This Bacon Jam Recipe is a bacon lover’s dream! I mean bacon is one of my top joys in life…I know I am not alone on that! Right??
When I was a kid growing up in Philly, I would often stay overnight at my Grammy’s. When I woke she would give me all the bacon I could eat. ALL-the-bacon-I-could-eat!
As the oldest of 5 kids growing up in Philly, THAT was monumental! At home, I could maybe snag 3 strips…If I was lucky! I still smile at the thought of those lazy weekend mornings at my Grammy’s…and all of that glorious bacon. Food memories are some of my favorite memories!
Bacon makes everything better or so the saying goes. BUT this Bacon Jam Recipe…really, really does!
IF and I mean IF you can stop yourself from gobbling this up spoonful after spoonful…Spread it on hot biscuits, hunks of bread, add it to steamed or sauteed veggies, pancakes, BLTs, grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers! Squeal!! (Ha no pun intended). The list can go on and on!
Homemade Bacon Jam would also make an amazing food gift this holiday season. Make a batch for you and one for a friend, scrape it into a 4, 6 or 8 oz jar, wrap some ribbon around it, attach the recipe and you will have a happy friend or loved one.
I would totally be your BFF if you gifted me with a jar of Bacon Jam! Or homemade booze…or Pizzelle’s…haha!
Hey, I know what I like!
I am excited to partner up with Hatfield for this recipe. Who by the way is local to me, which I love!
Hatfield is a 120-year-old business. Before the roads had cars on them, Hatfield was delivering meats to the doors of Pennsylvanians. Today, they produce quality meats for far more than just Pennsylvania!
Hatfield Quality Meats commitment to my area, animal stewardship, sustainability, and quality products are one of the reasons I am happy to reach for their bacon, sausage, roasts, hams and more when I shop and the main reason I am proud to partner with them. And I will also say that in my opinion, their dedication to all of the above is how they have not just lasted over a century, but thrived!
Did you know that Hatfield has 7 varieties of bacon??
You can try different bacon each day of the week! Classic, Applewood, Thick Cut Hardwood Smoked, Reduced Sodium, Hickory Extra Thick Triple Smoked Bacon (what!!!), Maple Brown Sugar Extra Thick Triple Smoked Bacon and Cherrywood Extra Thick Triple Smoked Bacon. It’s a bacon-lover’s dream!
Turn bacon…into Bacon Jam!!
For all kinds of delicious recipes, special offers and more, check out Hatfield Quality Meats around the web via their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Try my recipe for Bacon Jam Recipe, tag me on social media if you make it @SouffleBombay. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
How Do You Make Bacon Jam?
To make Bacon Jam, you just need a few ingredients. Bacon of course, as well as onion, garlic, sugar, seasonings, and herbs. The trick to making it is having your ingredients prepped and organized and then as the mixture cooks down into jam that you pay attention to taste and texture. You don’t want it to burn.
Bacon Jam is not one of those things you can walk away from as it cooks. Taste as you go and adjust to your liking. Once you make this a couple of times, its a piece of cake. Soon it’ll be a signature dish or food gift of yours.
Tip: If you want a more sticky gooey jam, add in a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of fig jam after you remove what you made from the heat, just stir until its mixed in. It complements the bacon perfectly. I have made this both ways. The addition of the fig jam makes the Bacon Jam sweeter. You can counter that (if you wish) by adding in some Cayenne pepper, which I do in the written recipe. I typically like some heat.
How Can I Use Bacon Jam?
Oh! The list is almost endless! Atop fried eggs, on toast, on avocado toast, on burgers, on a round of Brie cheese warm from the oven (or cold), in a small bowl with a tiny spoon as a part of a cheese or charcuterie board or on crackers.
I love it atop fresh steamed green beans and off of a spoon all by itself…Heaven! I am sure you can come up with many more uses. It makes the best food gift!!
Love Bacon as much as I do? Try my Bacon Cheese Jalapeno Quick Bread!
Recipe originally published on December 13, 2016. Updated December 19, 2019, to reflect changes in the recipe which I think make it better and easier.
Enjoy!!
Recipe for Bacon Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of Hatfield Thick Cut Bacon
- 1 1/2 cups of chopped Vidalia onion
- 2 1/2 TBS garlic paste or 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Black pepper
- Optional: a couple of dashes Cayenne red pepper IF you like heat and sometimes I add in 2 TBS of maple syrup towards the end
Instructions
- Cut your bacon into 3/4 inch pieces and cook until crisp, stirring it around often.
- Drain all but 1/2 TBS or so of the bacon grease out.
- Add in the onions and saute for about 6 minutes.
- Next, add in the garlic paste (preferred) or garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring the whole time.
- Add in brown sugar, vinegar and water. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Add in Thyme sprigs and pepper and continue simmering, stirring often, for 10 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference if necessary.
- Remove Thyme sprigs and allow the mixture to cool.
- You can then pulse the jam a few times in your food processor for a finer jam or leave it as is chunkier.
- Once completely cool, store in airtight jars in your refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- Heat it up a bit to enjoy on whatever you like. If you need to after reheating adding a TBS or so of water if the jam is to thick.
Nutrition
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LaNeshe says
I love the Hattfield Applewood bacon. Cool recipe!
