In Celebration of National Pork Month, I am sharing some Jim Beam Apple Bourbon pork recipes. I recently visited the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky and it was an amazing experience. I encourage everyone to visit and start their journey on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
I learned all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. A strict set of standards from the government regulates what’s what. In 1964, under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration, Congress declared bourbon “America’s native spirit”. Today, bourbon is recognized around the world as America’s native spirit, led by Jim Beam®, the world’s No. 1 bourbon. You can learn more about the difference between bourbon and whiskey at http://www.jimbeam.com/en-us/behind-the-bourbon/bourbon-vs-whiskey.
Here’s a glimpse of what I was able to see on the tour. The history and beauty of Jim Beam is what makes it so special. The culture and memories made are forever:
It is amazing the aging process bourbon has to go through. My favorite part of the tour was walking inside one of the barrel rooms and seeing endless barrels stacked stories high. They all had their date on the outside and it was fun to remember back to what I was doing at that time. I saw a barrel that was filled in 2008, that’s when I was crowned Ohio Pork Industry Queen. It can take anywhere from four to nine or more years for bourbon to age. That’s a quality that makes bourbon special, you can’t rush the process. Good things take time and are worth the wait. It’s great to see preparation, hard work and patience pay off. There is love and passion in each sip. I admire Jim Beam’s passion and legacy. Just like how farming is continued on in family generations, so is Jim Beam Bourbon.
I also appreciated the agricultural production bourbon supports. They start with a secret mix of corn (at least 51%), rye and barley malt – their “Mash Bill”. It feeds into a 10,000-gallon cooker. Here they add limestone filtered Kentucky water, along with some “set back”—up to 40% of the old mash from the last distillation. You and learn more at http://www.jimbeam.com/en-us/behind-the-bourbon/process. I also enjoyed the opportunity for us to make our own personalized single barrel bottle. We got to take an empty bottle and see it filled with Knob Creek Single Barrel. I watched by bottle go through the line and I picked it up. I was able to put my finger print on the seal and then put a personalized laser message on it! I will always remember this moment.
At the end of the tour we went onto the tasting room where were could pick three bourbons to taste. There were machines we select to dispense our bourbon sample. Among these was Jim Beam Apple Bourbon: http://www.jimbeam.com/en-us/bourbons/apple. This is great to try with pork recipes. Here is a recipe from my friend Leah at Farm Wife Drinks:
CROCK POT APPLE BOURBON SMOKIES
Here’s a a main course dish from Mother’s BBQ:
Bone in Pork Roast with Jim Beam Apple Bourbon Glaze Recipe On the Traeger Grill
I hope you give these delicious recipes a try this month and take a trip to Jim Beam! To learn more about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail visit http://kybourbontrail.com/
Farm Girl With Curls 