It's International BACON Day Tomorrow- Celebrate with Bacon Jam!

Had you at the title didn't I?

LOL...

It's ok, an email to me about it grabbed my attention the same way!

International Bacon Day began in 2000 with the residents of Bradford, Massachusetts, who decided to celebrate all things BACON!

And BOY did that idea spread like wildfire!

The holiday is now celebrated every Saturday before Labor Day! And a lovely tradition it is!

According to the animal nutrition and farm education blog, Alltech, “Americans on average eat around 18 lbs. of bacon each year. That’s approximately 5,608,654,506 lbs for the entire U.S., which is equal to 7.68 Empire State buildings.” 

Ummmm... is that just pork bacon? Can we count turkey bacon too? LOL

So in honor of the holiday, here is a BACON recipe that is perfect for putting on your burgers this Labor Day Weekend:

Bourbon Maple Bacon Jam

This recipe is the one I love best- it's simple, but marries my Yankee and Southern sides quite nicely!  No pix, sorry, it always gets eaten up before I remember to take one!

If you want to make it 'virgin', you can use apple cider vinegar in place of the bourbon.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 yellow onions, diced (ok,sometimes we cheat and use a small red onion and one yellow!)
3  garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3/4 cup strongly brewed coffee (French Roast can be bitter I've found, but Community or Eight O'Clock medium blend works great)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (yes, it DOES make a difference- more molasses flavor)
1/2 cup Bourbon (or apple cider vinegar)

Directions:
1. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towel-lined plates to drain. (You could cook the bacon in the oven, but where is the fun in that, and you need the drippings for step 2!)

2. Remove bacon drippings from pan (Into jar for later use- store in fridge- gold mine for fried egg sandwiches, which are heavenly with bacon jam) and leave about 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the pan. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. 

3. Add the coffee, bourbon (vinegar), brown sugar, and maple syrup and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the skillet, for 2 minutes. 

4. Add the bacon and stir to combine. Then reduce the heat to a bare simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid almost completely evaporates and turns syrupy, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You may want to eat something VERY filling during this time, as the smell is gonna drive you NUTS- you will want to eat the whole pan as it is. Don't- it gets better!

For those wanting to clean up and clear the stove (or move on to cooking something else)- you can also put the jam into a slow-cooker at this point. Put in the cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until the liquid almost completely evaporates and turns syrupy, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Yes it lengthens the agony, but if you can man up, feel free to go ahead!

5. Let the jam to be cool slightly,  before transferring it to a food processor and pulsing until coarsely chopped. Or if you have a hand processor, process in the pot! 

6. Spoon the completed bacon jam into jars (this recipe makes up about 3 cups worth) or other resealable containers (we've found it works best in the jars- no chance of any lingering odors from plastic coming into this heavenly concoction).

The jam will keep in the refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. You can reheat what you need prior to eating- it does taste best if warmed by sandwich, meat or bread it is on! 

Note: if you want some heat to your jam, add some mole sauce (this brand is my fav) - it adds a hint of cinammon and chocolate, besides the heat! I heard you scream in ecstasy there! LOL

Use their Mole Adobo sauce and you get double the heat, without the chocolate! 

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!