Jalapeno and Bacon Cornbread Muffins

Recipe source: Saveur (April 2004)

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 8  slices bacon
• 2  tablespoons  Crisco or 2  tablespoons  other vegetable shortening
• 2  eggs
• 1  small onion, chopped
• 5  pickled jalapeno peppers, stemmed, drained and chopped
• 1  tablespoon  jalapeno juice
• 1  tablespoon sugar
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 2  cups cornmeal
• 1 1⁄2 cups buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425-degrees F.
2. Fry bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp (10-15 minutes).
3. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
4. Crumble bacon and set aside.
5. Pour bacon fat into a bowl and set aside.
6. Melt Crisco and 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat together in the same skillet over medium heat.
7. Grease a muffin tin with remaining bacon grease and transfer to oven so muffin tin will be hot.
8. In a large bowl beat eggs.
9. Add bacon, onions, jalapenos, pickling juice, sugar, baking soda, salt, cumin and pepper and stir well to combine.
10. Add cornmeal and buttermilk and stir to combine.
11. Add the hot fat (from the skillet) and stir until combined.
12. Remove muffin tin from oven.
13. Pour batter into muffin tins.
14. Bake or 15-20 minutes or until done and toothpick comes clean.