bacon jam
{{Short description|Bacon-based relish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Bacon jam
| image = Bacon jam.JPG
| image_size = 220px
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| course = Condiment
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| main_ingredient = Bacon
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Bacon jam is a bacon-based relish made from cooked, drained chopped bacon, which is slow cooked with onions, vinegar, and brown sugar. Part of bacon mania,{{Cite web |last=Bogard |first=Kelly |title=Bacon Jam |url=https://tabletop.texasfarmbureau.org/2015/07/bacon-jam/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Texas Farm Bureau - Table Top |language=en}} it was invented as condiment for hamburgers in 2007, and is now served on many other foods, including as a spread for bread or toast.
History
Josh Henderson of Skillet Street Foods in Seattle created bacon jam for his food trucks{{Cite web |last=Druckman |first=Charlotte |date=2010-01-08 |title=We Made It Ourselves {{!}} Skillet's Bacon Jam |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/we-made-it-ourselves-skillets-bacon-jam/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=T: The New York Times Style Magazine |language=en-US}} and has been selling it since at least 2007.{{Cite journal |last= |first= |date=March 2009 |title=In the Modern World: Mobile Eateries |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_tWq15n8ENQC&pg=PA36&dq=%22bacon+jam%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPls-pmKuNAxWmElkFHcgXC7M4ChDoAXoECA0QAw#v=onepage&q=%22bacon%20jam%22&f=false |journal=Dwell Magazine |language=en |publisher=Dwell, LLC |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=36}}{{Cite web |title=We’ve Got It Covered |url=https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/2010/07/food-lovers-guide-top-food-trends-0810 |access-date=2024-03-09 |website=Seattle Met |language=en-US}}{{Cite book |last=Seale |first=Shelley |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Insiders_Guide_to_Seattle/IRaBtZUe1HUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22bacon+jam%22&pg=PA102&printsec=frontcover |title=Insiders' Guide® to Seattle |date=2010-12-07 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7627-6731-1 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Henderson |first=Josh |url=https://archive.org/details/skilletcookbooks0000hend/page/88/mode/2up?q=%22bacon+jam%22 |title=The Skillet cookbook : a street food manifesto |date=2012 |publisher=Seattle, WA : Sasquatch Books |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-57061-732-4 |publication-date=2012 |pages=89-90, passim |language=en}} His recipe was inspired by the garnish for the hamburgers at Sang Yoon's gastropub Father's Office, which includes caramelized onions and "bacon compote";It is unclear what "bacon compote" means in the source article. Henderson says he spent four years refining his bacon jam recipe, emphasizing the pork flavors over the onion. He serves it as a "special sauce" on the hamburgers on his food trucks. Henderson also sold bacon jam in jars, and in 2008, it was sold through Martha Stewart's and Real Simple's holiday gift guides. Others have started producing it since.{{Cite web |last=Day |first=Liz |date=2015-08-08 |title=A couple have invented bacon jam and it's flying off the shelves. Yes, BACON jam |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/bacon-jam-martin-suzie-cowley-9816255 |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=WalesOnline |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The Bacon Jams: An Origin Story |url=https://tbjgourmet.com/blogs/news/49276993-the-bacon-jams-an-origin-story |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=TBJ Gourmet |language=en}}
Preparation
Bacon jam is made by cooking chopped bacon, draining most of the grease, then slow cooking it with diced onions, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Garlic, maple syrup, and other vinegars are also common ingredients. Less frequently used ingredients include bourbon whiskey, brewed coffee, thyme, and salt.
