Bacon Jam Recipe

Sweet, Savory and a PERFECT Bacon Jam Recipe to have on hand for guests! Who doesn’t love the great smoky taste of bacon with sweet onions, a dash of bourbon and a splash of cola? 

Here’s How It’s Done

STEP  1.  Make some crispy bacon! 

STEP 2.  Cook the Onions Down. 

STEP 3.  Chop the Bacon

STEP 3.   Add everything and stir (and cook some more). 

How To Make Bacon Jam

Cut up 1 ½ pounds of bacon into 1” pieces and cook in a heavy bottom pot. Add chopped sweet onions and other ingredients. Cook until the onions are caramelized. Chop the bacon into small bits and add back to the pot. Add balsamic and olive oil. Serve.

What To Serve With Bacon Jam? 

Bacon Jam is terrific on a burger like The Biggest Baddest Burger! You won’t go wrong serving it on a sweet potato biscuit with some country ham either! Amazingly good on deviled eggs, no joke! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Is Bacon Jam really a jam? 

Bacon jam is more like a relish than a jam. You will find that commercial preparation DO have a gelatinous goo reminiscent of jams and jellies. The kind you make at home has extremely soft onions that make up the jam part of the recipe.

How Is Bacon Jam Made? 

Bacon Jam is made by frying up bacon until it is very crisp, remove it from the pan to a paper towel lined plate. Pour off the grease, cook onions in the same pan and add the seasonings and flavorings. Cook the onions until they are caramelized. Chop the bacon pieces up very small and add the bacon to the onions. Remove from the heat and add balsamic vinegar and a dash of olive oil. 

There's no need for a food processor, just use your kitchen knife! 

Where Did Bacon Jam Come From? 

Bacon jam is said to be like an Austrian dish called Verhackert   Which uses similar ingredients but isn’t sweet like the American Version. 

How Long Does Bacon Jam Keep?

Keep Bacon Jam in the fridge and it will keep for a couple of weeks. Don't allow it to sit out on the counter for more than 2 hours. 

Can I Freeze Bacon Jam? 

Yes, you sure can. Put it in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw slowly in the fridge and then heat it gently before serving. 

If you enjoy this Bacon Recipe, you might also enjoy….

Mouth Party Bacon

How to Save Bacon Grease

How To Cook Bacon on a Rack in the Oven

Cheesy Bacon Dip

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

Slow Cooker Green Beans and Bacon

Tips and Tricks for This Bacon Jam Recipe

• When cooking the bacon, it can be difficult to know when the bacon is done. Watch the video in the recipe card. When the bacon becomes frothy and bubbly, that is how you know it is done. 
• Start with 1” pieces of bacon. This makes chopping the final bacon pieces a much easier job. 
• Use a sweet onion like a Texas Sweet or Vidalia for this recipe. If you can’t find one of those, use a typical yellow onion and you may need to add a small amount of extra sugar at the end. 
• Cut the onions into a small chop. They will basically be dissolving to make the “gel” of your jam and larger pieces don’t cook down as well. 
• If you don’t want to add the bourbon, just leave it out and don’t substitute anything in its place. If you notice that your jam seems a little too firm, add water by tablespoon full and stir well after each addition. Bacon jam should be about as thick as a good strawberry jam. 
• The cola that you add gives the jam a lovely dark color and some sweetness, so please do add that (regular cola, not diet). 
• If you are concerned about the cayenne, don’t be. It doesn’t add much heat, just enough for you to say “hmmmm, that’s interesting”, it isn’t hot at all. 
• For this recipe you’ll want to familiarize yourself with:  What Does Divided In a Recipe Mean and How to Save Bacon Grease. in order to deal with the bacon fat.

• PRO TIP:  The balsamic adds a little kick and its important to use the finest balsamic you can afford. The olive oil gives the whole jam a lovely shine, so please do add that. 

Ya’ll Help Me Out, OK?  

Share this recipe with your friends and invite them to sign up for the newsletter! A 5 STAR rating for the recipe (in the comment section below) helps people to understand that Loaves and Dishes is a great place to come for recipes! 

