A smoky bacon-y, sweet n salty tomato jam with bacon, tomato, onion and garlic, plus marvelous interminglings of worcestershire, mustard, a kiss of maple and a bit of Sriracha to give it a little dance on the tongue, this condiment is akin to ketchup, in a way, but way more complex and adaptable to your own likings. It’s a lively spread for burgers, cheese and crackers, or heck, even for veggies like celery (maybe with a little schmear of cream cheese underneath).
Bacon Tomato Jam is something I’ve been wondering about for a while now. Especially since we ordered lunch from a new place and both of my kids decided on burgers, which came with bacon tomato jam, but they opted to skip this interesting condiment. They thought it sounded interesting, but didn’t want to take the chance that they didn’t like it. Inside I was screaming “doesn’t bacon tomato jam sound perfect for a burger?!?” … But they are old enough to know their own preferences so I just shut my mouth and let them order. I ordered the felafel, so yeah, not really compatible with bacon tomato jam, but I was so intrigued by the idea of bacon tomato jam as a sweet n salty (maybe even a little spicy), spread for a burger. I thought bacon tomato jam sounded SO much more interesting than plain ol’ ketchup.
Why Make Bacon Tomato Jam?
So, since I missed out on experiencing bacon tomato jam on that day and I really didn’t want to order a burger just to taste the jam (I kinda love burgers, yeah, but for my size and age, I really can’t eat more than a slider size burger and that’s not how restaurants work), I decided to make it myself … so I went out and bought some nitrate free, center cut bacon and opened a jar of my canned tomatoes from last year (that I’m trying to use up before THIS year’s tomatoes start coming in!) and started cooking.
I ended up with a very nice, bacon-y, ketchup-like jam that’s more savory than your typical sugar-laden jams, but so lovely and complex in flavor. It’s kind of like all the things you like on your burger, all in one. The perfect gift for a bacon-loving person. (I originally thought I’d post this for Father’s Day, but that didn’t happen … this summer has been WAY too busy!) But I’m glad of it. It feels so good to be returning to at least some semblance of normalcy after the pandemic. I’m totally welcoming the return of FRIENDS to my life. Friend outings take time but oh my gosh, they are so worth it.
Is Bacon Tomato Jam Heart Healthy?
I think using leaner, center-cut, nitrate free bacon helps keep it a little more heart healthy, but you know what? If you’re really concerned about your heart health (like me), why not try making this yummy condiment without the bacon? Tomato onion jam is totally a thing too. I’m planning to try that sometime this summer, especially once I’m inundated with fresh garden produce.
I’m giving most of this batch away, because for myself, with my small eating habits, I want something even more cholesterol-friendly. Bacon is delicious, but it takes on more of a subtle flavor here, and if I’m going to have bacon I want something bacon forward. And frankly, I could totally give up on bacon as long as I can enjoy things like my Irish Pub Cheese.
But for the bacon lovers, you can’t go wrong with this complex, flavorful, sweet n salty bacon tomato jam.
Adapted from Serious Eats and AllRecipes
Print
Bacon Tomato Jam
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 min
- Yield: Roughly 1 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Condiments
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 12 oz. nitrate-free, center cut bacon
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled & chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1 pint of fire roasted tomatoes (or 1 15-oz. can or 1 lb. fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped)
- 1/4 cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons dijon or other prepared mustard
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes (or substitute ~1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon bacon salt (or smoked salt) & freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- Sriracha or other hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with silicon mat and lay the bacon strips side by side on the mat. Bake for 20 minutes or until done to your liking. Remove from oven and let cool a bit. Set on a clean towel or paper towel to absorb the extra fat. Crumble or chop the bacon into little bits.
- Meanwhile, gather and prep the other ingredients. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add all the ingredients (including the bacon), minus the sriracha. Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat to simmer and let cook for roughly an hour or until thickened to your liking.
- Taste and add sriracha or adjust other seasonings to your preference. Spoon into jars and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
© Copyright 2021, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. I love it when you share, but please do not use my images on your own site/page without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. Sharing, pinning, and tweeting is always appreciated as long as the shares and pins link back to here for the recipe. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
