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Discover the sweet and savory magic of homemade bacon jam! Perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or breakfast, this easy recipe will elevate your meals. Try it today!
Table of Contents
- The Ultimate Flavor Boost for Any Dish
- Ingredients in Bacon Jam
- How to Make Homemade Bacon Jam
- Delicious Ways To Enjoy Bacon Jam
- Get The Flavor Just Right
- More Ways to Customize Your Jam
- Which Bacon Is Best?
- How to Cook Bacon for Bacon Jam
- Reviews About Our Bacon Jam
- Questions About Bacon Jam
- How To Store Bacon Jam
- Bacon Jam Recipe
- More Recipes For Bacon Lovers
The Ultimate Flavor Boost for Any Dish
Have you ever tried bacon jam? If not, you’re in for a treat! This sweet and savory spread is incredibly easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll want to slather it on everything from burgers to breakfast toast.
Bacon jam is a bacon lover’s dream come true. It is a winning combination of crispy bacon, caramelized onions, sweet brown sugar, and tangy balsamic vinegar. The result? A rich, smoky spread that’s the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Whether you’re hosting a brunch or looking to elevate your sandwich game, bacon jam is a versatile condiment that’ll wow your taste buds.
Ingredients in Bacon Jam
Making bacon jam is simple and requires just a few basic ingredients:
- Bacon Slices – Thick-cut bacon works the best and gives the jam its hearty texture.
- Onion – Red or white, your choice! Each brings a unique flavor.
- Brown Sugar – Adds that sweet caramelized touch. Dark brown sugar offers a deeper molasses flavor.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Brings a tangy element that pairs well with the sweetness.
How to Make Homemade Bacon Jam
Making bacon jam is straightforward and easy. Follow these steps to whip up your own batch in no time!
- Cook the Bacon – In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Drain most of the grease, leaving about two tablespoons in the pan.
- Saute the Onion – Add chopped onions to the pan and cook until soft and translucent.
- Simmer – Mix in the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and water. Let everything simmer until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Chop the bacon into small pieces and stir it back into the mix.
- Serve – Your bacon jam can be served warm or at room temperature. Spread it on just about anything!
Delicious Ways To Enjoy Bacon Jam
This savory spread can be used to liven up just about anything! Try some of our favorite things to add bacon jam to!
- Burgers – Take your burgers to the next level with a generous dollop of bacon jam.
- Sandwiches – It’s so good on all types of sandwiches, especially on turkey or roast beef sandwiches. Also tastes delicious on grilled cheese, an egg sandwich
- Protein – Spoon it over grilled chicken, steak, or pork chops.
- Breakfast – Spread on toast, bagels, or English muffins. Try it on pancakes or waffles with a drizzle of maple syrup. Top a fried egg with this bacon jam and serve with a hearty breakfast.
- Pizza – A unique topping that adds a smoky sweetness.
- Salads – Kick up the flavor of your green salad, or use as a veggie spread.
- Charcuterie board – Include as a spread on charcuterie boards with crackers and cream cheese.
Get The Flavor Just Right
What I love about this jam is that you can easily adjust the flavor to your liking. Here are some ideas:
- Sweeter: Add more brown sugar or use maple-flavored bacon.
- Tangier: Increase the amount of balsamic vinegar.
- Spicy: Sprinkle in some chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Garlicky: Add minced garlic for an extra layer of flavor.
More Ways to Customize Your Jam
Here are some more ideas to customize the jam. The options are endless!
- Apple cider – You can substitute about ⅛ cup apple cider vinegar for the balsamic.
- Black pepper – Add extra black pepper to taste.
- Browned bits – For additional texture, scrape the browned bits of bacon from the large skillet.
- Onions – Dice red onion or red pepper for added flavor and texture. Use diced shallots in place of regular yellow onion. Bacon onion jam is full of flavor!
- Herbs – Garnish with some fresh thyme.
Which Bacon Is Best?
