Bacon Jam

Got bacon ends?  I do, so we're making this fun spread.  Bacon jam can go on burgers, crackers, salad, roasted vegetables, baked potatoes, pizza...you get the idea.

This isn't jam in the traditional sense.  You refrigerate the finished product and use it within a few weeks.  We aren't making pints to put up in the pantry.  One pound of bacon results in about a cup of dip, more if the bacon was lean.

This recipe from The Kitchn is going to take you about an hour and a half.  The flavor takes a while.  The bacon slow-cooks to render out the fat (great for greasing omelet pans), followed by slow-cooking the onion.  PS, onion jam is a thing too.  And I finally have a recipe for all those sweet onions the markets insist on stocking.

If you don't want to use bourbon, you can sub in apple cider.  It does cook out as much as you allow it.  I waited until it was about 90% boiled off before adding in the remaining ingredients.  Whenever you cook with alcohol, you're trying to get the flavor essence.  It isn't about the booze.

*1 lb thick-cut bacon, leanest you can find
1 sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
*1/4 C bourbon or apple cider
*1/4 C maple syrup
*1 Tb balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper

1.  Chop bacon into 1" pieces.  Place in large saucepan or dutch oven and cook over medium heat, uncovered.  Stir frequently and allow fat to render off and bacon to get dark and crispy, about 30 minutes.  Remove bacon to a paper-towel lined plate.  Retain 2 Tb of the rendered fat and do whatever you want with the rest.  If you make the bacon the day before, store the cooked bacon and rendered fat separately.

2.  Add the onion slices to the remaining fat in the pan.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Cook until onion practically disappears, 45 minutes, scraping and stirring often.  Do Not cook the bacon and onion together, or they're both going to end up too oily.

3.  Raise heat to medium once the onions are done.  Add bourbon and scrape to deglaze pan.  Once the alcohol has burned off, return bacon to the pan.  Stir in syrup, vinegar, and ground black pepper.  Cook until thick and uniform, about 5 minutes.

4.  Pour contents of pan into food processor.  Pulse mixture until it breaks up.  You can stop there, or run it 10 seconds for a smoother paste.  Store refrigerated up to 2 weeks.  Serve room temperature or warmed.

Makes 1 to 1-1/2 C, depending on fat content of bacon

Difficulty rating  :)