Your recipes…Laura Caraher’s Bourbon Bacon Jam
Many thanks to Laura for sharing this totally delicious recipe with us. Something to spread on everything we think. To quote Laura “your eyes will roll back in your head, and that’s a good thing…” – try it for yourself and see!
What you will need
- 1 1/2 lbs spoiltpig smoked back bacon
- 2 cups of shallots, finely chopped
- 1 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
How to prepare
Fry the spoiltpig bacon over a medium heat in two large frying pans, allowing it to crisp up well. Once crisp, transfer to paper towels to drain off and cool.
Add the shallots and onion to one of the pans you cooked the bacon in and cook slowly over a medium heat until they visibly start to carmelise. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Then add the chili powder and smoked paprika and stir well.
Increase the heat and slowly add the bourbon and maple syrup. Bring to a gentle boil, stir well and scrape the base of the pan so all the remnants of the fried bacon from earlier, mix well into the juices. Continue to boil for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the vinegar and brown sugar and boil for a further 3 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut the bacon into small pieces (or break up by hand). Toss the bacon into the pan of boiling juices, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the mixture has thickened and obtained a jam-like consistency.
Turn off the heat under the pan and drain off any excess fat from the bacon jam by pouring it through a sieve or draining it through a cheesecloth.
The choice here is yours: for a rustic looking chutney you can keep the consistency as is, or if you prefer a smoother jam, you can now put it in a blender and pulse until smooth. Transfer into sterilised jars and keep stored in the fridge.
To use, simply heat it up quickly in the microwave and top whatever you fancy with it. Laura recommends topping smoked sausages with the jam before cooking under the grill but honestly, you can use this delicious jam on absolutely anything! As Laura says “Serve with a big old bacon loving smile!” We quite agree.
