Bacon Onion Jam

A perfect balance of sweet, smoky and savoury, this Bacon Onion Jam will level up any cheeseburger or can be used as a delicious chutney. If you want to impress your guests at your next barbecue, you have to make this irresistible Bacon Onion Jam.

About this Bacon Onion Jam:

This simple chutney uses only a few ingredients that you might already have to hand. By simply frying onions and bacon until wonderfully crispy, then adding maple syrup, sugar and balsamic vinegar you can make this jam in less than 15 minutes! Perfect for adding an extra explosion of flavor to any burgers, toasties or cheeseboards.

Ingredients

• Streaky bacon
• Red Onion
• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Balsamic vinegar

See recipe card for quantities.

Step by step photographs:

1. Step 1: Over a low heat, cook the bacon without any additional fat. On a low heat, this will render out the fat. After 5 minutes, turn up the heat to crisp the bacon (another 5 minutes). At this point you can add 1tbsp oil. Grocery store bacon usually has a lot of excess moisture, so this step will remove unneeded moisture.

2. Step 2: Now add the red onion, and cook until translucent. This should take 3-5 minutes.

3. Step 3: Turn the heat back to low and add the maple syrup, vinegar and sugar. Stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes, allow to caramelize and then take off the heat.

4. Step 4: Allow your jam to cool and transfer to a serving container.

Substitutions

This recipe is so simply and only uses a few ingredients that you will probably have in your kitchen, however here are some substitutions you can make with what you have in your kitchen cabinets:

• Maple syrup - a spoonful of honey will work as a perfect substitution for maple syrup. Date syrup will also caramlize your ingredients beautifully while also giving you a darker color. A good UK substitution would be golden syrup however if you search the shops you should be able to find maple syrup.
• Balsamic vinegar - Red wine vinegar can be used as a substitution however you need to add an extra ½ teaspoon of sugar for every 1 tablespoon you use to make sure you still end up with a sweet jam. Adding apple cider vinegar with a splash or Worcester sauce will compliment the bacon jam perfectly.

Variations

If you're feeling adventurous and like shaking this recipe up to make it your own, here are some suggestions to get your ideas rolling:

• Spicy bacon jam - similar to my chili jam recipe, why not spice things up. by adding a few sliced chillies?
• Apple & bacon jam - perfect as a side for a cheeseboard, half the amount of onion in this recipe and replace it with diced apple to create a beautifully balanced chutney.
• Coffee bacon jam - the most adventurous version of this jam I've seen when researching. Simply add a shot of espresso when you add your maple syrup and vinegar. This will deepen the flavor of your bacon jam even more!

Storage

Refrigeration: To store your bacon jam in the fridge, simply allow your mixture to cool completely, add to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Freezing: For the slight chance that you have any bacon jam left over, you can freeze it to use at a later date. Allow to cool completely, add to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up 3 months. When you're ready to use it again, allow to defrost completely and give it a good stir to recombine the ingredients before serving.