the base layer
goes into all three elements,
and then there's things like liquid smoke
and some extremely strong alcohol,
which we are gonna add in as well.
So I'm really, really excited to make it.
I don't know how legitimate it's gonna look
compared to the picture we saw and indeed real bacon,
but we're jolly well, well, we're started.
It's too late to turn back now.
Oh my gosh.
That bacon shrank.
This was 200 grammes before I cooked it.
Cooked weight now, it's literally half.
Speaking of half.
In America, there's something called half and half,
which I have never ever had.
I think it's a type of coffee creamer.
So half full fat milk,
half single cream in here.
This is such the unknown.
Oh, wow.
To be fair, that is probably not far off
a milkshake that you would get
in some of these extreme places that you can go to.
Of course, I am calling it jelly.
On the Instructables, it is called Jello.
(upbeat music)
They're like tiny little bacon specs.
But apparently we need to let it rest
for like five minutes,
and then whizz it again to get it super smooth.
That smells really, really strange.
Okay, sieve.
Look at it.
That is awesome.
You're just sort of left
with these like smaller chunks of bacon
that just don't wanna pass through the sieve.
Right, I'm gonna do that again
and I'll see you in a minute.
So this is effectively gonna be our base mix.
Two thirds of a cup of it.
'Cause like I say, all of this is going in there,
but just in different colours and flavours.
Right.
Let's start to try and turn this into a jelly.
Let's get a kettle nice and warm
for our gelatin to dissolve up.
But we need to get it in first of all to bloom it.
We have got our mixture,
and we're gonna bloom it by sprinkling
that gelatin on top.
It's an awful lot of gelatin, mind.
Boiling water in.
(whisk rattling)
And that'll basically be the bottom layer done.
It smells like a really confused bacon rasher. (laughs)
So we can let this cool whilst we work
on possibly my favourite element of this video.
So that layer is gonna be our base,
which we're gonna pour in here,
and it's gonna make itself upside down.
And the person in the Instructables,
who is called Canida with an I, right?
I'll try and show you it there.
Can you see they used something called pea gravel.
Now, I have used pea gravel
when we built our extension
to help hold the waste drain pipes in places.
It's what you set in.
It's very rigid construction material.
But luckily, they did say you could use rice or beans,
so I've opted for rice. (laughs)
I don't feel like using gravel in my baking dish.
(upbeat music)
Ooh.
Yeah, get the air out of it.
What I'm gonna try and do is create like three channels.
I don't want to tell you how long this has taken me.
So I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead with that.
If I play around with that too much,
it's gonna get ruined.
So we need to line it some more.
Now we put cling film on it,
which is the ultimate thing
that's gonna touch the jelly.
It is now time to pour
that jelly in there.
It's one of these things where I think
we've just gotta go for it.
Very carefully.
See, you just pour into those contours first of all.
You can see where it sat there
in little puddles like that, see?
In fact, we'll probably be able to visualise
it coming level.
See, that's not level yet.
These are gonna be the dips
that give it a little bit
of those bacon characteristics.
And now, we set it in the fridge.
Randomly next to some milk. (laughs)
It smells so bacony.
Right, let's get this set.
It's gonna be a few hours.
I'll see you later.
- [Narrator] 70 years later.
- All right folks, we have had our lunch,
and just got back with a long walk from Boston.
And I can only describe I have walked
into what is basically a huge vat of bacon wafty smell.
It is insane in here.
I've had a look at it
and it probably needs about
another half an hour to set,
which is fine because we can start
to work on the meat layer now.
Effectively, the bit that we want to call the bacon.
The rest is fat, and in fact,
I think the fat might be the dominant look.
It certainly was on the photo.
This is something called, is it Calvados?
I had to order this on Amazon,
and it's effectively like an apple brandy
that is 40% alcoholic volume.
(Barry groans)
Wow.
So we're going for that sort of apple wood
kind of vibe with the bacon, I think.
And we're gonna help it.
Wow.
We'll help it with something else.
It tastes like apples that have been in Mordor.
(tense music)
(cooker clicking)
Basically, we're reducing it down
and about to do a very dangerous step.
So hopefully.
Whoa! (laughs)
Wow.
Just taking a little bit
of that alcohol off, folks. (laughs)
Just let this sort of settle down
for a few minutes.
All right?
- Why is there a saucepan on fire?
- We're making jelly bacon.
