This Bourbon Bacon Jam is sweet, smoky, boozy spread that is perfect for burgers, crackers, or just eating with a spoon right out of the jar!
Yes, I made Bacon Jam.
Then, I added Bourbon!
No, I don't feel one bit guilty about any of that.
Make this bourbon bacon jam.
Now!
Then, slather it on everything in sight.
I guarantee your eyes will roll back in your head.
And that's a good thing.
Trust me on this one.
Orgasmic jam. Life is good.
My regular readers know I don't do very well with alcohol and use it sparingly when cooking. However, this recipe had to have some alcohol in it.
So, I added some. I figure why not live a little. Crossing fingers my tummy doesn't punish me for this decision. In this case it might be worth it though.
I mean it's bacon jam....with bourbon. So, I have to stick close to home for a day or so. Big whoop!
I'll rent a movie, eat more bacon jam, and live with the consequences. It's Bacon Jam, so it's totally worth it.
Plus it's a good excuse to hop on Netflix and stay in my jammies all the live long day! I never pass up a chance to spend a day in jammies.
I should really find some jammies with bacon pictures on them. Now that would be epic. And awesome. One could say it would be porktastic.
Now run along. Make this Bourbon Bacon Jam. Slather, make, repeat. I mean it IS orgasmic jam after all.
Ingredient Notes:
- Bacon - Honestly, use whatever kind of bacon you love the most.
- Shallots - Nothing beats shallots for added oomph to savoury jams. Trust me!
- Onion - For this particular recipe, I recommend using Vidalia onions or any sweet onion. That said, white or yellow onions will suffice if that's all you have.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic is the way to go for this recipe. You could use minced garlic in a jar in a pinch but personally I believe fresh is best!
- Spices - Chili powder and smoked paprika are what I used for this bacon jam recipe. Feel free to add whatever you like.
- Bourbon - Any brand of bourbon will do for this recipe.
- Maple Syrup - Being Canadian, I am a big fan of good quality maple syrup. Use your favourite kind of syrup.
- Balsamic Vinegar - Any brand of balsamic vinegar will work for this jam.
- Brown Sugar - Light or dark brown sugar will work well for this recipe. Dark brown sugar will give more depth of flavour since it has more molasses is it but personally I tend to use light brown sugar for this jam.
How to Make Bourbon Bacon Jam:
- First, cook the bacon ahead of time. Place it in two frying pans to allow room for it to crisp properly. Cook the bacon over medium heat until it browns.. Bacon should be a little crisper with as little visible fat as possible. Then, transfer it to paper towels to drain excess fat off.
- Next, pulse shallots and onion in the food processor. Alternately, you can dice them with knife if you don't have a food processor.
- Leave about 1 to 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in one of the pans. Then, add shallot and onion to the pan, cook over medium heat until they start to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for about one more minute.
- Then, add the chili powder and smoked paprika, stir to combine.
- Next, increase the heat to high and add the bourbon (carefully) and maple syrup. Bring it to a boil, while stirring and scraping the pan so all the little bacon bits break free from the pan. Continue boiling for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add vinegar and brown sugar to the pan, continue to boil for about 3 minutes.
- Then, use a sharp knife to cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Toss the bacon into the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken in the process.
- Take the jam off the heat. Drain any excess fat off the bacon jam by pouring it through a sieve or use cheesecloth to drain it.
- Next, you have two options, you can pop the mixture into a food processor and pulse until it breaks down more. Or you can leave it chunkier (I like the more rustic, chunkier look) and don't bother pulsing it. Your choice.
- Transfer to jars and store in the fridge.
- Serve.
More Bacon Recipes:
- Chocolate Covered Candied Bacon
- Potato and Bacon Breakfast Hash
- Jalapeno Bacon Poppers
- Grilled Caesar Salad
- Grilled Burger with Caramelized Onions, Mozzarella and Bacon
- Mini Potato Skins with Sour Cream, Bacon and Chives
Places to stalk Cravings of a Lunatic
Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest
Instagram ~ YouTube ~ Kiss My Smoke
Bourbon Bacon Jam
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds bacon
- 2 cups shallots finely chopped
- 1 cup vidalia onion or any sweet onion, finely chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup bourbon
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Begin by cooking the bacon in two frying pans to allow for room for it to crisp up properly. Cook over medium heat until it browns perfectly. You want the bacon a little crisper with as little visible fat as possible. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess fat off.
- Pulse your shallots and onions in the food processor or chop with a knife.
- Leave about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat in one of the pan. Add shallot and onion to the pan, cook over medium heat until they start to caramelize. Then, add the garlic and cook for about one more minute.
