EXTRA
Bacon Jam
Sweet, salty, sticky bacon, onion and capsicum for burgers, sausages, steak, mac and cheese, or eating from the fridge with questionable dignity.
BASIC
Bacon, onion and capsicum cooked down with brown sugar and vinegar until sticky. Cheap bacon is fine here — we're giving it plenty of help.
Method
Cook the bacon
Cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat renders and the edges begin to crisp. Scoop the bacon out, leaving a few tablespoons of fat in the pan.
Cook the onions and capsicum
Add the onions and capsicum to the bacon fat and cook over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes until very soft and starting to brown.
Add the garlic
Add the garlic, a generous grind of black pepper and the fresh chilli if using. Cook for another minute, just until the garlic smells good.
Add everything else
Return the bacon and add the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water and Worcestershire sauce if using. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Reduce
Simmer gently, stirring regularly, until dark, glossy and jammy. Add a splash of water if it starts catching before the onions and capsicum are completely soft.
ReduceCook a liquid so some of its water evaporates, leaving less liquid with a stronger flavour and usually a thicker texture.Cooking words →Salt it at the end
Once it is nearly finished, taste it and add salt in very small pinches, tasting between each one. Bacon varies wildly in saltiness, so don't assume it needs any. It sounds a bit wanky, but there is a point where the flavours suddenly brighten before the jam actually starts tasting salty. Stop there.
Cool
Let it cool before putting it in a clean container. It will thicken further as it cools.
UPGRADE
Chunky pancetta or good thick-cut bacon, long strands of onion and capsicum, coffee, maple and mustard. More texture, more savoury depth and considerably less interest in pretending this is a health food.
Method
Render the bacon
Cook the pancetta or thick-cut bacon over medium heat until it has rendered plenty of fat and developed good colour around the edges. Keep the pieces fairly substantial rather than cooking them down into bacon crumbs. Remove them from the pan and leave a few tablespoons of fat behind.
Cook the onions and capsicum
Add the sliced onions and capsicum to the bacon fat. Cook gently for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft, sweet and starting to caramelise. We want long strands of onion and capsicum in the finished jam rather than cooking everything down to anonymous mush.
Add the garlic and chilli
Add the garlic, plenty of black pepper and the fresh chilli if using. Cook for about a minute until fragrant.
Build the sauce
Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, coffee, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the balsamic vinegar here if you're trying it. Stir well and scrape up anything tasty stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Bring the bacon back
Return the pancetta or bacon chunks and stir everything together. Keep the heat low enough that the sauce reduces without burning the sugar.
Reduce gently
Simmer until the liquid becomes a dark, sticky glaze that clings to the bacon, onions and capsicum. Stir often enough to stop it catching, but not so aggressively that you destroy the long strands of vegetables. Add a splash of water if it gets sticky before everything is properly tender.
ReduceCook a liquid so some of its water evaporates, leaving less liquid with a stronger flavour and usually a thicker texture.Cooking words →Season at the end
Taste before adding any salt. Add it in tiny pinches, tasting each time. You're looking for the same point as the Basic version: the flavours brighten and become more distinct before the jam actually starts tasting salty. Stop there.
Adjust
Taste again once it has cooled slightly. If it is too sweet, add a small splash of apple cider vinegar. If you're testing the balsamic, decide whether it actually improved things before automatically adding more next time.
Let it settle
Cool before serving or putting it into a clean container. It will thicken as it cools, but the finished jam should still have identifiable chunks of meat and ribbons of onion and capsicum.
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