Espresso & Maple Bacon Jam
A sweet & salty homemade bacon jam, that's made with freshly brewed espresso & plenty of maple syrup for a whole load of flavour. This jam is a fantastic burger topping but also has loads of different uses.
Servings: 12 Servings
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Microplane/Grater
Ingredients
- 500 g Smoked Streaky Bacon (Around 24 Rashers)
- 2 White Onions
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Finely Chopped Rosemary
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- 60 g Balsamic Vinegar
- 40 g White Wine Vinegar
- 100 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 100 g Maple Syrup
- 70 ml Freshly Brewed Espresso (2 Double Shots - See Notes)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Instructions
- First, chop the bacon into 1 cm lardons then set to one side. If any pieces of bacon are stuck together, make sure to separate them with your hands, otherwise they won't crisp up properly!
- Peel the onions & garlic. Finely dice the onions and grate the garlic. Set both to one side, keeping them separate.
- Next, place a large saucepan over a medium heat, add in the tbsp of vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute. Once the oil's hot, add in the bacon then cook, stirring frequently until crisp & golden. This will take around 5 minutes.
- Once the bacon is cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a plate (or bowl) lined with kitchen paper. Make sure to leave the fat in the pan, we'll be using it to cook the onions in!You'll need around 1 tbsp of fat, so add in more vegetable oil if needed.
- Next, turn the heat down to medium-low then add in the diced onion & a pinch of sea salt. Cook, stirring regularly until the onions are soft & translucent and are just starting to caramelise. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Once the onions are cooked, add in the garlic, rosemary & paprika then cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the bacon back into the pan, stirring it through the onions then add in the balsamic & white wine vinegar. Use a wooden spoon/spatula to scrape the caramelised bits off the bottom of the pan, to deglaze.
- Next, add the brown sugar, maple syrup, espresso & Worcestershire sauce into the pan then turn the heat back up to medium. Bring the jam up to a gentle simmer then cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has reduced into a thick syrup. This will take around 10 minutes.Brew your coffee whilst the onions are cooking. Also, don't let the liquid reduce completely!
- Once the jam is cooked, take the pan off the heat then season to taste with sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper.
- To finish, transfer the bacon jam to a blender (or food processor) then give it a quick blitz to break the bacon down slightly & give the jam a more spreadable consistency. You can blend the jam as smooth as you like. I like to keep it fairly chunky.
- Transfer the bacon jam to a container, let it cool then chill in the fridge until needed. Or serve it straight away!
Notes
1. Cooking On An Aga - To cook bacon jam on an Aga, use the boiling plate to fry the bacon then move over to the simmering plate for the rest of the cook.
2. Bacon - Make sure to use streaky bacon for this jam, as it has a higher fat content, so will get crispier. I like to use smoked bacon but unsmoked will work as well.
3. Onions - Feel free to use red onions or shallots instead of white onions if you'd prefer. I'd recommend using 3 red onions or 4 banana shallots.
4. Coffee - If you've got an espresso machine, I'd highly recommend using it to brew the coffee for your bacon jam. However, you could also use a moka pot or instant coffee. The bacon jam won't taste of coffee, it's used to give it a deeper flavour & to cut through the richness of the bacon.
5. Storage & Reheating - Bacon jam needs to be stored in the fridge (as it contains meat!) and is best eaten within a week. Alternatively, you could freeze your jam for up to 3 months then defrost it before using.
Bacon jam should be fairly spreadable straight out of the fridge but you can reheat it in a pan, over a low heat. If needed, you can add a splash of water to your jam (when reheating) to loosen it off slightly.