Two things I love in the morning are bacon and coffee. With that said, I decided to make some bacon jam. You heard that right, bacon jam. I am always asking my kids what they want to eat over the weekend, and time and time again, the answer I always get from my oldest is, “bacon burger”. So, let’s just say I had bacon on my mind, and I wanted to do something different for my burger, hence why I made a bacon jam.
This bacon jam was not only phenomenal on the burger and could be my go to condiment for burgers now, but in its simplest form is awesome on pretty much anything, including a basic cracker.
Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]
- 1 lb of good bacon, cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Hungarian paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 cup of strong coffee
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup of light brown sugar
Begin by heating a large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add the sliced bacon pieces, and begin cooking this, rendering all of the fat, and cooking just until slightly crisp, but not super crispy. This will take about 10 minutes or so. During this time, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
When the bacon is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon onto some paper towel to remove any excess fat. Pour off most of the bacon grease, reserving for a later use. Return the skillet back to the heat and add the tablespoon of butter. Toss in the onion and garlic, and let them begin to sweat, cooking on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring along the way.
When the onions and garlic and cooked, add the salt and pepper, along with the brown sugar. Give a good stir, letting the sugar begin to melt away into the onions. After a couple of minutes, add the remaining ingredients and let it come to a boil. Toss in the bacon, stir, and add this to a slow cooker, on low heat, for 3 hours.
After a few hours in the slow cooker, place the mixture into a food processor and pulse down for your desired consistency. I like mine to have some recognizable bacon pieces, but pieces that are not extremely big, almost like bacon bit consistency. Return the mixture to a sauce pan, and cook on medium heat until most, if not all of the liquid evaporates, leaving you with a jam like consistency.
Store in a sealed container for up to three weeks, if it lasts that long.
When you are ready to serve, feel free to spread this on pretty much anything. The texture is spot on, and the flavor is something out of this world. You get the sweetness from the onion, sugar, and maple, and a subtle but ever so delicious bitterness from the coffee, along with the smokiness of the bacon and a slight sourness from the cider vinegar, this bacon jam was something else. Give it a shot and let me know your thoughts! Hope you enjoy.