Looking to experiment with new and exciting flavors? Bacon jam is the real deal. It’s a quick and effortless way to impress your guests with a burst of flavor. Even if you’ve never tried it before, you’ll be amazed at how effortless it is to whip up. A few simple ingredients can make a lasting impression on your taste buds!
What is bacon jam?
Bacon jam is a spreadable condiment made from bacon, onions, brown sugar, vinegar, and maple syrup. The bacon is fried until crispy then mixed with the other ingredients and cooked down until the mixture becomes thick and spreadable.
The result is a rich and savory spread that has a sweet and smoky flavor, with a slightly crunchy texture from the crispy bacon pieces.
Yellow onion– When cooked down, onions become soft and tender, which helps create a smooth and spreadable texture for the jam
Brown sugar– Provides sweetness and helps thicken the jam as it cools
Maple syrup – Another layer of sweetness and syrupy texture
Apple cider vinegar – The tang of the vinegar cuts through the sweet and savory notes
Garlic – Gives great depth of flavor and aroma
Cayenne pepper – A pinch of heat to balance the sweet jam
What to use bacon jam on
Cheeseburgers are my absolute favorite way to use the jam. Top a juicy cheese burger with it and your eyes will roll back when you take the first bite.
Toast with bacon jam is awesome. Skip the strawberry jam or butter, go straight for the good stuff.
Melted brie covered in bacon jam makes for an amazing dip. Serve it with some crackers or bagel chips and make it the star of your next charcuterie board.
How to make bacon jam
First dice up a 1/2 lb of bacon and fry on medium high heat in a cast iron pan. Once the bacon gets crispy, remove from pan and set aside.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and add your diced yellow onions. Sauté the onions until they are soft and add minced garlic. Then continue cooking for another minute.
Turn the heat down to medium low and add brown sugar, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and the bacon you previously cooked. Mix well together to combine.
Continue to simmer and cook down the jam for 15 minutes. You should see the jam thicken as it cooks. Finish with a pinch of cayenne pepper. The jam will thicken even more as it cools down.
Bacon jam is so delicious because it hits all the right notes in terms of taste, texture, and versatility. It’s a condiment that can be used in so many ways, adding a rich and savory flavor to any dish it’s paired with. If you are looking for a recipe that really packs a punch, this is the one!
If you love this recipe make sure to try my brisket jam recipe. I’m undecided on which one is better but try it and let me know. They are both winners in my book!
If you’re bacon obsessed like me, you need to try this easy bacon jam. It’s flavor packed and will level up any dish. Guaranteed!
Total Time:30 minutes
Yield:41x
Ingredients
Scale
1/2 pound of diced bacon
1/2 medium yellow onion diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (Optional)
Instructions
Heat up a cast iron pan to medium high heat and fry diced bacon until crispy.
Remove bacon and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in pan.
Sauté diced yellow onions in pan until soft. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Turn heat to medium low and add apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, brown sugar, and the reserved crispy bacon. Add a pinch of cayenne (optional). Cook down for 15 minutes.
When the jam is at your desired consistency remove from heat and let cool. As the jam cools it will get even thicker.
For safety, we strongly recommend that bacon jam be refrigerated for times suggested by the recipe (2-4 weeks) or that it be frozen for longer storage.
Crisp salty bacon is simmered for hours with onions, maple syrup, brown sugar, and a couple of secret ingredients to create a soft, spreadable jam that's divine on crackers, toast, crostini or bruschetta, fresh vegetables, pita bread, new potatoes... the list goes on and on!
To achieve a thick texture, all of the liquids need time to reduce. Make sure you're cooking your bacon jam without a lid over your Dutch oven, so your bacon jam can evaporate. If it's still not thick enough, it just needs more time.
D., associate professor of food and nutrition at Illinois Institute of Technology. You can technically store opened jams and jellies at room temperature—but only in a cool, dark place and for about a week after opening, says Lee.
A sweet and savoury jam made using the finest dry-cured and smoked Irish bacon. Enjoy with cheese, on a burger or just spread on crusty bread, everything is better with bacon!
Salt prevents bacterial growth either by directly inhibiting it or by its drying effect. Most bacteria require substantial amounts of moisture to live and grow. Sodium nitrite produces the pink color (nitrosohemoglobin) in cured bacon.
Freeze: For longer storage, pack your cooled Bacon Jam into straight-shouldered mason jars, leaving about 1-inch of headspace, and store it in your freezer.
When you're shopping for uncured bacon at the grocery store, keep an eye out for labels such as “sodium nitrate-free.” On the other hand, cured bacon is preserved with a combination of salt and sodium nitrites, giving the raw product that extra pink color we've all come to know.
Meat has to be pressure canned to be safe in a sealed jar at room temperatures, and a bacon jam mixture is so dense that there would be major heat penetration issues in sterilizing the contents of the jar. If anyone gives you a pressure canner processing time, they are just guessing at a time.
Lack of acidity: Acids like lemon juice help lower the jam mixture's pH, which reacts with the natural or added pectin to help thicken the jam. If a jam recipe doesn't call for lemon juice or lime juice, it could rely on another ingredient, like added pectin, to set the jam.
You will need approximately half the amount of pectin that is indicated by your recipe. Please be careful when adding pectin as too much will leave you with a set that is too solid and it is not possible to rectify this so always add less than you think is necessary and test the set and then add more if required.
Since pectin is activated by sugar, it requires using a considerable amount of sugar to activate the pectin and set (i.e. thicken) your jam. If you try to cut back on the sugar, it won't set properly.
The bits are shelf stable as packed but need to be refrigerated after the foil pouch has been opened. Real bacon bits can be used in any food system where real bacon flavor is desired. Use it in salad toppings, gravies, quiche, potato toppings, pasta, bakery items, sauces, and soups.
Sealed jars of homemade preserves can also be stored at room temperature. Once the jam or jelly is opened, however, it is best to refrigerate them. Richard explains that this prevents mold and yeast from growing.
The general rule of food safety is to not let raw meat or cooked food sit out for more than 2 hours, and that rule applies to uncooked or cooked bacon. It's wise to be careful with uncooked pork products since they can harbor and grow bacterial pathogens like salmonella and trichinosis.
Jellies and jams do not need to go in the fridge because they have a water activity of around 0.80, and their pH is usually around 3. So they don't have enough moisture to support bacteria and are too acidic for them as well. Conclusion: Keep your jams and jellies wherever you want to.
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Introduction: My name is Amb. Frankie Simonis, I am a hilarious, enchanting, energetic, cooperative, innocent, cute, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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