Jo-Lynne Shane says
YUM. I mean, bacon!!! But I’d never have thought to make jam with it. So cool.
Colleen says
Bacon Jam can change your life for the better!!
T Jackson says
Just wait till you try it. It is amazing.
Rachel says
Perfect for Christmas morning!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I loooooooooove bacon jam and this looks perfect!!
Kim Beaulieu says
We love bacon jam. It’s good on everything. Or solo. Eating right out of the jar is totally acceptable. This is gorgeous.
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
ooo I am so making some of this for Thomas! oooo A perfect Christmas gift!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
I would SO be your BFF if you gave me a jar of bacon jam for Christmas. Slathering this on toasted bread for a BLT sammie is nothing short of brilliance. It’s nice that you have a business like Hatfield that is committed to animal welfare and sustainable farming practices in your area.
Karyn Granrud says
Whoa!! What a tasty and totally unique gift to give to the neighbors! I bet your house was smelling amazing after cooking up all that bacon!
Nora Barnum says
Looks amazing…I plan to make some! I have a couple of questions:
If I wanted to can this for later use…how long would you suggest I put it in a hot water bath?
Your picture shows the jam in a 16 oz. mason jar. The recipe says it makes 12 oz., so quantity-
wise, how much do you actually end up with?
I’m just trying to figure out how much I’d need to make 4 – 16 oz. canning jars.
Thank you!
Martha says
As a home economist I would not recommend trying to can this type of item . Because of the high fat and the densities of the ingredients it would be very difficult to kill all of the potential bacteria. This would not insure a safe product. It should be stored in the refrigerator as listed.
ANNA M HOELSKEN says
I haven’t made it yet. Wanting more information like canning.
Nadine Reedy says
I am also wonder about quantity. Seems like a lot of bacon & expensive for just 12oz of jam. Also would like to can.
Robin says
Yeah but its homemade bacon jam… cant really put a price on that🥓🥓🥓
Karen Napholz says
Can this be frozen like “freezer jam”?
Colleen says
I have not tried that…It’s always gone!
Kelley says
Yes. I fill small jars then store in the freezer. Works great
Mike Workman says
Sounds like a great recipe which I would like to try but Vidalia onions are not available in the UK. Any suggestions for a suitable replacement?
Janet says
I live in northern part of the US. Vidalia don’t have a long shelf-life, so the onions often are mushy by the time they get to our stores. I stopped using them long ago.
Yelllow-skinned onions are fine to use, IMO. If the onions you are using are eye-watering, nose-burning strong, use a bit less, and saute a bit longer being careful not to burn or over brown.
Colleen says
Great answer, thanks Janet!
Pamela Carnley says
I just made this recipe this morning. We will be using tonight for our 4th of July hamburgers! This recipe is so yummy!
Anna says
Too sweet for my taste. To fix it I had to add another pound of bacon and another cup of onion. To cut on the sweet taste I added a cup of coffee. Next tune I would decrease the sugar to 1/3 of the amount. I would add more if needed.
Laura says
I just pinned this recipe because I am certainly going to make it.
Colleen says
I give it as gifts during the holidays (as now some of the past recipients do as well, lol)!
Linda says
We don’t like onions but use a lot of onion powder, can this be used instead? Or any recommendations for something other than onions?
Colleen says
Hi Linda, It’s traditionally made with onions, if you like things spicy…sweet and spicy…maybe use a couple jalapenos or a mix of poblanos and jalapenos? Just an idea. Let me know what you come up with.
Anne Lawton says
This is the perfect addition to a burger! Pinned to make this real soon.
Colleen says
YES! Amazing on burgers! Enjoy!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
I want to put this on everything!
Colleen says
Haha! Do it! I seriously goes with SO many things! Even ice cream!
Terri says
ALL THE BACON?! You lucky girl! I had to move out before I could get all the bacon. Wow – this bacon jam sounds like it’s right up my alley – I could get all the bacon this way 🙂
Carlos at Spoonabilities says
A couple of years back I thought it was crazy the idea of bacon jam but after I tasted I got totally hooked! I’m pretty sure that homemade bacon jam will taste even better.
Colleen says
Bacon…anything makes me happy! I literally eat this off the spoon lol!
Eileen Kelly says
I can’t get enough of this bacon jam. It is great on a toasted baguette and perfect added to a charcuterie platter.
Colleen says
You and me both!! Lol! Bacon is one of the best parts of life!
Javier Carvajal says
Hi, did you tweak the recipe? Thought it mentions using dried apricots before?
Colleen says
I did, I found it to be better this way.
Jo says
Can the bacon jam be canned so it will last longer.
Sylvia LaCost says
Is the thyme a necessary ingredient? I never have fresh thyme on hand.
Colleen says
No, it is not necessary. I just like the subtle flavor. I grow it along with oregano in a pot so I always have it on-hand.
Kathaleen Harris says
Brought this bacon jam and some red onion jam to hunt camp. Both are great on burgers. Can’t get a lot of fresh stuff out there but these jams MADE the hamburgers!
Colleen says
Fantastic!! Thanks for the rating & glad you enjoyed!
Kay says
Can’t wait to make this! Sounds absolutely delicious! Can’t seem to find Sherry vinegar, can I use white wine vinegar ?
Colleen says
Yes, you can sub that out, no problem. Enjoy!