Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

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A sweet, salty, smoky, spicy and down right tasty bacon jam that is the definition of umami! This bacon jam goes well on toast for breakfast and makes for a great condiment in sandwiches and burgers of all sorts!..

I do not know how I could have possibly missed the whole bacon jam band wagon when it came around a while ago but I recently discovered it and jumped right on board! I mean, how could you possibly go wrong making a jam where the primary ingredient is bacon? I was completely smitten with the idea and had to make a batch right away!
Luckily it was pretty easy to find a bacon jam recipe online, there are a ton of them and each one was a little different. After poring over dozens of recipes the base seemed to come down to; lots of bacon, some onion, garlic, vinegar, coffee and sugar and from there you can go with whatever you like. I chose to go with some of my favourite things including with maple syrup and a splash of bourbon and I could not resist adding a source of spicy heat in the form of some smoky chipotle chili peppers. With all of the ingredients in this jam, you know that it is just packed with flavour and umami with a nice balance of salty from the bacon, sweet from the brown sugar and maple syrup, tangy from the cider vinegar and spicy from the chipotles!
Bacon jam is really easy to make which is good because you are going to be wanting to make it all the time! In fact, I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe!

While I was writing the recipe and making the jam ideas of how to use it were flying through my head and I look forward to sharing some of them with you later in the week. Of course the first way that I tested out my shiny new batch of bacon jam was the easiest way, simply spread on toast and I now look forward to enjoying it that way for many happy breakfasts to come!

Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time:1 hour 50 minutes Total Time:2 hours Servings: 1

A sweet, salty, smoky, spicy and down right tasty bacon jam that is the definition of umami! This bacon jam goes well on toast for breakfast and makes for a great condiment in sandwiches and burgers of all sorts!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thick smoked bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup coffee (brewed)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1-2 chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Cook the bacon in a large sauce pan an over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon starts to get crispy and set aside, reserving 1 tablespoon of the grease in the pan.
  2. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  4. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan.
  5. Add the coffee, brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon, bacon, chipotle chilies, cumin and pepper, reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 1-2 hours.
  6. Process the jam in a food processor to smooth it out a bit but not too much as you want to have the texture of the bacon.
  7. If you do not finish it all in one sitting, store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks..

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