Bourbon Bacon Onion Jam
This delightful spread is savory, sweet, and spicy with a chunky consistency and sticky texture—perfect for adding to cheese plates, sandwiches, burgers, and more!
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or heavy bottomed pot
- Sterilized Mason Jars
Ingredients
- 1 pound Bacon chopped small; scissors help!
- 1.5 pounds Yellow Onion small dice
- 1 head Garlic sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Chipotle Powder or smoked paprika
- ⅓ C Bourbon or whisky, brandy
- ½ C Maple Syrup
- ¼ C Water
- ¼ C Brown Sugar
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat, render the bacon until cooked but not crispy—about 8-10 minutes.1 pound Bacon
- Add the onion, garlic, salt, and chipotle powder to the pot, sautéing until the onions become softened and translucent and are just beginning to take on color—about 8 minutes.1.5 pounds Yellow Onion, 1 head Garlic, 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, 1 teaspoon Ground Chipotle Powder
- Add the bourbon, then cook off until evaporated, stirring often.⅓ C Bourbon
- Add the maple syrup, water, and brown sugar to the pot, stirring to combine. Allow to simmer until thick and jammy, stirring occasionally. This takes about 40-45 minutes.½ C Maple Syrup, ¼ C Water, ¼ C Brown Sugar
- Transfer the jam to a large, clean mason jar and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Some of the fat will rise to the top—you can either scrape it off, or mix it in. I usually mix it in before serving.
- Serve bourbon bacon onion jam on a cheese/charcuterie plate, with roasted brussels sprouts as an easy appetizer, on grilled cheese sandwiches, or on burgers!
Notes
The recipe yields about 1.5 pints of jam.
- Storage: Bacon jam should keep well in the fridge for upwards of a month; you can also freeze it for up to a year.
- A note on onions: I recommend reaching for a sweet onion variety like Maui or Walla Walla for the best caramelization. Regular yellow onions, red onions, or shallots will work perfectly well, too. You can also use white onions, but you’ll want to add a teaspoon or two of sugar to the pot with them to aid in coloring. You may also need to add a splash of water and cover the pot to steam them after sautéing, as white onions tend to retain more of their “bite” than other varieties.
- Tool Tips: While the recipe technically calls for “chopped bacon,” using sharp kitchen scissors is the easiest way to get your bacon into small, uniform pieces. If you don’t have kitchen shears, use a non-wooden cutting board to prevent microbial contamination.
- Serving Suggestion: Bacon Jam Brussels Sprouts. Halve and roast brussels sprouts until golden brown and lightly crisp, spread with a bit of savory jam, and serve with toothpicks for a spectacularly simple appetizer the whole family will love.
- Other Serving Suggestions: This savory spread goes great with all sorts of cheese and cured meats—perfect for charcuterie boards! It's also great on sandwiches (particularly grilled cheese), burgers, and toast. For a simple snack, spread cream cheese or goat cheese on a cracker and top with some jam.
- Pork-Free - Feel free to use either beef bacon or turkey bacon if pork is a dietary no-no. (Beef bacon is so good.) If you use turkey bacon, note that you might need to add a bit of olive oil or avocado oil to the pan for sautéing the onions.
- Booze-Free - Don’t like to keep alcohol in the house? Swap in a tablespoon of vanilla extract diluted with water to make ⅓ cup, or use apple juice, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar instead.
- More or Less Spicy - Chipotles are actually dried and smoked jalapeños, so they have a decent bit of kick. While this bacon onion jam isn’t spicy per se, it does have a bit of heat. You can easily dial that back by using smoked sweet paprika or another sweet ground chile. Increase the heat by adding more ground chipotle and/or adding some cayenne or red pepper flakes to the mix, or adding a minced hot pepper of your choice to the pot with the aromatics.
Nutrition
Calories: 87kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 2gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 100mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 22IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 0.1mg
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