Jamming with my Bacon

Yes, Bacon jam!!!

I always try to serve something with a tang with a meal, whether it's a pickle, salad, sauce but something,it balances everything out and is the disco light to the party in your mouth.

Not much to say about this Bacon Jam stuff, the name speaks for itself and you whip it up in minutes, no excuses not to be a bit extra!

It's onions fried in the fat of the bacon you just fried then you chuck the fried bacon back into the pan with the onions, add bit of this and a bit of that, a pinch of cayenne and a dash of love and the result is this amazing savory, salty, sweetish, tangyish, thingamabob!

At first my grey beard wasn't to sure about this concoction but looooves it now!

You can eat this on just about anything (or straight out of the jar seems to be the preference around here). Spread some Creme Fraiche or cream cheese on a savory biscuit, top with a dollop of this bacon jam and a dash of chopped chives for a fantastic snack or add to cheese and make an over the top toasted cheese sarmies, but this time I chose to put it on hamburgers I made for supper.

You use a few basic ingredients you probably have at hand

A few basic steps

and you end up with so much yummness

Here's the recipe

it makes about a cup and a half and keeps for about two weeks if you seal it and keep it in the fridge (it wont last that long but it can).

You can amp up the heat by adding more cayenne pepper or by adding dried red chilli flakes.

Bacon Jam

(makes ± 1.5 cups)

Ingredients

500g Bacon (I use Woolies streaky)

2 Onions Diced (± 2 cups but it's okay if its a bit less or a bit more)

5ml Salt

60ml brown Sugar

80ml Vinegar (I use brown vinegar for the colour)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (if you only have dry, reconstitute about half a teaspoon in a teaspoon of boiling hot water and add the lot to the pan)

1 generous pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 cup water

Pepper to taste (coarse black pepper)

Method

Chop the bacon into ± 3cm bits.

Fry the bacon in a pan until starting to brown but it must still be fairly soft and not dry. (start off with a coolish pan and as the fat renderers turn the heat to high)

Spoon the bacon out of the pan and set aside but leave the rendered fat in the pan

Fry the onion, salt, pepper & thyme leaves in the bacon fat, on medium heat, until the onions are soft and cooked but not to brown or burnt.

Once the onions are done to your liking add the sugar, vinegar, cayenne pepper and the water.

Stir to combine.

Add the chopped and fried bacon.

Cook gently on a medium’ish heat until the jam has thickened and has a nice dark colour.

This should take about 3-5minutes (depending you the heat).

Adjust the seasoning.

Place in a serving container or storage jar.

Serve warm or at room temperature.