- Okay.
Nothing surprises me anymore.
- All right, so it is all calm now
about three minutes later.
But we do need to keep reducing this down.
(cooker clicking)
Just to say, the gas hob
was off for that step, by the way.
I think you'd probably know if it wasn't,
because I probably wouldn't be here.
And it now smells like a load of apples, really.
I had 300 millilitres left of the base mix,
which goes for the next two bits.
Now, this is the one that's gonna be the meat layer.
And in the Instructable image,
it looks like really fat heavy.
Not that it really matters.
It's not, you know, real bacon.
But I wanted to try and make the red band
a little bit more dominant,
so at least by evening it out, that might help.
So I have got our alcohol here.
Well, if it is even alcohol anymore.
It just smells like a really dry cider.
And coming from the West Country,
kind of grew up on that stuff.
Have it on your corn flakes.
We know the drill.
We're gonna basically Orlando Bloom it again.
Kettle on, boom.
Now, red food colouring.
For this step, I've called upon a bacon expert.
- Hello.
- Nice. Let's go.
All right.
- It even smells like bacon.
- Ooh, that's got better.
(whisk rattling)
Oh no! - I'm bleeding.
- You cut yourself. (laughs)
Oh, and I did say I'd add a little bit of maple syrup,
which might darken it as well a little bit.
Like a teaspoon.
It smells so bacony.
It is unbelievable.
A real smokey smell.
And we haven't added the liquid smoke yet.
Right, let's get our fatty layer out
and see how much we bodged that.
(Barry groans)
Look at that.
Like a big old piece of lard.
I mean, let's not go there.
Oh, I was like, oh, it's all crinkled and broken.
Oh no, that's the rice.
Which will bizarrely be cooked again one day.
Ah.
Wow.
Now what?
If you've just joined this video,
you might see a blob of white jelly,
but for me, it's bacon jelly.
Of course it is.
(laughs) Now this layer sets,
and there's gonna be another band of white on top.
And the good thing is now it's in this set like this,
we've not gotta get a full set on it.
We can just pour it once it's clammy.
So I think I'll chill this for like two hours.
- [Narrator] One nap later.
- Okay, it has only been 90 minutes,
and it looks a little bit
like bananas sat in pink custard.
But that is indeed set already.
I'm surprised.
That was pretty darn quick.
Right, back in the fridge.
And for this final layer,
this is probably the sweetest of all of them.
So we will add in two tablespoons
of maple syrup.
Awesome.
This is a gift set that I got
for Christmas last year
of various flavour liquid smokes.
If you don't know, liquid smoke,
I've used it a few times on the channel.
It's basically to replicate
a smokey barbecue flavour.
You can put it in foods and bake it.
Just to try and replicate
slightly barbecue flavoured food.
And this one's like a mix of them.
I've got like pecan and hickory and stuff,
but there is an apple one in there.
And I think you could probably order this online.
Oh my gosh.
Smell that.
We just need two teaspoons.
The smell in here
is so smoky and bacony.
It's crazy.
Remember, there is still bacon in this bit as well.
But just like before,
a good shimmy of gelatin in there
to let it Orlando Bloom.
(upbeat music)
(whisk rattling)
Like seriously, that smells borderline like an ashtray.
And I'm not sure whether to just get
just a layer to bond it all together.
The meat layer has definitely given it some strength.
(upbeat music)
All right. (laughs)
Yes!
I'm gonna get this in the fridge one more time,
but for a really nice long overnight set.
And I've got the cling film just to pull off
once I'm feeling confident enough to do it.
It smells so good.
I think it's gonna taste really bizarre though.
I know we did set fire to a pan earlier,
but it does generally smell
like that is a fire in my baking dish.
It has been quite the day,
and it's gonna be all about
what it looks like when we slice into it.
Whatever happens, we've had a good giggle.
So we will see it in the morning for, you know,
bacon at breakfast, like most people would have.
Good morning.
- Good morning.
- I've roped in Mrs B to taste it.
- Lucky me.
♪ I don't think you're ready ♪
♪ For this jelly ♪
- No, I'm not.
- And here it is.
Oh, wow.
It is super vibrant like that.
- Gosh, that is.
- That looks like bacon that bit, doesn't it?
- It does.
- Like this side.
Oh, and again, a little. (laughs)
- I'm intrigued to know
what it's gonna look like when you cut through it.
