This bacon jam recipe is a great combination of sweet and savory jam and is the perfect topping for any burger you’re looking to make. Or even using as an appetizer to serve with some crackers. It’s made by slowly cooking bacon, onions, brown sugar, coffee, bourbon and spices until it becomes jam-like.
I remember like it was yesterday. Lauren and I were visiting my parents in Orlando for my birthday 2.5 years ago. My dad and stepmom love to go to brunch on the weekends and sit outside. Knowing my love of chicken and waffles, my dad had told me about this place called Maxine’s on Shine just a couple of miles from his house. I had never heard of it but was game since they had one of my all-time favorite meals in chicken and waffles. Little did I know it would lead me to sharing this bacon jam recipe.
I was honestly just giving the menu a courtesy look as my mind was already made up but something caught my eye. It was a brisket burger. I know, what’s special about that? Well it wasn’t the burger part that got my attention. It was topped with bacon onion jam. I, like most people, absolutely love bacon so it was quite a surprise to me to have never even heard of bacon jam.
I will admit I still gave the chicken and waffles a lot of consideration, but I couldn’t get the bacon jam out of my head. Needless to say I was not disappointed by my decision. To this day, I still say that is the best burger I’ve ever had, which led to me developing this bourbon bacon jam recipe! Sadly I’m not sure Maxine’s on Shine actually makes it anymore as their menu just says burger topped with bacon but it might be worth a look!
Since that moment, I’ve made bacon onion jam a few times to try to recreate my favorite burger. While they’ve turned out pretty well, it’s never come close to what I originally had. Fortunately I think my latest recipe hits the mark, which is why I’m sharing today! The beauty of this bacon jam recipe is you can top it on pretty much any sandwich including a bison burger, or even just use on some toast. It will last about 4 weeks in the fridge, but trust me if you make this it will be gone long before then!
What Ingredients are in this Bacon Jam Recipe?
- Bacon
- Produce – sweet onions and garlic
- Brown sugar
- Coffee
- Apple cider vinegar
- Bourbon
- Maple syrup
- Spices – cumin, paprika, chili powder
How to Make Bacon Jam
- Heat large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off bacon fat, but leave about 2 tbsp in skillet.
- Return skillet to medium heat and add onion and garlic, Cook until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add brown sugar, coffee, apple cider vinegar, bourbon, maple syrup, cumin, paprika and chili powder to skillet and bring to a boil.
- Stir in bacon pieces and remove from heat.
- Add bacon jam to slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 4 hours, leaving uncovered.
Can I Cook Bacon Jam in Skillet?
Yes. Instead of transferring the bacon jam to a slow cooker after it comes to a boil, just reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes until it becomes jam-like. I personally just like to throw in the slow cooker to let it do the rest.
Do I Have to Use Bourbon?
If you don’t have bourbon or don’t want alcohol, just replace the bourbon with more coffee. So instead of 1/2 cup of coffee, use 3/4 cup of coffee.
What If I Want Bacon Jam to Be More Jam Like?
I personally like the texture of the bacon jam where you get the bits of bacon and onion throughout. But if you want it all to meld together, just throw in a blender or food process until you reach your desired consistency.
Tips for Great Bacon Jam
- Use Quality Bacon – When bacon is the start, don’t skimp on it. You’ve got to go with the real deal bacon. I like to get thick-cut if possible.
- Use Coffee and Bourbon – Like I mentioned above, if you don’t want to have bourbon in your jam, you can just replace with additional coffee, but combined that add a great flavor profile to the bacon jam. I mean bourbon and bacon are meant to go together.
- Leave Slow Cooker Uncovered – It is key to leave the slow cooker uncovered to allow the liquid to evaporate at a slower rate than it would covered.
- Don’t Throw in Food Processor – I think bacon jam should have bits of bacon and onion throughout. If you throw in food processor or blender, you take that away.
Other Sauce Recipes
If you’ve tried this Bacon Jam or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Bacon Jam
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs bacon, cut into small pieces
- 3 medium sweet onions, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Heat large skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp. Transfer cooked bacon to pager towel lined plate to drain. Pour off bacon fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet. (I also like to save the leftover bacon fat and put in a sealed container in the fridge to use for cooking)
- Add onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. (About 5-7 minutes) Add brown sugar, coffee, bourbon, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, paprika and chili powder to skillet and bring to boil. (You can add 1/4 cup of coffee and leave out bourbon if you don't want it) Stir in bacon pieces and remove from heat.
- Add mixture to a slow cooker and cook, uncovered, on high setting for 4 hours. If you want a more jam like consistency, add to blender of food processor and pulse until desired consistency. (I don't do this step as I like the bigger bacon bits) Place in air tight container and put in fridge for up to four weeks.
Notes
- Use Quality Bacon - When bacon is the start, don't skimp on it. You've got to go with the real deal bacon. I like to get thick-cut if possible.
- Use Coffee and Bourbon - Like I mentioned above, if you don't want to have bourbon in your jam, you can just replace with additional coffee, but combined that add a great flavor profile to the bacon jam. I mean bourbon and bacon are meant to go together.
- Leave Slow Cooker Uncovered - It is key to leave the slow cooker uncovered to allow the liquid to evaporate at a slower rate than it would covered.
- Don't Throw in Food Processor - I think bacon jam should have bits of bacon and onion throughout. If you throw in food processor or blender, you take that away.
I have not yet had the pleasure of tasting bacon jam but it sounds so-o-o good. I could buy a mini bottle of Bourbin. Most of the other ingredients I have, so I look forward to making this in the near future.
Bourbon isn’t a necessity so if you want to just use an extra 1/4 cup of coffee it will still taste great!
I will let you know how it turns out. That may be my project for tomorrow.
Bacon is the jam!