You can’t go wrong with a thick-cut bacon for this recipe. If you get a higher-quality bacon you will get a better bacon jam. If all you have is regular-cut bacon, that works great too! Using smoked bacon will give your jam a nice rounded-out smoky flavor that will taste great on burgers or grilled meats.
Pre-cooked bacon doesn’t work well because you aren’t able to get enough drippings to make the jam. Also, avoid getting maple-flavored bacon as it may throw off the taste.
How to Cook Bacon for Bacon Jam
The easiest way to get perfectly cooked bacon is on the stovetop. Use a large skillet and cook the bacon in batches, turning them over every few minutes at medium heat until they’re nice and crisp. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate with paper towels so it can drain.
You can also cook bacon in a Dutch oven, a regular oven, or sometimes in the microwave. Make sure to save about two tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan to continue making the jam. The air fryer is also a great option.
Reviews About Our Bacon Jam
“Delicious! I want to put it on EVERYTHING!”
-Allison
Questions About Bacon Jam
Bacon jam is a sublime mix of sweet and salty, with hints of smoky flavor, depending on how the bacon is flavored. The texture can vary depending on how finely you chop the bacon and onions. It can be fine, with a texture similar to marmalade or preserves making it easier to spread. Use a food processor and pulse all of the ingredients until they are the desired consistency. Or you can leave the pieces larger with the bacon in 1-inch pieces so the jam has more texture, similar to conserves or a relish.
Bacon jam is made of four simple ingredients: bacon slices, onion, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar.
Canning bacon jam is not recommended, due various health and safety concerns. If you want to store it long-term, freezing is your best option. For more information, see this article: https://www.healthycanning.com/bacon-jam.
Absolutely! You can freeze your jam for up to 6 months. Just put it in a freezer-safe container or even a freezer zip-top bag to store.
How To Store Bacon Jam
Bacon jam should be refrigerated once cooled. It’ll stay fresh for up to a month in the fridge. If you want to keep it longer, pop it in the freezer. Just thaw it out when you’re ready to use it, and give it a quick warm-up if it’s too firm to spread.
Remember, after the jam has been heated or brought to room temperature after refrigerating, it should not be refrigerated again. Be sure to only heat what you will be using. Keep the rest in the fridge until you need it again.
Bacon Jam
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan and remove the bacon to drain on paper towels.
- Add onion to the pan and saute until soft.
- Add brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and water. Reduce heat and simmer until sugar and vinegar reduce to a light syrupy texture.
- Chop bacon into small pieces and add to the mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Can be served hot or cooled to room temperature.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
Here are a few ideas on different ways you could serve Bacon Jam.-
- Spread it on hamburgers or chickenburgers.
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- It’s so good on all types of sandwiches, especially on turkey or roast beef sandwiches
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- Also tastes delicious on grilled cheese, an egg sandwich
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- Grilled chicken or steak
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- Spoon on top of a pork roast or pork chops
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- Grilled cheese sandwiches
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- Spread on toast, bagels, or English muffins.
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- Use as a pizza topping
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- Green salads or as a veggie spread
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- As a spread on charcuterie boards
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- With crackers and cream cheese
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- Try it on pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup
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- Top a fried egg with this bacon jam and serve with a hearty breakfast
Nutrition Information
More Recipes For Bacon Lovers
If you love bacon as much as I do, check out these recipes:
I have no balsamic vinegar. Is there a substitute or can I omit it? Also, how much water? And when to add it? I just don’t see it, unless I’m missing it. Thank you in advance
Thanks for asking, Justin. You can use another vinegar in place of balsamic vinegar, but it won’t taste quite the same. Do you have apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar on hand? You can use either, but add 1 teaspoon of sugar to it to get closer to the flavor of balsamic vinegar. Also, you add the water at the same time you add the vinegar, just after you sauté the onions. I hope this helps!
Could I use turkey bacon?
We haven’t tried it with turkey bacon, so I can’t say for sure. But let us know how it turns out if you try it!
This looks so good! Could I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar? 🤔
I don’t see why not! Let us know how it turns out if you try it!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. I have always loved bacon jam but have never made it.
Delicious! I want to put it on EVERYTHING!