- Yeah.
- Oh my gosh, look how wobbly that is.
This looks bizarre.
- Just down here.
(Barry laughs)
That is a really fatty piece of bacon.
But remember, that is not the side we're after.
We're after the long bit.
We've gone quite heavy on the fat, haven't we?
- Yeah.
- If I just.
This is (laughs) some bacon jelly.
Oh, when you hold it like that,
that actually looks pretty cool, to be fair.
- Yeah, this is quite cool.
- Although to be honest,
like this off cut here looks better.
Where did that come from?
- It was on the end. - That looks like
proper bacon there.
Looks a lot more like,
see the actual bit of fat there, like that.
- Yeah.
- I'm kind of proud and kind of scared to eat this.
- Yeah, me too.
- I've got some much better slices out of it now,
just by playing around with it.
Look at those contours we put in
and made it look like a big wave.
So if you do try this, which I'm sure you want to,
I wouldn't worry about doing the rice thing at all
and maybe just slope it a little bit.
And trust me, when we do the Cheap Versus Steep videos,
I do see bacon with that amount of fat. (laughs)
But these look way better.
In fact, that right there to me
as I'm looking at that right now,
that looks like real bacon.
It's not.
So how do you wanna eat this,
like "Lady and the Tramp" style?
- No.
- Have a little smell.
- I've been smelling it every time
I've opened the fridge.
- It is so strong.
- I know what it smells like.
- I walked Boston along the beach last night
and someone had a fire going.
I was like, that smells like my fridge.
- Oh my gosh.
I can't do it.
Oh my God.
- That is really weird.
It tastes like.
- That's disgusting.
- I actually quite like it.
- That's one of the worst things you've ever made.
I feel like I'm gonna. (laughs)
- It is-
- Oh my gosh.
- An extremely strange combination.
There is three definite different
factors there within it.
You're not really getting the bacon smell,
it just tastes like smoke.
- It's just smoke.
And even in that tiny piece that I had,
it was just so overpowering.
It's so strong.
How can you, oh, you're eating more.
- The visualisation though,
it does feel like I am eating a slice
of bacon and just the fat.
But you're getting these...
Are you all right?
- Don't ever make me eat that again.
- After like that first bit, you're like,
ooh, what am I eating?
You're getting the taste of the alcohol a little bit.
It's not strong by any means.
It's actually generically quite mild.
I think you're just hating the texture.
But then there is a smokiness running through it,
and they get a little, little maple syrup kick
towards the end.
- Did you?
- Yeah. - I didn't.
- I think that's because I had a slightly bigger-
- You did.
You're going back for more.
You're having a bigger chunk.
I think I just had a smokey piece.
- Well, let's be honest, if you don't like this,
I've got a lot to eat.
- Yeah, you do.
- You are getting a little bit
of apple as well from that alcohol.
I don't know why I keep eating it.
- No.
Neither do I.
- Well, I am so glad that I did this.
- Yeah, me too.
It looks cool.
- Yep. Me too. - Me too. Yeah.
Just don't make me eat it again. (laughs)
- There it is again, that last bit.
That's why I keep going back to it,
'cause that last taste of it,
the taste you are left with is a maple apple
smokey bacon infused like palate.
- Visually, it looks good.
- I mean, yeah, I am over the moon
with how that looks, like insanely.
But as a project, which is what a lot
of the Instructables are, I'm so glad I tried that.
That was really fun.
- I think it was a cool project.
- Do send many photos of your attempts.
Don't forget to follow me
on social media for regular food fun, bits and bobs.
Like the video if you enjoyed it,
and don't forget to subscribe
for regular food fun, if you wish.
And keep the ideas coming in.
Thanks a lot, folks.
I don't think you're ready for this jelly.
- I'm not ready for this jelly.
- In fact, if I make her eat any more of that,
she'll be singing.
♪ All the single ladies ♪
Yeah, so.
♪ 'Cause cooking is nice ♪
♪ Nice, nice, nice ♪
- [Barry] Can you just describe the smell of the fridge?
- Oh.
It still smells now.
It's like smokey, barbecuey.
- [Barry] It's our new barbecue.
- (laughs) I hope it goes.
- That's the thing,
will it go 'cause it's sealed. (sings)
Shut, isn't it?
We'll have to open our fridge.
- It's gonna, it will, I'm sure it will.
- I was gonna put it back in there.
- No!