Bacon Jam Recipe

Bacon as is, is amazing, always, but you know what else hits? Bacon jam.

I love bacon. I’ve loved it for my whole life and I will continue to love it forever and ever. Smoky, crispy, salty, it’s all of the good things. And now, with protein maxxing, I can have a snack of bacon and call it health, right?

Bacon jam, if you’re too young to have heard of it, is a sweet and savory and smoky stovetop jam made from bacon, onions, maple syrup, brown sugar, vinegar, and coffee. It’s dark, smoky, and deceptively delicious as a condiment or spread with just about everything.

I first made bacon jam way back in 2012 during the bacon era of the early internet. Back then there were bacon bowls, bacon waffles, bacon-wrapped everything, and of course, bacon jam. I am a Food Blog was still a baby, in its very first year of being on the internet, and one of our first posts, fittingly, was bacon jam.

What is bacon jam?

It’s a funny name, but it’s pretty bang on: bacon jam is a jam made with bacon. Regular fruit jam is made by cooking down fruit with sugar and just like regular jam, bacon jam is also made by cooking bacon with sugar. The bacon becomes soft and tender, with little crispy caramelized bits. The texture is not so much jam as it is relish, somewhat spreadable and very delicious. It probably would have been more descriptive, though less catchy, to call it bacon relish. Think of it like French rillettes, but with bacon.

Where did bacon jam come from?

Bacon jam is a relatively new condiment, dating from roughly around the late 2000s. Originally a food truck in Seattle (Skillet Street Foods) popularized it as a topping for their burgers. The inventor, Josh Henderson, has told the story a couple of different ways: either he was inspired by an iconic burger from LA gastropub Father’s Office or an onion compote from Santa Fe. Either way Henderson’s jars of bacon jam went viral before going viral was even a twinkle in gen alpha’s eyes.

Martha Stewart loved it, featured it in her iconic gift guides, and had a recipe on her site and bacon jam was off to the races. Henderson said that the gift guide mention moved 150,000(!) jars in a single month. The very first bacon jam I ever made was based off Skillet and Martha’s recreation of the recipe.

Time tested since 2012

I’ve been cooking bacon jam since 2012. My bacon jam is old enough to go to high school. This version is time-tested, tastes brighter with apple cider vinegar, and is done in 1-1.5 hours instead of Martha’s 4 hour version.

My main takeaway from all my years of bacon jamming is: don’t skip out on the coffee. Originally, when we first made this for the blog I didn’t add the coffee and I loved it, but as, gasp, my taste has matured, I find that the coffee adds a nice undertone that cuts through the fattiness of the bacon and makes the jam more balanced overall.

We do still often add chili flakes as we did with our first bacon jam. The spicy-sweet hits every time. Feel free to play around with adding in chili flakes, they go in at the same time as the onions and garlic so they toast and release their aroma and oils.

Key ingredients in bacon jam

• bacon – be sure to choose a bacon that has a balanced meat-to-fat ratio, not too lean or fatty. Thick cut or thin cut doesn’t matter either way as you’ll be cooking these down quite a bit. The main difference I’ve noticed these days vs 2012 is how much water is pumped into cheaper bacon now. A quality bacon will have less/no water injected and produce a much better jam.
• aromatics – onions and garlic cook down in rendered bacon fat into a jammy, sweet, tender, savory backbone of flavor.
• brown sugar and maple syrup – a combo of brown sugar and maple syrup for those two distinct flavors: deep caramel sugar and golden, light maple. You don’t need a super expensive delicate maple syrup, but definitely get maple syrup, not pancake syrup. In fact, the sometimes-cheaper dark syrups can be better and more maple-y. Pro tip: if you live near (or are visiting) Quebec, the white and blue cans are the best.
• apple cider vinegar – while the original Skillet recipe uses balsamic, balsamic is pretty expensive to be stewing down for hours. Personally, I feel that good condiments are all about balance and the gentle, sweet acidity in apple cider vinegar cuts through and adds just enough tanginess.
• coffee – coffee seems like a weird ingredient at first, but the bitterness and complexity adds a contrasting note that keeps the bacon jam from becoming too bacon-y. In this version I use instant coffee, but you can make your coffee your usual way: drip, pourover, or a shot of espresso mixed with just under a half cup of water to make a half americano, or anything else.

<h2 data-heading="How to make bacon jam

It sounds fancy but bacon jam is incredibly easy to make. If you can make bacon, you can make bacon jam:

1. Slice – Start off by cutting the bacon into small strips. You’ll want your bacon as cold as possible. If your knife isn’t sharp enough, freeze your bacon for a few minutes or use a bread knife, really.
2. Crisp – Add the bacon pieces to a skillet and cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the bacon fat renders and the bacon starts to crisp and brown. When lightly crispy, use a slotted spoon to spoon out the bacon onto a paper-towel lined plate. When all of the bacon is removed, save the bacon fat by pouring it into a heatproof container or small bowl. Cover once cool and reserve for another use, like roasting potatoes. Leave about 1 tbsp of bacon fat in the skillet.
3. Soften – Return the skillet, with the 1 tbsp of bacon fat to the stove and add the onions and garlic. Cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions and garlic soften and become aromatic and translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Reduce – Add the vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee to the pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up the browned bits. Stir the crisp bacon back in and adjust the heat to the lowest setting so the liquid is simmering very gently, with just one or two bubbles breaking the surface. Reduce, stirring occasionally, until the bacon jam is syrupy and thick, about 1-1.5 hours.
5. Chop – Let cool slightly and then carefully transfer to a food processor and pulse until everything comes together in a jammy yet rustic relish. Don’t go too far or you’ll have bacon pate.
6. Enjoy – enjoy immediately or let cool completely before placing in an airtight container and storing in the fridge.