Bacon Jam Recipe

Sweet, Savory and a PERFECT Bacon Jam Recipe to have on hand for guests! Who doesn’t love the great smoky taste of bacon with sweet onions, a dash of bourbon and a splash of cola?

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon jam, bacon jam recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 18 servings

Calories: 206kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 teaspoon butter
• 4 Large Sweet Onions
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ Cup Brown Sugar packed
• ¼ Cup Sherry Vinegar
• ¼ Cup Cola
• 2 Tbs bourbon
• 1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme divided
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Heat a heavy bottomed stock pot over medium heat on the stove top until warm. Add the bacon all at once and stir frequently. Cook until the bacon is crispy and until all of the liquid in the pan is foamy and bubbling (see video if you aren’t sure what this means).
• Remove the bacon from the pan to a paper towel covered plate and set aside.
• Pour the bacon grease into a metal container or shatter proof glass container and set aside.
• Add two tablespoons of the bacon grease and the 2 teaspoon of butter to the stock pot and set it back on the stove. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the onions all at once and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Cook on medium low until the onions begin to look translucent (this will take about 10 minutes).
• While the onions are cooking, chop bacon up into small bits and set aside.
• When the onions appear translucent, stir in brown sugar, sherry vinegar, the cola, the bourgon, 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves, black pepper and cayenne pepper into the onions. Add the chopped bacon bits into the onion mix and continue to cook over medium low heat until a dark brown color results and the mixture is as thick as jam. This takes at least another 10 minutes but depending on the water content of the onions and other products, could take up to another 25 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining thyme and add the balsamic and olive oil, stir well. Serve warm.

Notes

• When cooking the bacon, it can be difficult to know when the bacon is done. Watch the video in the recipe card. When the bacon becomes frothy and bubbly, that is how you know it is done.
• Start with 1” pieces of bacon. This makes chopping the final bacon pieces a much easier job.
• Use a sweet onion like a Texas Sweet or Vidalia for this recipe. If you can’t find one of those, use a typical yellow onion and you may need to add a small amount of extra sugar at the end.
• Cut the onions into a small chop. They will basically be dissolving to make the “gel” of your jam and larger pieces don’t cook down as well.
• If you don’t want to add the bourbon, just leave it out and don’t substitute anything in it’s place. If you notice that your jam seems a little too firm, add water by tablespoon full and stir well after each addition. Bacon jam should be about as thick as a good strawberry jam.
• The cola that you add gives the jam a lovely dark color and some sweetness, so please do add that (regular cola, not diet).
• If you are concerned about the cayenne, don’t be. It doesn’t add much heat, just enough for you to say “hmmmm, that’s interesting”, it isn’t hot at all.
• For this recipe you’ll want to familiarize yourself with: What Does Divided In a Recipe Mean and How to Save Bacon Grease.
• Keep Bacon jam in the fridge and heat it slightly before serving.  Don't serve it cold.  
• This bacon jam is BEST if you allow the flavors to meld in the fridge for at least 5 days, but does taste just fine immediately after making. 

PRO TIP: The balsamic adds a little kick and its important to use the finest balsamic you can afford. The olive oil gives the whole jam a lovely shine, so please do add that.

PRO TIP:  To use bacon jam to its best advantage, don't be shy about plopping some on a sandwich.  A THICK layer works best!  No worries, you can make more!!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Bacon Jam Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 206 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Fat 16g25%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Cholesterol 26mg9%

Sodium 387mg16%

Potassium 119mg3%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 41IU1%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 13mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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A VERSE TO SHARE

I think I’ve shared this a couple of times here, but when my nerves get the best of me, I know there are a couple of things I can do.

1. Go for a walk
2. Play with my dogs
3. Chant the Lord’s Prayer. 

Number three is ALWAYS the most helpful. Just saying it over and over and over again. Maybe this will help you? 

Matthew 6: 9-13

This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

    on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from the evil one.