- Add the chili powder and smoked paprika, stir to combine.
- Increase heat to high and add the bourbon (carefully) and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, stir and scrape the pan so all the little bacon bits comes loose. Continue boiling for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add vinegar and brown sugar, continue to boil for about 3 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife cut the bacon into small pieces. You can also tear it by hand so it looks more rustic, not too perfect. Personal choice.
- Toss the bacon into the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, the mixture will thicken and look jam like in the process.
- Turn off the stove top. Drain any excess fat off the bacon jam by pouring it through a sieve or use cheesecloth to drain it through.
- Now you have two options, you can pop the mixture into a food processor and pulse until it breaks down more. Or you can leave it chunkier (I like the more rustic, chunkier look) and don't bother pulsing it. Your choice.
- Transfer to jars and store in the fridge.
- You can heat it up in the microwave whenever you want to top something with the jam. I used it over smoked sausages cooked on the grill.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for visiting today!
If you’re looking for more Bacon Recipes be sure to check out my recipe index. You can also find a lot more Condiment Recipes as well.
Be sure to follow me on Pinterest while you’re here. I love pinning great recipes! Also, make sure you follow me on Instagram. It’s a great way to stay up to date with the blog.
Toodles! xx
Tina
This sounds amazing!!!! Can you Can it?
Kim Beaulieu
Thank you. I wouldn't can it. It's meant to be eaten pretty quickly. I store mine in my fridge.
Jim
I Wanna know if this can be canned in a water bath or steam pressure canner so it can be made in big batches and kept on a pantry shel till you open a jar for the fridge ????
Kim Beaulieu
Hi Jim. I know absolutely nothing about canning so I really would not feel comfortable advising people on it. The recipe is meant for storing in the fridge. I know food safety issues come into play with canning. So I'd hate for anyone to get sick. Not sure canning affects meat, I know some people do it but unfortunately I'm not one of them. I know that isn't much help. I wish I knew more about canning.
Randee
So, I couldn't get pepper jelly out of my head, so I'm roasting jalapenos with the bacon to add some kick! 🙂
Kim Beaulieu
You rock Randee! That sounds amazing. Let me know how it turns out.
Randee
Delicious. Everyone was asking for the recipe, so I shared the link. I served over cream cheese as a type of dip/appetizer, but some wanted to try it in burgers, others with a roast pork loin. It was a hit! I'll definitely make it again, and next time I may pulse one of the jalapenos I roast in with the rest, cuz I like it hot!
Kim Beaulieu
I'm so glad everyone liked it Randee. Honestly, I still get nervous every time I post a recipe. Taste is so subjective so I always worry people won't like things. So I'm always happy to get positive feedback. I love this jam too and can attest to it being amazing on burgers. Among other things. Really good on sandwiches. Let me know how the jalapenos work. I've tried with some other peppers but not jalapeno yet. But I'm trying the jam inside of jalapeno poppers for New Years. I have a feeling it will work great.
Wes
I'd like to add tomatoes to the recipe. Canned, fresh or sun dried? Any adjustments you'd make? I need to make about eight cups for Christmas presents!
Kim Beaulieu
Hi Wes. Sorry this is so late, I took a few days off work for family stuff. I think tomatoes would be lovely in this. I'd likely use sun-dried just so they would hold up better. If you use canned it might break down too much. I also think some hot peppers would be amazing in this. I've tried fire roasted red peppers in it. Very good. You could also amp up spices, add some kick with a blast of cayenne, or toss a bunch of red pepper flakes in it. You could add just about anything to this. It's super versatile.
Wes
I ended up slow roasting 20 Roma tomatoes and took the skins off before pulsing them in the food processor. Also added a tablespoon of habanero sauce for some heat. Tripled the recipe and left out the sugar as it was just the right level of sweet/hot/salty from the bacon. Friends are getting a tasty Christmas present!
Kim Beaulieu
Wes, that sounds absolutely amazing. I'm going to try your version in January. It sounds seriously scrumptious. Hope your friends loved their gifts. I know I would go crazy if I got bacon jam as a gift. I wish more people gave homemade gifts during the holidays.
Adri
Try making this in the traditional baked brie in dough. Don't use another jam for this, ever. Brie with this bacon jam is AMAZING!
Kim Beaulieu
Ha, I love it. So glad it worked out so well Adri. I'm going to have to try it myself now.
