This Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam Recipe will take your meal time to the next level.

It’s a bacon lovers dream and this savory jam is a great addition to a ton of different things to upgrade the level of flavor! It has crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and the best part, a sticky ample bourbon sauce.

Be sure to give this recipe a try, but be warned – it’s highly addictive!

Ingredients you will need

Bacon: Thick cut bacon – hickory or maple bacon

Large Onion: Yellow, white or red onions

Garlic: Fresh cloves of garlic for the best flavor

Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup. Good quality always has the best flavor and it has the most natural sweetness. Be sure to stay away from the fake stuff! You can substitute maple syrup with honey if desired.

Sugar: Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar or any natural substitute you prefer

Bourbon: Use your personal favorite bourbon for this. You can leave this ingredient out if you do not like bourbon. Note: the alcohol cooks out and this just adds more flavor to the bacon jam.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother or you can use balsamic vinegar for a little different flavor

You can add a little spice to your bacon jam by adding in 1/4 -1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapenos.

*Photos from this recipe are from Brittany Scott (Instagram:* @the_salted_bite)

How to make Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

Cut up the raw bacon into small pieces with a sharp knife. This will help the bacon cook faster and it will get all of the pieces nice and crispy.

Place the chopped bacon in a large skillet and cook it over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. While the bacon cooks, diced up half of an onion and finely mince up 3 cloves of garlic.

Once the bacon begins to get crispy, remove it from the skillet then place it on paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess bacon grease.

Drain the excess fat from the skillet and save 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat for frying. Add the diced onion and minced garlic then let them cook over a medium high heat for 5-7 minutes until soft. Ideally, you want caramelized onions, but some people like to leave the onions a little less done.

Reduce to a low heat then add the cooked bacon pieces back in to the skillet with the remaining ingredients. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup bourbon. If you want less bourbon flavor, reduce it from 1/4 cup to a splash of bourbon or eliminate it all together.

Thoroughly mix the ingredients then let it cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce begins to bubble and thicken at the bottom of the pan.

You can serve this up on a burger like I did with this Bone Marrow Bacon Jam Burger or you can level up some game day wings with my Bourbon Bacon Jam Wings.

The great thing about this bacon jam is that you can make it ahead of time and reheat it when you’re ready to use it. Just store it in an airtight container like a mason jar or any other sort of glass jars.

Looking for other delicious recipes that have bacon?

Be sure to check out these other receipts below!

Bacon Wrapped Burger Stuffed Onion Ring: Burger stuffed inside of some slices of onions then wrapped in bacon and smoked to perfection!

Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends: These delicious bite size meat pillows are a taste of heaven itself. Smoked pork belly (where bacon comes from) then sauced up with BBQ sauce for the ultimate bite.

Pork Belly Pig Shots: Bacon wrapped bacon, need I say more? Stuffed with cheese and jalapenos for the perfect sweet heat bite.

Bacon Cheeseburger Jalapeno Poppers: Get yourself game day ready with these meaty appetizers. These are a huge crowd pleaser.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders: Sliders are the ultimate finger food and these ones are super easy to make. These ones are loaded with grilled chicken, crispy bacon, cheese and homemade ranch.