Sweet combined with smokey savoury – it’s a heady combination that makes bacon jam one of those ultimate moreish things. We decided to up the taste ante by adding another flavour dimension in the form of spice. Bacon jam is fabulous on crackers or breads with any kind of cheese. But there’s so much more you can do. Spoon it onto potato salad, onto scrambled eggs, onto baked potato with sour cream and chopped chives, steamed asparagus, steamed green beans... There is pretty much nothing that can’t be taken to the next level with a generous dollop of chilli bacon jam!
Add the bacon and the vegetable oil to a large non-stick saucepan and fry the bacon until crispy. Line a dinner plate with two strips of kitchen towel and tumble the bacon onto it so that the paper towel absorbs most of the fat. Add the onion to the same pan (add a small bit of the bacon fat if necessary) and fry the onion over low heat for five minutes. Add the bacon back to the pan along with the rest of the ingredients and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon bacon jam into a sterilized jar, cover with a lid and place in the fridge once it has cooled to room temperature. The bacon jam may still look a bit syrupy but once it cools to room temperature the consistency is jam-like.
The bacon jam will keep in your fridge for a week. It does firm up quite a bit in the fridge, so remove it an hour before serving to allow it to return to room temperature – it’s definitely the best temperature at which to enjoy this smokey sweet savoury indulgence. And if you’re going to be serving it to guests, why not gussy it up some with thyme sprigs and edible flowers.
Recipe by Lizet Hartley Lizet Hartley is a freelance stills and reel food stylist, food photographer and recipe developer. In her spare time she – rather predictably – cooks. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za