Bacon Jam

This is a game-changer, folks. Bacon jam. It becomes this little chant in your head, bacon jam, bacon jam, bacon jam. You'll be trying to come up with excuses to smear it on any and everything you eat. You won't want to share. You'll get a little crazy. Bacon jam, bacon jam, bacon jam!

I had been meaning to make a savory jam recipe for a few months now, and after weeks of procrastinating for homemade holiday gift ideas, I decided bacon jam would be a fun treat to give away. Of course, as soon as I had made the jam I didn't want to give any of it away because it is so dang delicious, but I resisted hoarding this jam all for myself and gave away all but one jar. I know, I'm reallllly selfless like that.

Makes six 8oz. jars
Cooking time: 2-3 hours (simply depending on whether you feel like multitasking)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thick-cut bacon
• 8 garlic bulbs
• Olive oil for drizzling, about 1 tablespoon
• 10 yellow onions
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chili flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel and slice all yellow onions. Place them in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot along with the butter, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Cook for 2 hours over medium-low heat until onions are caramelized and dark brown, stirring occasionally. Add the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook for an additional 45 minutes then place in a large bowl for blending  (or if you have a blender or food processor, place the onion into that!).
2. While the onions caramelize, slice the top 1/4" off the top of each garlic bulb to expose the cloves. Grease a casserole dish then place all garlic bubs in sliced-side up. Generously drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and roast for 35-45 minutes until garlic is tender and golden. Let the garlic cool, then use a butter knife to pop out each clove into the same bowl (or blender) where you put the onions (it doesn't matter which order you put things together for blending, so if you want to wait to roast the garlic until the end of the caramelizing time, go for it!)
3. Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Chop the bacon into 1/2" pieces and cook until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon onto a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator until you are ready to blend the jam.
4. Once all cooking is finished, place the caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and bacon in a large bowl and blend with a hand immersion blender until still slightly chunky (or place directly into a food processor or blender and do the same - you want a chunky jam consistency). 
5.  Use a funnel (wide-mouthed for canning) to distribute the jam evenly between six 8 ounce jars. Jam will last up to 2 weeks refrigerated. Serve it warmed up with fresh dinner rolls, on pork chops, in a sandwich, with water crackers and brie... or on a spoon? Yeah. That's also a good option. 

I added tags and expiration dates to the jars I gave away, and wrapped them in tissue paper for an easy but festive look. I brought a jar of this jam and a loaf of homemade French bread for Christmas morning, and it was delicious along with scrambled eggs and coffee.