This homemade bacon jam recipe is so simple to make! It's a tasty spread to use on toast, as a sandwich spread, on a crostini as an appetizer, and more!
The love for bacon is no secret, nor is the love for wine.
Do the two pair well together? Despite the favorite line "everything is better with bacon," not every wine pairs well with the beloved meat candy.
One wine that does pair well with bacon: Gallo Family Vineyards' Hearty Burgundy.
Gallo Family Vineyards Hearty Burgundy
Recently, Gallo Family Vineyard's celebrated its 50th anniversary of its iconic red blend, Hearty Burgundy.
Winemakers Ernest and Julio Gallo first introduced this red blend in 1964. It's a fuller medium-bodied blend, comprised of tasty dark berry and plum notes. We like that it's not too oaky, nor too fruity: it's somewhere in the "simply right" category for each of those descriptors.
The Gallo brothers loved how this blend reminded them of wines they would enjoy in Italy at meal times surrounded by family. After tasting it myself, We could quickly see how this was an ideal wine to share with friends and family over great conversation and hearty laughs. It is definitely MY kind of red wine: big, bold, full of deep, dark berry flavor with each sip.
You could easily pair this wine with any number of hefty, meaty meals. It would go beautifully with such as with steak frites, a big bowl of the Tri-Pepper Pasta, or even the Sausage and Peppers dish.
But We wanted to pair this with appetizers that would work well for entertaining guests. It does, after all, come in a 1.5 liter bottle, which is the perfect size bottle to enjoy with friends!
You already know We'm going the bacon direction here, right? We quickly decided to pair this with two bacon dishes: Bacon Jam and Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese.
And We didn't have to wait until International Bacon Day to make them. As luck would have it, We was hosting the next Bunco night. The perfect opportunity to share and test out the pairings!
How do you make bacon jam?
Making jam is fairly simple, but time consuming. At least, it is for this working mother of two younger kids. Is it worth it? YES. Absolutely. We have the full bacon jam recipe and directions at the bottom of this post.
The basic bacon jam recipe is:
- cook the bacon in a skillet
- remove bacon and sauté onions and garlic, making sure to scrape up all that yummy bacon bit goodness that might be stuck to the pan
- then you add the cider vinegar, maple syrup, and the bacon back to the pan and simmer.
- next, place the entire mixture in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3.5 to 4 hours. Finally, you blend the mixture in a food processor.
The ingredients and steps are simple (but like We said, simply time consuming), and in the end you get about 2.5 cups of tasty Bacon Jam!
We served it with goat cheese and sliced baguette. You can also serve this on toast for breakfast; as a condiment with a tasty sandwich; or smother it over some pork chops for dinner. It's versatile, and it keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks (if it lasts that long!).
Hearty Burgundy Pairing With Bacon Jam
How did this appetizer fare with the Gallo Family Vineyards Hearty Burgundy? We personally enjoyed it. We thought the berries in the Hearty Burgundy brought out the sweetness of the Bacon Jam.
A reminder: when it comes to wine pairings, go with your gut, and follow your taste buds. Simply as we don't all taste wines the same, our palettes don't all agree with certain pairings. You won't know until you try — and We definitely think you should at least try this pairing (because it's tasty!!).
Bacon Jam
By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins Servings: 4 servings Homemade bacon jam is so simple to make!Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a skillet.
- Once cooked, remove bacon and all but one tablespoon of reserve bacon fat. Sauté onions and garlic, making sure to gently scrape up all that yummy bacon bit goodness that might be stuck to the pan.
- Then add the cider vinegar, maple syrup, and brown sugar to the pan, and add the bacon back to the pan, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, place the entire mixture in a slow cooker and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours.
- Finally, blend the mixture in a food processor. Serve immediately or let cool to room temperature, and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Bacon jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.Nutrition
Calories: 252 kcal, Carbohydrates: 58 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 2 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 2 mg, Sodium: 17 mg, Potassium: 203 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 53 g, Vitamin A: 1 IU, Vitamin C: 3 mg, Calcium: 79 mg, Iron: 0.4 mgNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Gallo Family Vineyards, and We am compensated as part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. All photos and opinions are the own.
