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.
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.
Print
Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam Recipe
This Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam Recipe will take your cooking to the next level. It’s loaded with sweet, sticky, bacon and bourbon flavors.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups of Bacon Jam 1x
Ingredients
- 6 slices of thick cut bacon
- ½ yellow onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup of maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon
Instructions
- Cut up 6 slices of bacon into small pieces then cook in a skillet over medium heat until it starts to crisp up.
- Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet then place on a paper towel lined plate. Drain the fat from the skillet, less 2 tbsp bacon fat.
- Sauté 1/2 diced onion and 3 cloves of minced garlic for 5 minutes in the 2 tbsp of bacon fat.
- Add the cooked bacon back in with 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup bourbon and cook for 5-7 mins until it bubbles and thickens.
- Serve it up or store it in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it!
Notes
You can substitute maple syrup for honey for a different flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Pan frying
- Cuisine: American
8 Comments
Just saying this is the best bacon jam spread that you will ever taste. I just had a burger topped with this and I can’t say enough. I normally can’t eat an entire burger but this jam totally made it superb and not a bit left. Heck I would just eat the jam, totally would be great on chicken or maybe that Easter ham.
The flavor of this Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam Recipe is amazing and what an added bonus to your hamburger! No ketchup needed on your burger, the flavor is to die for!! Top notch, great job!
Your bacon jam is amazing so easy to make and really added flavor to the cheese burger! We made it for a barbecue and it was a big hit.
This is an amazing recipe! It was one of the best upgrades on a burger I have ever had. Saving this one, thanks!
Another great recipe to try! Don’t sleep on this one, my family is OBSESSED with this. Thank you for the easy upgrade.
How long will this last for in the refirgerator?