Bacon Onion Jam is the perfect topping for everything from a grilled cheese to the perfect cheeseburger!
It's all about the toppings!
I love sandwiches! All different types of sandwiches. Sometimes they're great on their own with just meat and cheese, but, for me, sandwiches are usually a vessel for a bevvy of toppings! And that's where this recipe comes in.
Bacon onion jam goes on almost everything! It's a great mix of smoky, savory, and sweet! I always make some to put on my grilled cheese! It makes an AMAMZING burger topping as well. So, let's get into how we make this.
What's in it?
Bacon onion jam is pretty straight forward. It's all in the name! We're going to see the following in the recipe:
- A pound of bacon
- I love the applewood smoked bacon I get from my local farmer's market
- Speaking of... check this link to see if you have Market Wagon in your area! It's a great way to get local farm fresh ingredients delivered directly to your front door!
- I love the applewood smoked bacon I get from my local farmer's market
- 3 Vidalia onions
- ¼ cup of light brown sugar
- ½ cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
Get these things together and let's make it!
Bacon Onion Jam
This takes a little bit of time to make, but I promise it's worth it! First prep your onions and bacon. You'll need to slice your onions very thin. You can do this with a knife if you want, but I love this mandoline I've got pictured. It will give all of your cuts a perfectly even slice and everything will be the same size to allow for even cooking.
Next, take your slices of bacon and cut them into small chunks called lardons. I cut them about a ¼ inch each. We've done something similar with our Pasta All'Amatriciana recipe. Now it's time to cook up that bacon! Start the bacon in a cold pan over medium heat. Let it sit and render all the fat out of it and get crispy. Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and remove all but a teaspoon of the bacon fat. Then we're going to add the onions. Add just a little bit of salt to the onions to help release some of the water in the onions. We'll continue cooking them on medium low heat until they are caramelized and soft and sweet.
Wrapping it up
Once the onions are caramelized, we'll add the bacon back to the pan along with the brown sugar and water. We'll continue cooking the jam until the water and sugar are reduced and it's become a "jam" consistency. Finally we'll stir in the balsamic vinegar. This will add to the sweetness and also give it some tangy notes!
You can add this to your favorite sandwich right away, or you can store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks thanks to the vinegar! To serve after storing, put the amount of jam you want to use in a separate container and warm up either on the stove top or in the microwave. This will loosen it up since the fridge will cause it to seize up.
If you enjoy this recipe, make sure you drop a comment below and share it everywhere! Your word of mouth definitely helps get this out to everyone!
Bacon Onion Jam
Ingredients
- 1 lb smoked bacon – cut into ¼ inch chunks I prefer applewood smoked
- 3 large Vidalia onions – very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Slice onions and chop bacon into the proper size*
- Cook the bacon starting in a large cold skillet over medium heat until bacon is crispy and fat is rendered
- Remove bacon from skillet along with all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat
- Add onion to pan and sprinkle with salt to help remove water from onion as they cook
- Cook onion over medium low heat stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze until onions are caramelized
- Once onions are caramelized, add bacon back into skillet then stir in brown sugar.
- Once brown sugar is incorporated, stir in water and cook over medium high heat until the water is reduced and the mixture is syrupy and jam-like
- Stir in balsamic vinegar. Serve over sandwiches or burgers
- To store, let jam cool to room temperature, then store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks
- To serve after storage, reheat desired amount on stove top or in a separate container in the microwave until back to jam consistency as this will seize up slightly in the fridge
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