I love bacon. It was one of the few things I would eat as a picky child, much to the dismay of my mom. (Other choice items included plain white rice and Coco Pebbles). If they had bacon jam back in the day, you better believe that it would have been one of my staples. Bacon is one of those things that makes everything better. I can only imagine how this would taste in a BLT. Extra bacon? Yes, please!
I adapted this recipe from one I found on Martha Stewart. There are quite a few bacon jam recipes out there but most of them have ten gazillion ingredients. For the sake of simplicity, I cut out the coffee, which I imagine would have added a bit of complexity. Instead I tossed in some red chill flakes, because bacon’s great on it’s own, but add some spice and it’s twice as nice.
I am meaty, I am jammy: I AM BACON JAM!
Bacon Jam Recipe adapted from marthastewart.com
yield: half a cup
- 1/2 pound bacon, finely chopped
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon red chili flakesIn a medium saucepan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy and lightly browned. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Add onions, crushed garlic and chill flakes. Cook until onions are translucent. Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and bring to boil, stirring and scraping up the browned bits. Add the bacon back in a simmer on low heat until liquid is syrupy and thick, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse. Enjoy on everything! Keeps in the fridge for 4 weeks.
30 Comments
Suzy says:
February 20, 2012 at 10:13 am
How long would something like this last in the fridge?
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steph says:
March 5, 2012 at 12:07 am
It should last about 4 weeks.
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Aimee @ Chickenville says:
February 21, 2012 at 1:34 am
Looks like that jam found a home on some rainforest crackers. I just made those the other day because they were CRAZY expensive at Whole Foods.
I’ve made jam, I’ve made bacon, but never the two together. This might be interesting.
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susan says:
February 23, 2012 at 5:26 am
my kids would kiss my feet if i made this…thanks for sharing
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Max says:
March 9, 2012 at 10:20 pm
Can this be canned and conserved for a longer time?
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steph says:
March 10, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Hi Max,
I’m not too sure as I haven’t tried it. I think making it in smaller quantities instead of holding it for a long time would be better though.
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Jeff says:
March 28, 2012 at 6:19 am
this looks glorious. Is there any way to make this sugar-free?
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steph says:
March 28, 2012 at 5:47 pm
I haven’t made it sugar free, but I think maybe honey would work.
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Amy says:
January 28, 2013 at 8:53 am
I’ll bet you could make it sugar-free, or at least reduce the sugar significantly by using Agave syrup, a touch of molasses, and some maple flavoring. I can’t eat much sugar, so I’ll try it out and let you know!
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jules says:
April 29, 2012 at 6:12 pm
hi…i love your photos…i love your recipes and i LOVE bacon jam! i didn’t use your method but i just made spicy bacon, kalamata fig and shallot jam this morning…AND i think i would be delicious with your coddled egg in the glass jar recipe…YUM. i’ll try that next weekend. thanks for all the great recipes, ideas and photos
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January 5, 2013 at 7:05 pm
This year, I tackle bacon jam. It’s been on my “to try” list for too long. Thanks for sharing.
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Bailey says:
August 9, 2013 at 11:12 am
i’d recommend adding coffee and, to the final product, lemon zest
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Jan says:
August 12, 2013 at 12:43 am
urmm..I’ve never heard of bacon jam before but it sounds
ah-mazing!! So can you please tell me how to actually eat it? Not eat as in open your mouth and put it in, but how would you use it? As a dip or a sauce or a sandwich spread?? ThankeeeReply
steph says:
August 15, 2013 at 10:53 am
Hi Jan,
You can you eat it as a dip or sandwich spread. Just put it on anything that needs a bit more bacon!Reply
Diane says:
January 11, 2014 at 6:47 am
One good use for bacon jam is as a topping on a steak. I ordered a rib eye at a great restaurant last night, and it arrived with bacon onion relish on top. Was incredibly good… I found your recipe here while searching for something like I had last night. I think this recipe is probably pretty close… Though they did not use a food processor as the onions were still in their original form. Will definitely try this and make a few tweaks in the hopes of recreating the relish I had last night.
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eunice says:
April 11, 2014 at 1:55 am
can i use rice vinegar instead cider vinegar thanks
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steph says:
April 12, 2014 at 10:12 am
yes, rice vinegar would work too!
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Amby Felix says:
October 25, 2014 at 3:55 am
I have to try this. Definitely going to show this to my best friend!
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Chantal says:
November 16, 2014 at 7:25 am
Anyone tried to freeze a jar? Does the texture hold when you thaw it out? Thanks !
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Anitra says:
August 5, 2015 at 9:14 am
I haven’t made this yet but have to say, I love the way you layed out and photographed the ingredients. Where did you purchase the beakers?
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Elena @ The Life Square says:
November 28, 2015 at 7:32 am
How it would go without brown sugar?? Can I use normal sugar?
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Stephanie Le says:
November 29, 2015 at 11:12 am
i haven’t tried with regular – it might taste a bit less caramel-y, but it would work!
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Adriana says:
December 2, 2015 at 6:16 pm
This was delicious! My only comment was I needed to remake the recipe as 1 tbsp of red chili flakes was WAY to spicy for my family, I remade it with 1 tsp and everyone was happy. Thanks!!
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