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A gorgeously rich sweet salty and sticky Bacon Jam which can turn any meal into a masterpiece. Made with British ale, mustard powder and spices for a uniquely flavoured jam.
This Bacon Jam is a little bit different from the ones I've made in the past as it's been slightly Britished up. It has still the same sweet salty smoky vibe from any Bacon Jam you know and love but this time round though I wanted to celebrate the kind of lovely local ingredients which we have on our doorstep. The London ale which we are drinking an abundance of at the moment whilst relaxing in the garden and the local honey I just picked up from the farmer’s market. Imbued with these comforting and familiar ingredients, spiced lightly with mace and ginger and the subtle heat of English mustard, the jam works wonderfully. It is a natural accompaniment to cheese and crackers and a good British scone.
Is Bacon Jam sweet?
Yes and no. It is sweet as it is made with sugar and honey but that is balanced out by the apple cider vinegar and the savouriness of the bacon. Think along the lines of a chutney. It's both sweet and savoury. But unlike chutneys Bacon Jam is excellent in both desserts and as an ingredient in a main meal.
How to make Bacon Jam
This is an easy recipe which aside from caramelising the bacon and onions at the beginning is mostly hands off and yields amazing results.
- Cook the bacon in a saucepan until crisp then remove.
- Gently cook diced onions in the same saucepan for 20 minutes until caramelised.
- De-glaze with vinegar.
- Add the bacon back in as well as the garlic, sugar, honey, worcestershire sauce and spices.
- Cook on low for 45 minutes until thick, reduced and sticky.
- Store in a sterilised jar for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Uses for Bacon Jam
- Slathered into a cheese toastie
- Bacon Jam Brownies
- Bacon Jam on hotly buttered crumpets
- Use as a condiment in sauces, dips and dressings
- A few tablespoons in a bolognaise sauce
- Mix with pasta for a glorious main meal
- PB and Bacon Jam sandwich
How long does Bacon Jam last?
Bacon jam is supposed to keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge but I have found that it lasts much longer, that is if you can resist.
If you like this Bacon Jam recipe then have you tried Bacon Salt? It's practically a necessity for your kitchen.
If you make this Bacon Jam Recipe then please leave a comment below and/or give the recipe a rating. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own baking creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Bacon Jam
Ingredients
- 300 g smoked streaky bacon - diced
- 1 onion - peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed
- 60 ml apple cider vinegar
- 60 g soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 125 ml gluten-free ale
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground mace
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan. Place the bacon in the pan and cook on a medium heat until the bacon really crisps up, stirring all the while to keep it from sticking. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pan and cook on a very low heat. After 5 minutes add the garlic then continue cooking until the onion begins to caramelise, it should take around 20 minutes.
- Pour in the vinegar to deglaze the pan.
- Add the bacon back in, as well as the sugar, honey, ale, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, ginger, mace and some black pepper.
- The heat should be on the very lowest setting and cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until reduced to a thick and sticky jam.
- When it’s ready, turn off the heat and pour into a sterilised jar. Keep the jam in the fridge ready for whenever you need it.
Notes
- If you can't find gluten-free worcestershire sauce then you can substitute for ½ teaspoon fish sauce.
- To sterilise the jars place the very clean jars you would like to use in an oven pre-heated to 140°C for 20 minutes. Sterilise the lids by dropping them into a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes with a splash of vinegar. I don’t sterilise my lids in the oven as they tend to ruin.
- Bacon Jam keeps for about 2 weeks in the fridge.
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