One of my all time favorite ‘sammiches’ with Chevre, braised collards, ripe tomatoes, over-easy egg, and bacon jam. Good and messy!

Bacon…..Jam……Bacon.  Jam.  Bacon Jam! Yes, Bacon Jam. You heard me right. And yes, I’m drooling.  I bet you are too.  It’s a little sweet, a little salty, a little smoky, and a whole lotta magic.  I’ve had several variations of bacon jam and there are an infinite number of recipes on the Interwebs.  The variations are endless–some with brown sugar, espresso, or bourbon. Others with molasses, sorghum, or red chilies. Some include mustard or other spices. I’ve kept this one pretty simple so it can be used in a number of ways and the smoky bacon flavor stands out.  It’s truly a thing to behold for bacon lovers.  Your mind may want to have a slight spasm at the thought of bacon and sweets, but give it a go and I’m just about darn certain sure you’ll fall in love with it. Try it on fried eggs, BLTs, grilled cheese, or crostini. Or a spoon.  Or sneak out into the kitchen in the dead of night, under the pretenses of needing water of course, and just stick your finger right in the jar!

• 1 pound bacon, cooked crisp, and cut into thin strips, fat reserved
• 2 sweet onions, sliced thinly, and caramelized
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed, peeled, and minced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 TBSP black strap molasses
• 1/2 tsp crushed rosemary (so they don’t poke you in the mouth and ruin your jam experience)
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Try cooking your bacon on a foil lined jelly roll sheet at 375 degrees on the middle rack. Flip once at about 10 or so minutes and then cook until crisp.

Caramelize your onions.  This is a long and boring process, so get a beverage of choice and a stool or chair.

Get your caramelized onions—they add great flavor to the jam and allow you to use less sugar than some other recipes.

After the onions are caramelized, add 1 TBSP bacon fat, garlic, the crumbled bacon, brown sugar, vinegar, and molasses.

Add your ingredients and let it cook into a delightfully gooey mess!

Stir to melt sugar and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add rosemary, lemon zest, and black pepper (mine didn’t need salt, but check yours as you go). Reduce to a low simmer and let it rip until it’s thick and gooey and coats the back of a spoon. For Pete’s sake, try not to eat it immediately as this stuff is like molten lava and will wreak havoc on the inside of your mouth.  You do want to be able to taste it later, so exercise your best restraint (or have your spouse, friend, or neighbor hold you back).

Look at that! You just licked the screen didn’t you?

Let the BACON JAM–yes, I feel I must scream the phrase because everyone on Planet Earth should know about it–cool for about 10 minutes.  Smooth it out a bit in a food processor or leave it good and chunky–it all depends on your preference or how you want to use the jam.  Your bacon jam is good in the fridge for about a week, but good luck with it lasting that long!

You can leave your bacon jam chunky or smooth it out a bit depending on your preference and what you decide to use the jam for (why everything, of course!).

My goodness, would ya look at that!? Put your bacon jam in a ball jar and you can carry it with you everywhere you go! Just kidding…you can however, stuff it in the back of the fridge for ‘safe keeping’. Enjoy!

Now, go to town. Have fun. Love your bacon jam!  Definitely play with your ingredients—maybe add some coffee, mustard, different herbs, maple syrup, or bourbon!