Bacon Jam

Hello! I am back from the dead. Last post was on November of 2011. I am quite a lazy cook these days. When I cook food, I just want to eat it, not take photos of it and then blog about it. Well let's see how long this keeps up.

Okay, so everyone knows about how crazy sweet and savory food combinations are now. Combine that with America's obsession with bacon. ...Bacon jam!

Bacon Jam
makes 1.5-2 cups of spread 

1 package of bacon
2 medium onions, chopped or cut into slivers
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup coffee (I used 1 instant pack of coffee with 3/4 cup water)
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar (optional)
3-4 dashes of Maggi soy sauce or 2-3 dashes of fish sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Cut the bacon into small 1/4 inch pieces. Cook in a pot on medium heat until the bacon is browned. Alternatively, cook the bacon strips whole and crumble later.

2. Strain the bacon out of the pan. Discard some of the oil (or use it for something else). Reduce the heat the medium-low and add the onions and garlic. Cover the pan and let the onions caramelize. Stir occassionally, every 2-3 minutes. This step will take the longest--about 20-30 minutes.

3. If you want the bacon jam to be smoother, turn the heat off and let the onions cool down. Then process the onions and bacon using whatever you have, such as an immersion blender or food processor. I decided to keep my bacon jam chunky.

4. Smooth or chunky, add the onions and bacon back into the pan on high heat. Add the brown sugar and stir, allowing the sugar to melt. Then add the vinegars, maple syrup, coffee and secret ingredient (wink wink). The secret ingredient being the soy sauce or fish sauce. A little bit adds some depth of flavor but keeps people guessing. Same with the coffee.

5. Allow sauce to reach a boil and then reduce to medium or medium-high heat. Let the sauce thicken till the liquid is no longer runny and instead coats the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Allow the bacon jam to cool and enjoy it warm or cold. Crackers and toast are a good start. I have also seen it as a condiment for burgers. Yum!