This was created to go with our bacon tasting—yes, bacon strips with bacon jam—but I think its beautiful, chunky, sweet, tart flavor can be a great condiment for almost anything. You can spread it on toast, dab it on a sandwich or burger, fry it with eggs.
We use Nueske’s applewood-smoked bacon, and we cook slowly to render for about 10 minutes until the bacon sort of melts but doesn’t color. Make sure not to add the garlic to the hot bacon fat, as you don’t want it to brown and crisp. Cook it slow and low until the liquid has evaporated and it has the consistency of preserves or jam. A final few pulses in the food processor creates the ultimate smooth but slightly chunky texture.
Oh, and as for the ketchup in this, I use Heinz.
YIELD: 2–3 CUPS
1 pound applewood-smoked bacon, diced
1½ cups diced Spanish onion
4½ teaspoons finely chopped garlic
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup maple syrup
½ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup bourbon
In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon. The bacon should start to soften but not color at about 10 minutes.
When the fat in the bottom of the pan begins to boil, add the onion, stir to combine, and let the onion-bacon mixture cook for another 8–10 minutes, until the onions become translucent and soft.
Add the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir well, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the maple syrup, ketchup, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir to combine, and after 15 minutes, add the bourbon. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and is the consistency of a preserve or jam.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon the jam onto the baking sheet and refrigerate until cool, about an hour.
Spoon the jam into a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and pulse until the mixture has a homogeneous texture and the fat emulsifies into the jam. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.