How To Make Bacon Jam
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Sweet, sticky, and savory, this recipe is a bacon lover’s dream! Bacon jam is a bit like candied bacon transformed into a delicious spreadable condiment that will make your next burger or grilled cheese sandwich pop with flavor. We’ve been known to eat it straight on a piece of buttered sourdough toast, but truly there are unlimited ways to enjoy this versatile and flavorful spread.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Small Batch - I like making bacon jam in smaller amounts as this uses about as much bacon as you can easily fit in a medium-large skillet. But you can easily adjust if you’d like to double or triple the recipe!
Makes a great gift - This isn’t your typical jam flavor, so it’s a fun gift to surprise your friends and loved ones. Everyone I’ve given this bacon jam to (alongside a loaf of homemade sourdough, of course) has given rave reviews!
Fantastic Flavor - if you’re a bacon eater, you are going to find it difficult to stop eating this jam. It’s sweet, it’s smoky, it’s got a lovely tang from apple cider vinegar and depth from brewed coffee. It’ll surprise you how good it is with so many different dishes!
Ingredients
- Bacon - You’ll want a good-quality fatty bacon here, sometimes called streaky bacon outside of the US. Regular or thick-cut is fine, and I personally like a smoky bacon.
- Onion - I generally use a brown onion (yellow onion) but you can use red if you want to.
- Garlic - I recommend a fresh clove of garlic here.
- Coffee - Brewed coffee adds complexity and keeps the jam from being too sticky sweet. This is a great way to use up any extra coffee!
- Apple cider vinegar - I like the fruity acidity of cider vinegar here, but you could try another mild flavor vinegar if that’s what you have
- Brown sugar - You could use white sugar too.
- Maple syrup - I recommend using real maple syrup, not pancake syrup or maple flavored syrup for the authentic maple taste.
How To Make Bacon Jam
Add the chopped bacon to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure the pieces are evenly cooked. You want the bacon bits to be darkened, with most of the fat rendered out.
Transfer the bacon bits to a paper-towel lined plate. Transfer any excess bacon fat to a heatproof bowl (see my recipe tips for suggestions!) until only a thin layer coats the bottom of the skillet, which you’ll use to sauté the onions. If there are any larger pieces of bacon, this is a good time to crumble them into smaller pieces, either by hand or chopping with a knife.
Add the onions to the pan and cook over medium heat until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté for one minute, until the garlic is softened, then add the coffee, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the bacon back to the pan and continue to simmer, reducing the heat if needed, until the liquid evaporates and the mixture becomes thick and sticky, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. You’ll know when it’s done when there’s only a thick syrup left around the bacon. I like to drag my spatula along the bottom of the pan, and if the mixture doesn’t run back in immediately, the jam is done.
Transfer the jam to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. If you like, you can put the mixture in the food processor and make it more of a jam consistency, but I prefer mine on the chunkier side.
Kate's Recipe Tips
- I often have trouble chopping bacon with a knife on a cutting board because the bacon fat makes it slide around. Instead, I use sharp kitchen shears to cut the bacon straight into the skillet. So much easier and no cutting boards to wash!
- I like to pour the hot bacon grease from the pan directly into a heat. safe jar lined with a paper coffee filter. This gives you nice clean bacon grease without any browned bits that can burn in the pan. Pop the lid on and store it in the fridge for a week or two. The bacon fat gives such good flavor for frying eggs, searing meats, and especially roasting potatoes!
How To Use/What To Eat With
I’ve been snacking on this bacon jam straight on sourdough toast with a slice of cheddar, as you can see in the photos. It’s so good plain, but there’s also so much more you can do with it!
- Bacon jam makes a fabulous addition to a cheeseboard with homemade sourdough crackers.
- You’ll definitely want to try it the next time you grill as it’s perfect for topping sourdough burger buns and sourdough hot dog buns.
- We love bacon jam on family pizza night, using my signature sourdough discard pizza dough of course!
- Homemade sourdough biscuits would be a great accompaniment for this sweet and smoky spread.
- I love stirring a spoonful of bacon jam into cooked pasta or even sourdough mac and cheese!
How To Store and Freeze
I store my bacon jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It tastes great when warm, so I like to heat it up in a pan or the microwave before eating. I don’t recommend jarring this jam. You can freeze it if you'd like in small airtight containers and thaw in the refrigerator before eating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can do the part where the bacon cooks down with the sugar and vinegar in a slow cooker, but you’ll still need a skillet on the stovetop to cook and crisp up the bacon. Once you’ve sauteed the onions and garlic, then added the rest of the ingredients, you can transfer the entire mixture to a slow cooker. Cook on High until it reaches your desired texture, about 2 to 3 hours.
Absolutely. Feel free to cook the bacon in strips, then crumble it up and make the jam. Once done, you can put the whole mixture into the food processor for a “jammier” consistency.
Absolutely, you could try this with red pepper flakes, chili powder, or paprika for a bit of heat.
Bacon Jam
Equipment
- Skillet
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula
Ingredients
- 225 g Bacon (chopped, 8 oz)
- 70 g Onion (diced)
- 1 Clove garlic (minced)
- 100 g Brewed coffee (around ½ cup)
- 60 g Brown sugar
- 35 g Apple Cider Vinegar
- 25 g Maple syrup
Instructions
- Put the chopped bacon into a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir frequently to make sure the pieces are evenly cooked.
- Transfer the bacon bits to a paper-towel lined plate and crumble any larger pieces. Transfer any excess bacon fat to a heatproof bowl (see my recipe tips for suggestions!) until only a thin layer coats the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the onions to the pan and cook over medium heat until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute, until the garlic is softened.
- Add the coffee, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup. Bring the mixture to a simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the bacon back to the pan and continue to simmer, reducing the heat if needed, until the liquid evaporates and the mixture becomes thick and sticky, about 30 minutes.
- Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. You’ll know when it’s done when there’s only a thick syrup left around the bacon. I like to drag my spatula along the bottom of the pan, and if the mixture doesn’t run back in immediately, the jam is done.
- Transfer the jam to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. If you like, you can put the mixture in the food processor and make it more of a jam consistency, but I prefer mine on the chunkier side.
