Recipe for Bacon Jam! (2024)

FAQs

What is the bacon jam made of? ›

Crisp salty bacon is simmered for hours with onions, maple syrup, brown sugar, and a couple of secret ingredients to create a soft, spreadable jam that's divine on crackers, toast, crostini or bruschetta, fresh vegetables, pita bread, new potatoes... the list goes on and on!

Bacon jam can be safely refrigerated for two to four weeks. Any amount that you keep in the fridge will need to be used within that length of time. You can store bacon jam in any refrigerator-safe container. Many bacon jam enthusiasts choose to use mason jars for aesthetic reasons.

To achieve a thick texture, all of the liquids need time to reduce. Make sure you're cooking your bacon jam without a lid over your Dutch oven, so your bacon jam can evaporate. If it's still not thick enough, it just needs more time.

This recipe can be used for spooning on Granny's old-fashion biscuits, or put a dollop on fluffy scrambled eggs. On a toasted slice of a crusty bread or good crackers it would be divine. Whatever you use this for, it will work beautifully, because everything is better with bacon!

Meat has to be pressure canned to be safe in a sealed jar at room temperatures, and a bacon jam mixture is so dense that there would be major heat penetration issues in sterilizing the contents of the jar. If anyone gives you a pressure canner processing time, they are just guessing at a time.

For safety, we strongly recommend that bacon jam be refrigerated for times suggested by the recipe (2-4 weeks) or that it be frozen for longer storage. Why is botulism such a big deal? Botulism is as serious as food poisoning gets.

Add pectin.

Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam. Test for thickness and add another tablespoon if needed. Learn More About Pectin: What's the Deal with Pectin?

You will need approximately half the amount of pectin that is indicated by your recipe. Please be careful when adding pectin as too much will leave you with a set that is too solid and it is not possible to rectify this so always add less than you think is necessary and test the set and then add more if required.

Lack of acidity: Acids like lemon juice help lower the jam mixture's pH, which reacts with the natural or added pectin to help thicken the jam. If a jam recipe doesn't call for lemon juice or lime juice, it could rely on another ingredient, like added pectin, to set the jam.

Pectin Substitute

Cornstarch - Another plant-based thickening agent, cornstarch is a great substitute for pectin. Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will yield a different consistency.

Who invented bacon jam? ›

In 2015, Martin and Suzie Cowley of Wales claimed to have invented Bacon Jam, however, Chef Mike Oraschewsky stated they started making Bacon Jams since 2013. Josh Henderson of Skillet Street Foods has been selling Bacon Jam as of 2010.

Depending on which bacon you use, it may taste like barbecue sauce. But it's usually a little sweeter. The taste of bacon jam is fantastic because, although it is salty, it is also sweet at the same time. It can even feel like maple syrup.

The sweetness of jam is a winning match with salty, fatty bacon. Much like the classic maple and bacon pairing, the sweetness of jam brings out the flavour of bacon and vice versa.

Uncured bacon really isn't a better alternative. It's still bacon. Little practical difference exists between cured and uncured bacon in terms of health. Both are cured in the true sense of the word, meaning they are preserved.

When you're shopping for uncured bacon at the grocery store, keep an eye out for labels such as “sodium nitrate-free.” On the other hand, cured bacon is preserved with a combination of salt and sodium nitrites, giving the raw product that extra pink color we've all come to know.

Trader Joe's Uncured Bacon Jam.

To safely store bacon grease, you must first get rid of any small bits of bacon that are left behind: Place a coffee filter or cheesecloth over the mouth of a glass container, like a Mason jar, or a container made for bacon drippings. Press the filter down so that it fits snugly inside the mouth of the jar.

It's soft but with a little bit of toothiness and a nice bit of crispness along the edge, it's smoky and flavorful, and it has a rich taste without being overly salty. In other words...it's totally decent bacon. Crisp it up in a skillet or wrap it around a stick and roast it over a fire to make it even better.

Slime: If your bacon is slimy, it's a sure sign that bacteria are present and spreading on the meat. Toss it out!

What is candied bacon made of? ›

Brown sugar and bacon. There are recipes around the web that call for other ingredients such as chili powder, cinnamon, maple syrup, pepper, even cayenne powder, but since I was making these for my boys, I wanted to keep it simple. But definitely feel free to add some spice to yours if you so desire.

Many store-bought bacon bits are made with soy

They also feature other ingredients, such as canola oil, salt, caramel color, yeast extract, natural and artificial flavors, as well as other flavor enhancers to give them their great bacon-tasting flavor.

So what are these bits actually made from? They're basically just flavored soy protein chunks. The texturized soy flour gives that same meaty texture you get from tofu or textured vegetable protein. This is an easy (and most likely affordable) way to make a shelf-stable version of our favorite cured meat.