How do you know when bacon jam is done cooking?

Bacon jam being “done” is more about consistency than it is about how cooked it is. You’re looking for the liquid to reduce almost entirely into a syrupy, thick texture that is basically a glaze on the bacon. When you scoop up some of the bacon, you should see a bit of liquid pooling in the bottom of the pan, but in no way should the bacon be submerged or swimming in liquid. The ideal is just enough liquid so the jam pulses nicely in a food processor. Note that bacon jam firms up as it cools, so you want to stop it before it gets to the consistency you’re after.

What to serve with bacon jam

• Burgers – it’s a no brainer that bacon jam can go on burgers for an over the top smoky hit of umami, this was actually its first use. The sweet-savory flavor is a killer garnish on any burger.
• Bread – jam and bread or jam and toast is iconic and bacon jam on a crisp, fresh baguette is heaven. Add a lil bit of your favorite soft cheese and it’ll be the easiest, yet most delicious thing you’ll put in your mouth this year.
• Sweet stuff – this bacon jam is a little sweet and if you haven’t had candied bacon with ice cream, you’re missing out. A spoonful of bacon jam on some really good ice cream is epically sweet-and-salty deliciousness.
• Charcuterie/Cheese boards – bacon jam on your next charcuterie or cheese board is incredible. The jam goes well with cured meat and even better with cheese. Add a roasted nut or two in the mix for optimal eats.
• Grilled cheese – you haven’t had grilled cheese until you’ve had your favorite grilled cheese with bacon jam. I’m especially fond of a really good sourdough, smoked gouda, bacon jam, and slices of a tart apple on the side.
• Pizza – forget chili flakes, sprinkle this on delivery pizza. If you make homemade pizza, you probably already have bacon jam in the fridge 😉
• Appetizers – bacon jam is the answer to all of your holiday appetizer needs. A little bacon jam and brie tucked into puff pastry and baked or on an open-face puff pastry tart a la flammkuchen and people will never leave your house.

How to store

Bacon jam will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks in an airtight container. You can freeze it for up to 4 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before using. You’ll want to serve the bacon jam at room temp or warmer, as it’s hard to spread right out of the fridge and the cold fat looks unappealing.

Warm the bacon jam before using by scooping out your desired amount and warming over low heat in a small pan.

Can I use maple bacon instead of bacon + maple syrup?

Maple bacon is a great idea and if you don’t want to buy maple syrup, it’s okay. There are no maple syrup in your bacon jam police. The maple does add a different flavor and with maple syrup, you’ll get more of that flavor shining through.

Can I can bacon jam?

Bacon jam is not safe to water-bath-can. If you would like to gift your bacon jam, a la the Martha Stewart gift guide way back in the day, you should gift your bacon jam cold or frozen with a keep refrigerated instruction.

Troubleshooting

My jam is hard as a rock

Your jam is probably over-reduced, add a little water and stir it over low heat to loosen it up

My jam is greasy

If you’re at the final stage after reducing down the liquid and your jam is insanely greasy, the best thing you can do is try to spoon off the excess fat floating on the top of the jam. If you can’t spoon off the fat, place the pan in the fridge until the bacon fat starts to solidify and turn white. Use a spoon to try and scrape off as much grease as possible before gently reheating and following the remaining recipe instructions.

Why bacon jam?

I only put this in because I wanted to say, because bacon.

I hope you give this a try. It’s a sleeper hit: kinda retro, kinda kitsch, and all kinds of yum. If you like sweet and savory together, bacon jam is calling your name.

xoxo steph

PS – If you love bacon as much as me, please check out these bacon recipes:

Bacon Jam

Bacon jam is dark, smoky, and deceptively delicious as a condiment or spread with just about everything.

Serves 1.5 cups

No ratings yet

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

• 1 lb bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup vinegar apple cider preferred
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar lightly packed
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coffee
• chili flakes optional, as desired

• In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders out and the bacon is crispy and lightly browned.

• Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain off any excess fat.

• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, reserving the bacon fat for other uses. Over medium heat, add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the onions start to sweat and soften, about 5-6 minutes.

• Add the vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee to the pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up the browned bits. Add the bacon back to the pan and stir to combine.

• Simmer, uncovered, over very low heat until syrupy and thick, stirring occasionally, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 1-1/2 hours. Alternatively, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until reduced and syrupy, about 3-4 hours.

• Let cool slightly, then transfer the bacon jam to a food processor and pulse until the consistency desired. Add chili flakes if using.

• Spoon into a clean jar or container, let cool completely, then cover and keep in the fridge for 4 weeks. Enjoy warm or at room temp on burgers, baguettes, and more.

Nutrition Facts

Bacon Jam

Amount Per Serving (1 tbsp)

Calories 90
Calories from Fat 57

% Daily Value*

Fat 6.3g10%

Saturated Fat 2.3g14%

Cholesterol 15mg5%

Sodium 112mg5%

Potassium 23mg1%

Carbohydrates 5.8g2%

Fiber 0.1g0%

Sugar 5.1g6%

Protein 2.4g5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.