Bacon Jam

Begin by heating a large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook, rendering all of the fat, until slightly crisp but not super crispy. This will take about 10 minutes or so. During this time, prepare the rest of the ingredients.

When the bacon is cooked, remove it from the skillet with a slotted spoon onto some paper towel to remove any excess fat. Pour off most of the bacon grease, reserving it for a later use. Return the skillet back to the heat and add the tablespoon of butter. Toss in the onion and garlic, and let them begin to sweat, cooking on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir along the way.

When the onions and garlic and cooked, add the salt and pepper, along with the brown sugar. Give it a good stir, letting the sugar begin to melt away into the onions. After a couple of minutes, add the remaining ingredients and let it come to a boil. Toss in the bacon and stir to combine. Now put the mixture into a slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 3 hours.

After 3 hours in the slow cooker, place the mixture into a food processor and pulse it until you reach your desired consistency. I like mine to have some recognizable bacon pieces, but pieces that are not extremely big (almost like bacon bit consistency).

Return the mixture to a sauce pan and cook on medium heat until most if not all of the liquid evaporates, leaving you with a jam-like consistency.

Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to three weeks, if it lasts that long.

When you are ready to serve, feel free to spread this on pretty much anything. The texture is spot on, and the flavor is something out of this world. You get the sweetness from the onion, sugar and maple, and a subtle but ever so delicious bitterness from the coffee. Along with the smokiness of the bacon and a slight sourness from the cider vinegar, this bacon jam is something else. Give it a shot and let me know your thoughts! Hope you enjoy.