#BaconMonth Bacon Stout Risotto

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary Lodge Cast Iron skillet for #BaconMonth for the purpose of creating a recipe

Sidenote: more (and better!) pics coming soon as I have temporarily misplaced my SD card...

If you've just noticed, me and a whole bunch of bloggers (wrangled together by Julie of Bread Booze Bacon) are making bacon recipes ALL MONTH!

 Check out my first post to see what amazing prizes you could win.

Guyssss #BaconMonth is almost over! And I couldn't let it pass without a serious shout-out to the best cast iron producer of all time: Lodge Cast Iron. Fun fact: my fiance has done Revolutionary War reenactments his whole life. I've attended a few, and we go ALL OUT. This means using cast iron for all the cooking, over a campfire. We always use Lodge and it is seriously the best.

For #BaconMonth we used Lodge for, what else, BACON! I loved how evenly the bacon cooked. It's really perfect!

I've been wanting to do a beer-based risotto for a while. I think the main thing I need to point out here is that you want LOW SODIUM broth. The bacon adds more than enough salt, so any extra and it's going to be too salty. But the beer reduces beautifully and the flavor profile is awesome.

Risotto really isn't as hard as people think! Give it a try :) Bacon makes everything awesome, so you'll be safe.

Check out the other recipes for today's #BaconMonth roundup!

Bacon and Cheese Homemade Tater Tots from Ashlee Marie

French Onion & Bacon Dip from Around My Family Table

Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn from Cooking in Stilettos

Cheesy Bacon Jalapeno Bread Sticks from A Dash of Sanity

Spinach & Bacon Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust from Bread Booze Bacon

Bourbon Bacon Chocolate Balls from A Simple Pantry

Coffee Maple Bacon from Nomageddon

Southern Bacon-Fried Cabbage from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Bacon Stout Risotto from Forking Up

Maple Bacon Monkey Muffins from It Is A Keeper

Dark Chocolate Caramel Brownies with Bacon Salt from Hey Grill, Hey

Bacon Stout Risotto

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 cup aroborro rice
• 1/2 cup dark stout beer
• 4-6 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• handful of shredded cheese, for topping

-In your lodge cast iron, fry the bacon until desired done-ness (slightly crispy is always a good bet). Add the onions and garlic and cook until transluscent.

-Add the rice and stir until the rice has soaked up most of the bacon fat. Slowly add the stout, and stir until absorbed.

-Continue adding the beef broth, a half cup at a time, and stirring until liquid is absorbed. Once rice is soft, remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Top with cheese.