Bacon Chocolate

I've been talking a lot about bacon lately: bacon pizza and now, bacon chocolate. I am okay with that. I tried chocolate with bacon (and alderwood smoked salt!) for the first time over the weekend and wanted to share my thoughts. Z got a bar of Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar for Christmas. We're too cheap to buy chocolate this nice ourselves. He's been saving this chocolate bar to have with a nice bottle of Saint-Esprit Cotes-du-Rhone (I don't know how to add the symbol thingy over the o) that we've also been holding on to for a very long time. Perfect pairing for the chocolate, by the way!

I was very concerned about the bacon chocolate being good. I have heard lots of folks say how much they enjoy these kind of chocolate bars, so I thought it wasn't too scary, right? I had no idea if it would be a strip of bacon in a chocolate bar. The bacon turned out to be tiny little pieces in the chocolate. That was nice. The chocolate itself was delicious. I don't have the vocabulary to describe chocolate. What do I say? The flavor profile was complex, yet approachable. I tasted the chocolate notes with just a hint of the sweat of the people who harvested the cacao. I just know that it was yummy. The first bite was a little porky, which was a little strange but I don't judge how I like something by the first bite, I'll give it three to really decide unless it is something unworldly delicious or nori or fish sauce, which there is no hope for me ever liking. My favorite part was the smoked salt. Oh my goodness! The salt and the chocolate was amazing! I had never had salt and chocolate together before, either. I live such a sheltered and deprived life. Sarcasm is not my strong point, so I hope it's coming across clearly. Totally recommend chocolate and salt! I haven't even tried caramel and salt. I've heard that's amazing, too. What is this world coming to? 

My chocolate bar, the Ghirardelli Intense Dark Midnight Reverie (86% cacao!), was a present from Z. We love dark chocolate, the darker the better is our standby. This bar was awesome. We tried some, then he put away the chocolate and left town a couple days later. And I couldn't find my chocolate. I was convinced he had taken my chocolate with him, just to be mean. It's how we show our love for each other, after all. Finally, I asked him where it was and the world was better. I like this chocolate even more now. It's super dark and has that nice bitter chocolate taste. Some super dark chocolate I've had, tastes grainy but this is super smooth. It has more of a lighter chocolate feel in the mouth with the intense taste of chocolate with 86% cacao.

I couldn't leave out something about being frugal. I think spending a few dollars on a really good bar of chocolate occasionally is well worth the money. It's delicious and because it is a few dollars, I get to try lots of different kinds and brands. A bar of decent chocolate and a bottle of wine (thank you Grocery outlet) can make for a cheap date night. Enjoy!

-Ace