Bacon jam


Bacon jam is a bacon-based relish, similar to the Austrian starter Verhackert. It is made through a process of slow cooking the bacon, along with onions, vinegar, brown sugar and spices, before mixing in a food processor.
Bacon jam, like other fruit jams, requires a certain level of sugars to be officially labelled 'jam'.

Recipe

Bacon jam is made by slow cooking a combination of bacon, onions, brown sugar and vinegar, then placing the mixture in a food processor and putting it into jars. Variations on this recipe include altering the cooking time between two and six hours, and adding other ingredients such as maple syrup, garlic, a variety of spices and bourbon.

Verhackert

Without the sweeteners the recipe bears some similarity to the Austrian dish, Verhackert. Verhackert is a spread of minced bacon, combined with garlic and salt. A traditional dish, the preparation of bacon takes place over two months, which includes freezing the meat two to three times. Once the meat is ready, it is minced with the other ingredients and pressed into a terrine. Verhackert is served cold with bread as an appetizer.

Notable producers