Bacon Jam
By Matthew FairmanPublished on December 18, 2019
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 8 to 10 (Makes about 1¼ cups)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Do not use thick-cut bacon in this recipe. We like cider vinegar here, but you can experiment with other vinegars if you like. You can use more or less cayenne to suit your preferences; the ⅛ teaspoon we call for provides just a hint of heat.
Instructions
- Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 15 to 18 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.
- Heat fat left in skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, thyme sprigs, and garlic and cook until onion is softened and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water, vinegar, maple syrup, cayenne, and reserved bacon. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly all liquid has evaporated and mixture begins to sizzle loudly, 22 to 28 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. Transfer bacon mixture to food processor and pulse until minced, 15 to 20 pulses. Serve warm. (Jam can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. To serve, cover and microwave for 1 minute, stirring once halfway through microwaving.)
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 8 to 10 (Makes about 1¼ cups)Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For a bacon lovers' jam that would be delicious on everything from biscuits to burgers to Brie, we started by cooking a full pound of classic-cut bacon (thick-cut bacon left tough chewy bits in the finished jam). From there, we browned lots of sliced onion, fresh thyme sprigs, and garlic in some of the bacon fat. A glug of fruity, bright cider vinegar helped cut through the richness of the bacon, and ⅓ cup of maple syrup added a complementary sweetness to balance out the salty, smoky bacon. Adding 4 cups of water allowed us to simmer the bacon mixture for long enough to tenderize everything until nice and jammy. A final blitz in the food processor minced the bacon and yielded a spreadable jam.
Before You Begin
Do not use thick-cut bacon in this recipe. We like cider vinegar here, but you can experiment with other vinegars if you like. You can use more or less cayenne to suit your preferences; the ⅛ teaspoon we call for provides just a hint of heat.
Instructions
- Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy, 15 to 18 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet.
- Heat fat left in skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, thyme sprigs, and garlic and cook until onion is softened and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water, vinegar, maple syrup, cayenne, and reserved bacon. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly all liquid has evaporated and mixture begins to sizzle loudly, 22 to 28 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. Transfer bacon mixture to food processor and pulse until minced, 15 to 20 pulses. Serve warm. (Jam can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. To serve, cover and microwave for 1 minute, stirring once halfway through microwaving.)
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