Bacon makes everything better

Well, for the most part. The minute we completed this Bacon Jam we began to imagine all of the food we could pair with this sweet and savory condiment! First things first though we better show how we made the jam. Here is the recipe that yields approximately 16 ounces so you have plenty of Bacon Jam to experiment with.

Very simple to make on the stovetop, so no need to whip out the slow-cooker. Our recipe calls for using our own Festival bacon, delightfully flavorful bacon. Start by cutting the bacon into one-inch pieces and toss into the fry pan to brown.

When bacon is browned, drain all but approximately 1/4 of the bacon grease and add the chopped yellow onion, continue to cook until the onion is slightly translucent. Now the house will begin to smell VERY good.

Now stir in brown sugar; cook until onions are sticky and browned, about 5 more minutes. Mix in garlic, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes. The next ingredient is one we don’t use very often when cooking – Bourbon!

Mix in bourbon whiskey, coffee, red wine vinegar, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook until the bacon jam is thickened not runny, stir occasionally to prevent burning, about 20 minutes. Now the house is smelling REALLY good! Mix in Sriracha sauce and cook 5 more minutes, you’re almost done. Let the mixture stand and cool and place in a food processor to pulse to make your jam spoonable/spreadable and just amazingly awesome.

You didn’t think we would stop without giving you at least one perfect food pairing for this Bacon Jam did you? Our first combo is going to be pretty difficult to beat – a Cambozola Burger with Bacon Jam. This is lick-the-plate worthy. All we did was season some of our fresh-ground Premium USDA Choice Black Angus Beef 85% Lean Ground Round with salt and pepper and grilled a burger. We topped that with some slices of Cambozola, a cow’s milk cheese that is a perfect combination of a French soft-ripened triple cream cheese and Gorgonzola.