Bacon jam
 | |
| Course | Condiment |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Bacon |
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,[1] 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
[edit]Josh Henderson of Skillet Street Foods in Seattle created bacon jam for his food trucks[2] and has been selling it since at least 2007.[3][4][5][6] 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";[7] 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.[2] Henderson also sold bacon jam in jars, and in 2008, it was sold through Martha Stewart's and Real Simple's holiday gift guides.[6] Others have started producing it since.[8][9]
Preparation
[edit]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.[6] Garlic, maple syrup, and other vinegars are also common ingredients. Less frequently used ingredients include bourbon whiskey, brewed coffee, thyme, and salt.[10] Despite the name, bacon jam is not jam-like, but has chunks of bacon and other ingredients in a sticky glaze;[11] some cooks make it smoother in a food processor.[12] Commercial bacon jam tends to be smoother than home-made.[citation needed]
The original Skillet Street version contains 36% protein and fat from bacon and 11% sugar.[13] Other commercially packaged products may contain trace-17% protein and fat from the bacon and 35-66% sugar.[14] Recipes on the web have 4-6 as much raw bacon by weight as sugar;[10] since cooked bacon is about 30% the weight of raw, bacon jam has about 1.2-1.8 times as much bacon as sugar.[15]
Shelf life
[edit]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.[16] Foodborne illness from bacon jam has been traced to inadequate refrigeration.[17]
Similar products
[edit]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'.[18] None of these products use crisped meat, none are sweetened, and none are used as condiments -- rather, they are eaten as charcuterie with bread.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Bogard, Kelly. "Bacon Jam". Texas Farm Bureau - Table Top. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ a b Druckman, Charlotte (8 January 2010). "We Made It Ourselves | Skillet's Bacon Jam". T: The New York Times Style Magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ "In the Modern World: Mobile Eateries". Dwell Magazine. 9 (4). Dwell, LLC: 36. March 2009.
- ^ "We've Got It Covered". Seattle Met. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Seale, Shelley (7 December 2010). Insiders' Guide® to Seattle. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-6731-1.
- ^ a b c Henderson, Josh (2012). The Skillet cookbook : a street food manifesto. Internet Archive. Seattle, WA : Sasquatch Books. pp. 89–90, passim. ISBN 978-1-57061-732-4.
- ^ It is unclear what "bacon compote" means in the source article.
- ^ Day, Liz (8 August 2015). "A couple have invented bacon jam and it's flying off the shelves. Yes, BACON jam". WalesOnline. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "The Bacon Jams: An Origin Story". TBJ Gourmet. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ a b
- Hayward, Stephen (27 August 2011). "Marmalade could be toast if bacon jam tickles your fancy". The Mirror. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- Vallo, Grace (21 September 2023). "BEST Bacon Jam Recipe". Tastefully Grace. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- Stevens, Kristen (14 October 2013). "The Best Bacon Jam Recipe". The Endless Meal®. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- (anon), Colleen (26 April 2022). "Recipe for Bacon Jam". Soufflé Bombay. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- "Seriously—Bacon Jam Makes Just About Anything Taste Better". Delish. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- Karly (13 August 2018). "The Best Damn Bacon Jam Recipe". A Simple Pantry. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- kevin (5 August 2012). "Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam". Closet Cooking. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- Hayward, Stephen (27 August 2011). "Marmalade could be toast if bacon jam tickles your fancy". The Mirror. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Weinrich, Susie (11 March 2020). "Knock-Out Bacon Jam (perfect for burgers)". Mom's Dinner. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Sperka, Melissa (10 June 2018). "Bacon Jam". melissassouthernstylekitchen.com. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Skillet Street Food: Bacon Jam". fatsecret. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^
- "Green Jay Gourmet Bacon Jam". amazon.com.
- "Stonewall Kitchen Maple Bacon Onion Jam".
- "TBJ Gourmet Classic Bacon Jam". amazon.com.
- "Newport Jerky Company Bacon Jam". amazon.com.
- ^ Showell, Bethany A. "Cooking yields and nutritional retention factors of bacon, liver, and sausages" (PDF). USDA Agricultural Research Service.
- ^ "Bacon Jam". Healthy Canning. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Maldonado, Melinda (5 September 2013). "Cronut burger: Poor refrigeration of jam likely cause of CNE food poisoning". Toronto Star. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Honoré de Balzac (1839). Le lys dans la vallée (in French). Oxford University. Charpentier. p. 7.
