Celebrate International Bacon Day with Canberra's best bacon and three tasty at-home recipes

To celebrate International Bacon Day on September 3, Australian Pork is asking us all to shop local, making sure we are buying Australian-made products.

We've got three tasty recipes below to help you get bakin' with bacon: candied bacon rocky road, crispy bacon-loaded Mexican potatoes and maple-glazed bacon and poached eggs on brioche.

And in a move that's bacon us crazy, they're giving away 50 kilograms of it at Griffith Butchery on the day.

Richard Odell is prepared. He's had more than three decades in the butchery game and he's always been an advocate of locally sourced produce. He sources his pork from Refalo Free Range Pork in Canowindra.

"It's about starting with a great product," he says. "The majority of pork products sold in Australia are imported and it's been sad to see our local producers have to sell up because they can't compete.

"We should all be doing what we can to support local farmers and suppliers."

At Pialligo Estate, where the bacon has won several national awards, the pork is sourced from Gooralie Free Range Pork, in Goondiwindi, Queensland.

When it arrives at the smokehouse it's rubbed with the secret Russell family rub, a combination of salt, sugar, and fresh herbs and spices sourced from the estate farm. It's then dry cured for four to five days before being washed and then hung for another four days before being cold-smoked for 48 hours, sliced and put out for sale.

"Bacon is so versatile," says Pialligo executive chef Mark Glenn.

"At the cafe we use it for all the classic breakfast staples but there are so many ways to use it beyond bacon and eggs.

"I really like to use bacon as a way to bring out the best of heavily roasted green vegetables. At the moment we cook sugarloaf cabbage in the embers of our josper oven until they are sweet and smoky. After peeling the charred outer layers off, we roast them in burnt butter and Pialligo bacon, then dress them with pickled currants and lots of chives and serve it with skordalia.

"At home you can simplify this on a barbecue: grill some new season asparagus and some bacon, toss them into a mixing bowl with lots of freshly cut mint and parsley, add a little burnt butter, then season with sea salt and lemon juice and you have a great side or entree."

Other local butchers working with Australian Pork include Poacher's Pantry at Murrumbateman; Elite Meats, Kippax; Four Bees Meats, Queanbeyan; M&K Meats, Conder; Meatways, Kambah; Southlands Quality Meats, Mawson.

Australian Pork says consumers should check the labelling on packs and look for more than 90 per cent full on the bar chart to ensure they're supporting Australian farmers.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine maple syrup and brown sugar in a small bowl. Place bacon onto the prepared tray and brush generously with maple syrup glaze. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn bacon and brush with maple syrup mixture. Bake for a further 15 minutes. Stand and cool. When cold and crisp, finely chop the bacon.

2. Grease and line a 26cm x 16cm x 3cm deep baking pan with baking paper. Place chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second bursts, stirring with a metal spoon after each burst, until just melted. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stand for five minutes.

3. Stir through marshmallows, cherries, Turkish Delight, peanuts and half of the bacon through the chocolate. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Stand at room temperature to set (or refrigerate in hot weather). Cut into squares and serve.

Serves 16.

Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C fan-forced. Using a fork, pierce potatoes in six places. Individually wrap each potato in foil and place directly onto an oven rack. Bake for 75 minutes or until tender when tested with a skewer. Unwrap potatoes and set aside to cool slightly.

2. While potatoes are cooking, heat two teaspoons oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring often, for eight-10 minutes until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Set aside.

3. Add remaining one tablespoon oil to pan and heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for four to five minutes until tender. Stir in paprika and cook for one minute. Add black beans, corn, tomato and sriracha sauce. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, for three minutes until tomato softens.

4. Cut potatoes halfway through lengthways. Holding the hot potato with a clean tea towel, gently squeeze the base to open the top. Place potatoes into a shallow baking pan lined with baking paper. Evenly spoon bean mixture into potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and half of the bacon. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and potatoes are hot.

5. Serve potatoes topped with sour cream, remaining bacon, diced avocado and coriander leaves. If liked, drizzle with extra sriracha sauce to serve.

Serves 8.

Ingredients

Method

1. To poach eggs, bring a large deep frying pan of water to the boil over high heat. Break eggs into individual cups or small bowls.

2. When water comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat off and gently pour eggs into water.

3. Cover pan and stand for eight minutes or until whites are set and yolks still soft.

4. Meanwhile, combine maple syrup and mustard in a small bowl. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

5. Brush bacon with maple mixture and cook for three to four minutes on each side, brushing with remaining maple mixture when turning, until golden and crisp at the edges.

6. Place hollandaise sauce into a small heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds or until warmed.

7. Place toasted brioche onto serving plates. Spread each slice with hollandaise sauce, top with spinach leaves, bacon and a poached egg.

8. Season with pepper and salt and serve.

Serves 4.