Think of a chutney; rich, sweet, perfect on crackers and cheese. Then add the taste and aroma of crispy, smoky bacon to the mix. This is a moreish, richly savoury condiment perfect for so many things and one of the tastiest things I have ever made. Try it in a cheese toastie; on a bagel with cream cheese; in a burger, with scrambled eggs or simply on top of an oatcake.
Good quality bacon is key. I have used Bannerman Butcher’s home cured and home-smoked bacon, you can’t get much more local than that! Based in Inverbervie, Aberdeenshire they pride themselves on selling only Scottish reared meat and the butcher is from a long line of family butchers. I genuinely have not had better bacon than both the unsmoked and smoked bacon from them. Normally, I found supermarket-bought bacon would leak out so much water that the bacon would be swimming in bacon water in the pan – not this stuff – Bannerman Butchers add zero water to their bacon giving you more bacon for your buck! If you love bacon, be sure to try this easy recipe out and let me know what you think. Find me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to share your thoughts.
RECIPE
MAKES around 1 jar
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Rookie
Ingredients:
- 200g smoked bacon
- 2 shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- Chilli flakes (optional)
- Worcestershire sauce
- butter
- 40g brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 200ml red wine vinegar
- water
- Black pepper
Method:
- Put the grill on a medium high heat and grill the bacon until crisp and golden- make sure the bacon fat is crispy.
2. Meanwhile, chop the shallot very finely and place in a large frying pan with a tablespoon of butter over a low- medium heat. Fry for around 5-10 minutes until really soft and beginning to go sticky.
3. Chop the bacon into small pieces and add to the shallots.
4. Crush the garlic cloves and add to the pan and add a tablespoon (or as much as you want) of chilli flakes. Fry for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the brown sugar, three tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and the maple syrup and stir for a couple of minutes to dissolve the sugar.
6. Increase the heat to a medium high and add the vinegar and 300ml water. Season with lots of black pepper and allow to bubble. Simmer for 30 minutes to one hour on a low heat, adding more water and vinegar if it gets dry, keep an eye on it but you only need to stir it occasionally. The longer and slower you cook it, the softer the bacon will be.
7. Once time is up, you should be left with a thick, jam like chutney with bits of crispy bacon through it. If it is too thick or dry, add more water and vinegar and stir very well. It will also get thicker on cooling. Finish with a tablespoon of butter stirred through to melt.
8. Leave it chunky if you like or blitz in a food processor to your desired consistency. Decant into a sterilised jar (see tips below) and keep in the fridge for two months or freeze (although it probably won’t last that long!)
TIPS
- If you don’t like smoky bacon, use unsmoked. You could also use pancetta cubes and fry them instead of grilling.
- To sterilise your jar, either put it in the dishwasher on the hottest setting; wash in hot soapy water and place in an oven at 150C for 10 minutes or wash in hot soapy water and microwave for 5 minutes.
- Use half an onion instead of two shallots
- Use honey instead of maple syrup
- Would make a perfect homemade gift to take to a BBQ
- Always use a clean spoon to remove bacon jam from the jar- if not you risk contamination which will significantly reduce the life of your bacon jam!
- Would go very well on top of my Ultimate Mac and Cheese
