Bakin’ With The King on Saturday

WELCOME TO THE CASTLE KITCHEN!!!   Time to get cookin’ with bacon!

For years now The Royal Mom has seen recipes for “bacon jam” and thought “ICK” – you’ve got to be kidding.    Well, she USED to think that, but no longer does.    She finally let me make some for her and now – well – it’s her favorite burger topping!     So I thought I’d share the recipe with you – it’s definitely worth the trouble to make (which really isn’t much trouble!) and it’s EVER SO YUMMY.

BACON JAM

Ingredients

• 1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (see Recipe Note)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, packed

Method

1 Cook the bacon: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon in two batches so as not to crowd the pan. (If your pan is large enough, it’s fine to cook all the bacon at once.)

Stir occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned, but not burned or overly crispy. Scoop out the first batch of cooked bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain it on a paper towel-lined plate. Cook the remaining batch.

This should take about 25 to 30 minutes total for both batches.

2 Cook the onions and garlic: Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. You can eyeball it. Add all the bacon back to the skillet.

Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.

 Reduce the jam: Add the vinegar and brown sugar to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Cook stirring and scraping up browned bits from the skillet for 2 minutes

Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid turns syrupy and almost completely evaporates—this should take about 30 minutes.

4 Store and reheat if needed: Use immediately, or spoon it into an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to four weeks. Serve warm.

To reheat, zap it in the microwave for about 45 seconds or warm it in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 10 minutes.

 

Yep – that’s what The Royal Mom said when she tried some……….good on crackers, ESPECIALLY good on burgers, good with all sorts of things and it might sound like a pain in the neck to make but really – isn’t just about EVERYTHING a pain in the neck unless you are excited to make it?    If you love bacon – GO FOR IT.

Yep – and plenty of it!

Not in our castle……leftover bacon simply does not exist!

Give this a try – I promise you will love it.   If my ROYAL MUM can be happy with it, well – anyone can!

Happy Caturday – may your own castle have the aroma of bacon cooking!!   

Hugs From King Teddy