Ryan
Tried it... loved it! only problem: a single batch is no where near enough to satisfy! hmm... wonder how many bottles of bourbon would I need to octuple the recipe... 🙂
My experience with the single batch is it actually barely made 2 and 1/4 cups in the end result. Probably a result of the altitude, I'm currently in Boulder, CO (~5,640 ft elev.). The consistency when heated is perfect, but cold from the fridge or even room temp. is about the equivalent of a really thick caramel. Any thoughts for high altitude? There's a great bacon dip from Gordon Biersch that uses bacon jam and alfredo sauce I want to try with this but it's served at room temp.
Kim Beaulieu
I'm so glad you liked it Ryan. We love it too.
I've not cooked at high altitude much. We live in Ontario and it's flat as a pancake. I know when I visited my son in Alberta I didn't handle the altitude very well. I got very dehydrated and sick, actually landed in the hospital on our way home. It was horrible.
Usually when we use this on recipes I warm it up in the microwave. It gets too thick in the fridge. Plus I just like it hot. Especially on burgers.
Wish I could help with high altitude cooking. The little I know is it takes longer to cook things so you have to adjust the cooking time a bit. My sister and a friend live in B.C. I know my friend uses this resource to help:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/baking-tips/baking-cooking-high-altitudes
I cooked at my sister's when I was there and I know the night I made pasta it took quite a bit longer. And the texture was a bit different, probably from not adjusting the ingredients a bit. I hear bread is trickier to make in high altitude. I never tried that while I was there.
Alma Sample
This seriously looks delicious and what a fantastic recipe! My husband would LOVE this and I think I might need to whip up a batch to give him with his ornament
IFortuna
The sugar and bourbon will preserve this for awhile in the fridge. But, it will probably be gone in a few days.
I think rye whiskey, Bushmills, or Courvoisier will work just fine.
Lovely recipe! : )
Sandra Garth
This is what jam dreams are made of. Is it possible that I can get a million jars by October 31st? LOL!!
Kim Beaulieu
I can't stop laughing Sandra. Thanks for the giggle, and the compliment.
Kay Little
Love bacon jam...this looks delicious!
Jeff nolin
I made this... It was fantastic. Perfect on a slice of baguette or a cracker as an appetizer and probably good as a red meat glaze or even a base for barbecue. Additional recipe options to conbsider: 1 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 cup strong coffee, tbsp Worcestershire sauce.j
Kim Beaulieu
Hi Jeff. I'm so happy you liked it. I love that you mixed it up and added some fun ingredients. I'll have to try that combo next time I make some. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Kristin
Hello! I. Love. This. Post! The recipe sounds amazing and I'm going to attempt it for a Father's Day gift for my dad and bro. What you wrote made me laugh and is totally relatable, I too will eat something yummy even though I know it'll give me the tum rumbs. About the bacon pajamas...I have some! I found them at Target a year and a half ago, you may not be able to get them anymore. There's a link on ebay tho. I absolutely love them!!
https://www.ebay.com/p/xhilaration-womens-coral-breakfast-waffles-pancakes-thermal-pajamas-sleep-set-m/1370143597?_trksid=p2047675.l2644
Erlinda
This is the recipe that will keep me from being a vegetarian. I.cannot.wait.to.make.this.
Georgia
can this recipe be pressure canned or water bath canned for longer term storage, I'm thinking this would be an interesting/unexpected girt idea but would need a way to store longer....
Kim Beaulieu
Hi Georgia. I have no experience with pressure canning so I'd hate to give advice on something I'm not an expert on. I freeze extra batches in mason jars. That way I always have some on hand. I tried canning once but I'm so paranoid I'll do it wrong.
Jaci from Missouri
Oh my.... bacon is cooking now. Serving this as a side to top an Apricot mustard glazed pork loin. Thank you for the great recipe!
Nicole
How long does this usually last in the fridge? Not that I won’t eat it all in one sitting...but just in case. Hehe
Kim Beaulieu
Sorry Nicole, I just saw this. It's good for a week, no more than two. I highly recommend freezing batches of it. I pop small mason jars of it in my freeze then just defrost and microwave when you want some for sandwiches and whatnot.
Menechea
Fantastic on panini with green apples and ham! I'm just curious about freezer storage, I want to make a bunch and t once and have it stocked. It's just so good!
DebM
I know I'm really late to this party, but I wanted to hop on and just add my appreciation of this recipe. It's fantastic. We found it to be a great complement to a mild cheese like havarti. I used 1 cup of shallots and 2 of sweet onions, I added just 2 Tbsps. of brown sugar rather than the 8, and we found it to be sweet enough like that. One quick tip is to cut your bacon before frying it. It still crisps up nicely and it takes no effort at all to crush it a bit further for use in this jam.. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kim Beaulieu
Thanks so much for trying it!