OMG! I am in love with Bacon Jam. Greg and I were watching a show that was featuring Seattle food trucks. I feel like I was invited to the party late. Does everyone else know about bacon jam but me? This show focused on Maximus/Minimus owned and operated by the Beecher Cheese people. Our family loves Beecher cheese so I perked right up. The truck is made to look like a very hip pig down to sunglasses for the windshield. The other food truck was the Skillet Truck which is a definitive Air Stream trailer and the owners are the makers of the bacon jam. But, as usual, I digress. They were making hamburgers. Yawn, but then, they put a layer of bacon jam on the bun. Angels sang. Think of the possibilities.
First off, picture a toasted piece of crusty baguette sliced diagonally and spread with the jam. Now picture the perfect fried egg laid gently on top of it. That is what I would call the breakfast of champions. Now, how about a BLT with the jam. You’re nodding. Using the bacon jam keeps everything in place. The perfect toasted cheese could become gourmet with bacon jam and Brie cheese. My favorite grandchild, you remember the one, loves it with peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Cow-a-bunga!
I tried several jam recipes and took a little from here and a little from there to arrive at our recipe. The coffee is key, I swear.
Bacon Jam
3 pounds bacon
4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
1 ½ cups strong brewed coffee
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Cut bacon into 1 inch strips and brown over medium high heat in a Dutch oven. (I only fried 1 pound at a time the second time. The first time I did it all at once and it took forever.)
Remove bacon and all but 2 tablespoons of the grease. Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, approximately 8 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir well. Bring to a rapid boil and boil hard for 2 minutes.
Stir in the bacon. Simmer uncovered for approximately 2 to 3 hours, until the onions are meltingly soft and the liquid is thick and syrupy.
Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to get the jam to a spreadable consistency.
* From the Recipe Box: OMG!!! Fab on a burger, great on a slice of toasted pugliese with either sliced tomatoes or an egg. What’s really funny, I’m not a big fan of plain old bacon.
and remember: Anyone can be cool, but awesome takes practice. Big kiss, Lynn
From the Recipe Box 