Boozy Bourbon Maple Bacon Jam
My forte is desserts, but I can hold my own in the savory side of the kitchen, too! When I plan a get together, appetizers are my favorite thing to make. Finger foods are more fun and they make less mess, which is my husband’s favorite part LOL! A friend recently shared a bottle of caramel bourbon cream with me, and I decided it would be the perfect highlight to a boozy maple bacon jam for our game day spread!
This recipe takes just over an hour to develop and come together, so the process takes love and patience, but for the attention you give each step, you will be rewarded with layers of flavor. The good news is that this stores well in the refrigerator so you can make it in advance and just let it come up to room temperature when you’re ready to use it!
Rendering the bacon…
The kitchen geek in me loves recipes like this because you can see specific action steps and how they develop. The first one we’ll experience is called rendering. During this process, we are melting out the fat to leave remaining solid pieces to brown and crisp, giving us that delightful crunchy, salty bacon. Any fatty protein can be rendered, and you can use the fat for other applications. The extra bacon fat from this recipe can be tossed with steamed vegetables or stored then remelted to fry eggs. Who can resist a little extra bacon flavor?
Caramelizing the onions…
Once the bacon is rendered, we caramelize the onions. They are tossed in the remaining bacon fat and cooked slow and low. This allows the onion to release it’s natural sugars which are then browned by the heat during the maillard reaction. Each type of onion carries its own unique amount of sweetness. A Sweet onion contains 50 percent more natural sugar than an inherently sweet Vidalia, making the Sweet variety a great option for caramelizing. The addition of brown sugar enhances and speeds up the caramelizing process.
Deglazing the pan with the bourbon…
Deglazing is one of my favorite things to do when I’m cooking because it gives me a feeling of “cheffiness”. Yeah, that’s probably not a word, but roll with it, ok? After searing or caramelizing, we’re left with brown bits on the bottom of the pan. I used to assume that I burnt my product and toss it down the drain. (Oh, the regret!) Little did I realize, those dark bits are called fond which is concentrated flavor just waiting to be released! We deglaze by pouring liquid into the pan and scraping, which loosens the fond and releases the flavor. This method is used to make pan sauces and gravies. My favorite part is the sound it makes. I love the instant hissing of the sizzle and steam reaction it immediately has. That’s my “Food Network” moment of the day.
Processing and storing…
Once the mixture is glistening and thickened, remove it from the heat and stir in water in small amounts until you get a jam-like consistency. This is a bacon chutney, while still delicious, we will take one last step to make this a true Boozy Maple Bacon Jam. Pulse it in the food processor for about 15-30 seconds to make it smoother and spreadable as well as distributing the flavor evenly through each bite. The addition of the bourbon helps to preserve the bacon, so this will easily store in the refrigerator for up to a week… if it lasts that long!
Ways to use bourbon maple bacon jam…
If this sounds good but you aren’t sure how to use it (other than eating it right out of the container, which is perfectly acceptable), here are my suggestions. Warm it over a wheel of brie or pour onto a brick of cream cheese, then watch it disappear before half time. To transform it into a dip, mix with cream cheese and sour cream. It’s bold enough to hold its own on a charcuterie board and will pair with just about any cheese. Add it to the top a fried egg or inside an omelet, or smeared on an English muffin sandwich with scrambled eggs. Using this as the condiment to burger or slider, or inside your grilled cheese would also be killer! There are endless options to this sweet and salty spread!
This week’s Dessert Bar……
Serving Boozy Maple Bacon Jam infused with bourbon for the big game is a crowd pleaser! Keep the whole spread bacon-themed with a platter of Bacon Studded Chocolate Chip Cookies, a crock of Bacon Infused Caramel Dip and other sweet and salty treats! Stay tuned for the entire collection of bacon-themed recipes for your Game Day Dessert Table!
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Boozy Maple Bacon Jam
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon diced
- 1 large onion sliced
- 66 g brown sugar
- 200 g maple syrup
- 10 g apple cider vinegar
- a splash soy sauce
- 82 g bourbon
Instructions
- Place chopped bacon in a cold skillet and cook over low heat until mostly crispy, about 10 minutes.
- Remove bacon onto paper towel lined plate, and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of rendered bacon fat.
- Return pan to heat, and add sliced onion. Cook and stir until soft and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Stir brown sugar into onions, and cook over the lowest heat setting for 15 minutes, or until very soft.
- Deglaze the pan with vinegar, soy sauce bourbon, and maple syrup; stir in completely.
- Continue to cook on lowest heat setting 20-30 minutes or until sauce has thickened and bacon is softened.
- Slowly drizzle and stir in water until slightly loosened, and becomes a spreadable consistency.
- Transfer mixture to bowl of food processor, and pulse for 20-30 seconds, or until you reach the consistency you want.
- Cool to room temperature, store in sealed, airtight container.
