Bacon seems like an ingredient that could go into corn chowder with everything else, but one home cook keeps it out of the slow cooker until the end.
Reddit user u/Pinkmonster2000 starts her corn chowder with potatoes, corn, chicken broth, and seasonings. Bacon doesn't join the pot until about 30 minutes before serving, and she cooks it before adding it.
That keeps the bacon out of the broth during most of the four-hour cook.
Start With Potatoes, Corn, and Chicken Broth
Three chopped russet potatoes form the base of the chowder along with one drained can of corn and two cups of chicken broth.
Those ingredients go into the slow cooker with the seasonings, then cook on high for four hours. The cook also gives six hours on low as another option.
Her usual seasoning mix includes seasoning salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and some nutmeg.
Cream and Flour Go in Halfway Through
Bacon isn't the only ingredient that waits.
After about two hours, mix one cup of heavy cream with two tablespoons of flour in a bowl. Pour that mixture into the slow cooker and continue cooking.
The flour and cream act as the thickening mixture rather than making a separate roux on the stove. When a commenter asked about the method, the cook confirmed that she mixes the cold cream and flour in a bowl before adding both to the chowder.
Cook the Bacon Before Adding It
The recipe calls for one package of bacon, but it doesn't spend hours cooking with the potatoes and corn.
Cook the bacon first, then add it during the last 30 minutes of the slow-cooker time. The cook confirmed in the discussion that the bacon is cooked before it goes into the chowder.
That timing means the bacon enters after the potatoes and corn have cooked for most of the recipe and after the cream mixture has had time to thicken the broth.
Fresh Corn Opens Up Another Option
The original recipe uses canned corn, but one commenter suggested another approach when fresh corn is available.
After cutting the kernels from the cobs, the empty cobs can simmer in the broth to add more corn flavor. Another commenter said they make corn broth from leftover cobs for soups such as chowder.
The slow-cooker recipe doesn't require that extra step, but it gives fresh corn cobs another use before they are discarded.
Not Everything Needs to Go Into the Slow Cooker at Once
The chowder comes together in stages rather than dumping every ingredient into the pot at the beginning.
Potatoes, corn, broth, and seasonings start the cook. Cream and flour go in halfway through. Cooked bacon waits until the last 30 minutes.
That final addition stood out to me. Bacon still becomes part of the chowder, but it doesn't need to spend four hours sitting in the broth to get there.
Do you add bacon at the beginning of corn chowder, or save it for the end?
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