Tangy and Sweet Tomato-Bacon Jam With Onions and Garlic Recipe

Jennifer Olvera
Tangy and Sweet Tomato-Bacon Jam With Onions and Garlic Recipe
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  • Yield:Serves 8
  • Active time:15 minutes
  • Total time:1 hour 15 minutes
  • Rated: 5.0
This recipe appears in:
Tomato Bounty Week: This Tomato-Bacon Jam is Delicious on Everything

Step aside, ketchup: this tomato-bacon jam is a versatile, flavor-packed condiment. [Photograph: Jennifer Olvera]

This savory jam is loaded with onions and tomatoes that have been cooked in bacon fat until thick and spreadable. A touch of maple syrup, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard gives it a sweet-tart edge that would be as good on a burger as it would served alongside a wedge of cheese.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup fresh ripe diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 bay leaf

Directions

  1. 1.

    Cook bacon in a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent and softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess bacon grease from pan.

  2. 2.

    Stir in remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened to a jam-like consistency, about 1 hour. Discard bay leaf.

  3. 3.

    Transfer to a blender and pulse to combine, leaving some chunks. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Jennifer Olvera
Sunday Supper Columnist

Jennifer Olvera is the author of Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago, and she has all-but tested and developed recipes since toddlehood. She writes the Sunday Supper column for Serious Eats and regularly contributes food features to Chicago Sun-Times. She can often be found tending her garden, canning and traveling to far-flung destinations, where she writes about local edibles for pubs like Los Angeles Times and Frommers.com.

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