The Best Damn Bacon Jam Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does homemade bacon jam last? ›

For safety, we strongly recommend that bacon jam be refrigerated for times suggested by the recipe (2-4 weeks) or that it be frozen for longer storage.

Why is my bacon jam not thickening? This recipe is all about patience. To achieve a thick texture, all of the liquids need time to reduce. Make sure you're cooking your bacon jam without a lid over your Dutch oven, so your bacon jam can evaporate.

Our list of things we want to use this jam in is ever-growing. Here are just a few to get you started: warm potato salad, grilled asparagus, fresh tomatoes, panzanella, grilled cheese, crackers and goat cheese, spinach salad, a spoon, fresh garden peas, scrambled eggs, bagels and cream cheese...

Pairs perfectly with breakfast, lunch, or dinner items and can even be blended to create bacon-flavored toppings, dips, or coatings.

Once your jam is done, you can simply store it in the refrigerator for a long time and not worry about it spoiling. I pour it into small jars, cover them with lids and let them cool to room temperature. Once the jam cools, you'll be able to see its final texture.

Q: How long can I keep my homemade jams and jellies on the shelf? A: For best quality, it is recommended that all home-canned foods be used within a year.

Lack of acidity: Acids like lemon juice help lower the jam mixture's pH, which reacts with the natural or added pectin to help thicken the jam. If a jam recipe doesn't call for lemon juice or lime juice, it could rely on another ingredient, like added pectin, to set the jam.

Since pectin is activated by sugar, it requires using a considerable amount of sugar to activate the pectin and set (i.e. thicken) your jam. If you try to cut back on the sugar, it won't set properly.

Please be careful when adding pectin as too much will leave you with a set that is too solid and it is not possible to rectify this so always add less than you think is necessary and test the set and then add more if required. We recommend commercial pectin in either liquid or powder form for this process.

It pairs well with a huge range of vegetables, so you can toss carrots, cauliflower, green beans, brussels sprouts, or more with this jam and some seasoning for an upgrade to conventional roasted vegetable side dishes. For other side dish ideas, you can add bacon jam to roasted, fried, or mashed potatoes.

Which jam is the tastiest? ›

Happy Girl Kitchen. We love a jam with fruit vivid and bright enough to make our mouths water. Happy Girl Kitchen does it: their tangy plum jam is wonderfully intense, their strawberry jam balances fresh flavor with cooked richness, and their apricot is more packed with flavor than any fresh apricots we've tried.

To ensure that my jam has a proper acid level to gel properly and limit bacteria growth, I always add lemon juice to a jam mixture. Plus, I like the flavor a pop of lemon juice adds to my jam. It balances the sweetness of the fruit and brightens most fruit jams.

Bacon jam can be safely refrigerated for two to four weeks. Any amount that you keep in the fridge will need to be used within that length of time. You can store bacon jam in any refrigerator-safe container. Many bacon jam enthusiasts choose to use mason jars for aesthetic reasons.

The pork belly in uncured bacon sits in salt brine for longer during the curing process since artificial nitrates cure the pork belly faster. Generally, cured and uncured bacon taste the same unless the brine has additional flavorings, such as liquid smoke, hickory, or applewood.

The savory jam has an excellent flavor. You can taste the bacon along with the onion and apple notes. It was delicious by itself as well as with cheese and meats.

For homemade jams made using sugar and processed by canning in a hot water bath, you can expect to get about two years of shelf life when stored in a cool, dry place. Once opened, keep your homemade jam in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Can homemade bacon bits be stored at room temperature? Homemade bacon bits should always be stored in the refrigerator or frozen for longer storage. Bacon bits will last 4-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container or up to 6 months in the freezer.

If you've cooked up more bacon than you can eat, you can store it in a well-sealed container for five to seven days in the refrigerator before it goes bad. If you don't think you'll be able to eat it in that time, you can freeze cooked bacon for about a month.

Put the jam into containers and freeze: Pour the jam into clean freezer containers or canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. (Plastic freezer containers with tight-fitting lids work well for storing freezer jams and jellies.)