Corn and Bacon Muffins

12 ounces smoked bacon, chopped
1 ear of yellow corn, husked
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups of whole milk
3 large eggs
2 cups sharp white cheddar, grated
1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
butter for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook bacon in a saute pan until crisp. Transfer the cooked bacon onto paper towels. Brush 12 standard muffin cups with the bacon drippings. Reserve 1/2 cup of the bacon drippings to cool. 
Use a sharp knife the remove the kernels from the cob. You should have roughly 1 cup.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk in milk, eggs and 1/2 cup of bacon drippings. Then add bacon, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, (the rest is for topping) corn, and chives. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixtureuntil blended. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 18 minutes. They should be golden and toothpick should come out clean in center. Let the muffins cool slightly before removing them. Use a sharp knife to loosen them around the edges. Open the muffin and spread with butter.