Bacon Jam Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

Cooking the onion and garlic in some of the rendered bacon fat intensifies the smoky bacon-y flavor and adds richness.
The food processor turns the reduced bacon mixture into a jam-like consistency.

More great sauce ideas are coming in from the request line. Most recently Serious Eater Spencer sent along a call for burger toppers, onion jam and bacon jam. Being a meat-centric individual, I opted to tackle the latter first.

Having never made bacon jam before, I did some searching around and found a Martha Stewart recipe that serves as a popular starting point.

I only made some minor adjustments—adding red pepper flakes and adapting it for a stove top instead of slow cooker—but pretty much stuck to the recipe that starts with crisping a pound of bacon, then sautéing onion and garlic in the flavorful rendered fat. The onion, garlic, and bacon are then simmered in a mixture of vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee until thick and syrupy. Finally, the entire thing gets a whirl in a food processor until it's a fine, but textured "jam."

I was blown away with the results. This was one complex condiment, with the salty and smoky bacon having a candied flavor from the sugar and syrup, as well as a very earthy quality thanks to the coffee and nice pockets of heat whenever I hit a red pepper flake. I happily spread this all of my burger, but it also found uses as a pizza topping and a spread for biscuits, all which were made even more delicious by this bacon jam.

Adapted from Martha Stewart

August 2012

Bacon Jam Recipe

Active 2 hrs

Total 2 hrs

Serves 16 to 24 servings

Makes 2 cups

A versatile condiment is full of salty, sweet-candied smoky bacon, with earthy notes of coffee and pops of heat.

1 pound bacon, finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup

In a large skillet or dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet; add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in coffee, vinegar, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon and stir to combine.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel.
Reduce heat to a bare simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is syrupy, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel.
Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 weeks.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel.

Special Equipment

Food processor, large skillet or Dutch oven

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
88	Calories
7g	Fat
5g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16 to 24
Amount per serving
Calories	88
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	8%
Saturated Fat 2g	11%
Cholesterol 11mg	4%
Sodium 111mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 5g	2%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg	2%
Calcium 7mg	1%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 56mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Ingredients

Special Equipment

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