- {{Cite web |last=Hayward |first=Stephen |date=2011-08-27 |title=Marmalade could be toast if bacon jam tickles your fancy |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/marmalade-could-be-toast-if-bacon-jam-150169 |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=The Mirror |language=en}}
- {{Cite web |last=Vallo |first=Grace |date=2023-09-21 |title=BEST Bacon Jam Recipe |url=https://tastefullygrace.com/bacon-jam/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Tastefully Grace |language=en-US}}
- {{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Kristen |date=2013-10-14 |title=The Best Bacon Jam Recipe |url=https://www.theendlessmeal.com/the-best-bacon-jam/comment-page-3/?jwsource=pin |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=The Endless Meal® |language=en-US}}
- {{Cite web |last=(anon) |first=Colleen |date=2022-04-26 |title=Recipe for Bacon Jam |url=https://soufflebombay.com/recipe-bacon-jam/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Soufflé Bombay |language=en-US}}
- {{Cite web |date=2024-06-26 |title=Seriously—Bacon Jam Makes Just About Anything Taste Better |url=https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a54929/bacon-jam-recipe/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Delish |language=en-US}}
- {{Cite web |last=Karly |date=2018-08-13 |title=The Best Damn Bacon Jam Recipe |url=https://asimplepantry.com/the-best-damn-bacon-jam/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=A Simple Pantry |language=en-US}}
- {{Cite web |last=kevin |date=2012-08-05 |title=Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam |url=https://www.closetcooking.com/maple-bourbon-bacon-jam// |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Closet Cooking |language=en-US}} Despite the name, bacon jam is not jam-like, but has chunks of bacon and other ingredients in a sticky glaze;{{Cite web |last=Weinrich |first=Susie |date=2020-03-11 |title=Knock-Out Bacon Jam (perfect for burgers) |url=https://momsdinner.net/bacon-jam-blue-cheese-burger/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Mom's Dinner |language=en-US}} some cooks make it smoother in a food processor.{{Cite web |last=Sperka |first=Melissa |date=2018-06-10 |title=Bacon Jam |url=https://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/bacon-jam/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=melissassouthernstylekitchen.com |language=en-US}} Commercial bacon jam tends to be smoother than home-made.{{Cn|date=May 2025}}
The original Skillet Street version contains 36% protein and fat from bacon and 11% sugar.{{Cite web |title=Skillet Street Food: Bacon Jam |url=https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/skillet-street-food/bacon-jam |url-status=live |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=fatsecret}} Other commercially packaged products may contain trace-17% protein and fat from the bacon and 35-66% sugar.
- {{Cite web |title=Green Jay Gourmet Bacon Jam |url=https://www.amazon.com/Green-Jay-Gourmet-Bacon-Jam/dp/B097NLJM41/ref=sr_1_1_sspa |website=amazon.com}}
- {{Cite web |title=Stonewall Kitchen Maple Bacon Onion Jam |url=https://www.amazon.com/Stonewall-Kitchen-Maple-Bacon-Onion/dp/B0847S8D1Y/ref=sr_1_2_sspa}}
- {{Cite web |title=TBJ Gourmet Classic Bacon Jam |url=https://www.amazon.com/TBJ-Gourmet-Classic-Bacon-Preservatives/dp/B07ZS7F85G/ref=sr_1_3_sspa |website=amazon.com}}
- {{Cite web |title=Newport Jerky Company Bacon Jam |url=https://www.amazon.com/Newport-Jerky-Company-Bacon-Jam/dp/B08ZYYMQNL/ref=sr_1_17 |website=amazon.com}} Recipes on the web have 4-6 as much raw bacon by weight as sugar; since cooked bacon is about 30% the weight of raw, bacon jam has about 1.2-1.8 times as much bacon as sugar.{{Cite journal |last=Showell |first=Bethany A. |date= |title=Cooking yields and nutritional retention factors of bacon, liver, and sausages |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Articles/IFDC5_YldRetn.pdf |journal=USDA Agricultural Research Service}}
Shelf life
Unlike fruit jams, bacon jam cannot be stored at room temperature, or made shelf-stable by home canning, even if vinegar or sugar are added. It can be held in a refrigerator for 2-4 weeks, or frozen.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-04-03 |title=Bacon Jam |url=https://www.healthycanning.com/bacon-jam |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Healthy Canning |language=en-US}} Foodborne illness from bacon jam has been traced to inadequate refrigeration.{{Cite web |last=Maldonado |first=Melinda |date=2013-09-05 |title=Cronut burger: Poor refrigeration of jam likely cause of CNE food poisoning |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cronut-burger-poor-refrigeration-of-jam-likely-cause-of-cne-food-poisoning/article_7589cd99-a39a-57e0-9d14-8fb491c35036.html |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Toronto Star |language=en}}
Similar products
There are many spreadable pork products vaguely similar to bacon jam: Italian (Calabria) 'nduja, Austrian (Styria) verhackert, German mettwurst and teewurst. These are cured or raw products, not cooked like bacon jam. French (Touraine) rillettes are a shredded confit which can be made of pork and salt, but are not otherwise seasoned; Balzac once called them "brune confiture" 'brown jam'.{{Cite book |last=Honoré de Balzac |url=https://archive.org/details/lelysdanslavall01balzgoog/page/n21/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Le lys dans la vallée |date=1839 |publisher=Charpentier |others=Oxford University |pages=7 |language=fr}} None of these products use crisped meat, none are sweetened, and none are used as condiments -- rather, they are eaten as charcuterie with bread.