Smoky back bacon, red onions, Canadian maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce are slow-cooked to perfection to make the most delicious, sticky, multi-purpose bacon jam recipe. Make it, you’ll be glad you did.
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That time I got lassoed…
True story.
I was only 19 and living in Banff, Alberta, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Canada. My (then) boyfriend and I had just broken up. We’d just had a huge row and I’d stormed out of the house in a rage to walk it off. Not even a minute later, as I stomped down the street thundercloud crashing above my head, I found myself abruptly halted with a lasso around my ankle.
You see, the annual Calgary Stampede was on that weekend. There wasn’t enough room in the city to house the influx of cowboys and rodeo participants, so many of them were staying in nearby Banff.
I looked up from my confines to meet the gaze of a rather young and handsome cowboy with his suede cowboy hat, blue jeans and oversized belt buckle.
I glared at him, wordlessly, as I lifted my ankle to have the lasso removed.
The poor lad was so apologetic, quickly removing the rope and letting me continue on my rage-stomp down the road. If I could go back in time and apologise to him I would.
Talk about missed opportunities!
Crumpets and candied bacon
What has that got to do with crumpets, you might wonder (and rightly so!).
I love crumpets, especially toasted and eaten warm with lashings of butter and some strawberry jam.
That’s not nearly quirky enough a recipe to blog about, so I set to thinking: maple syrup and bacon would work well on a crumpet, wouldn’t it? How could I serve it – grill the bacon so that it’s gorgeously crispy and pile it up like a tower and drizzle in maple syrup?
What about candied bacon?
Candied bacon….. Mmmmm! Bacon candied made with maple syrup…
Then, as I went for my daily hill walk, inspiration struck: an easy bacon jam recipe! Bacon jam is a delicious condiment prepared by slow-cooking bacon with onions, a sweetener (brown sugar or maple syrup), vinegar and spices.
Avocado and a poached egg also go really well with bacon jam too, and so this delicious brunch idea was born.
What is bacon jam made of?
- 300 grams smoked back bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 80 ml Canadian maple syrup
- 3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 80 ml water
- salt & pepper, to taste
How to make this bacon jam recipe
- Add your chopped bacon to a cold, dry pan and then heat over medium-high heat.
- Fry the bacon for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until it starts to crisp up and brown.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook for a further 8-10 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the remaining ingredients and turn the heat down to low.
- Simmer for 30-45 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and glossy. Add a little more water, if needed.
- Cool for 10 minutes and process to a coarse blend in a food processor or blender.
What can I use bacon jam for?
- toasted crumpet with smashed avocado and a poached egg
- on a baked potato with cheese (warmed up so it melts the cheese)
- serve on a beef burger
- spread it on toast
- add to it your grilled cheese sandwich
- panini with bacon jam and cheese
- try it as a ravioli filling
- quesadillas with bacon jam and cheese
- spoon it out of the jar and get it in you
- add a spoonful to your bolognese sauce
How long does bacon jam keep in the fridge?
- two weeks.
Bacon Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 grams smoked back bacon
- 1 medium red onion finely chopped
- 80 ml Canadian maple syrup
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 80 ml water
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Equipment
Instructions
- Add your chopped bacon to a cold, heavy-based pan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Fry the bacon for 10-15 minutes, until it begins to crisp and brown.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Saute gently for a further 8-10 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the remaining ingredients, season well, reduce heat to low and pop the lid on.
- Simmer for 35-45 minutes until the jam is thick and glossy.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before blending to a coarse spread in a high-speed blender or food processor.
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Adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Loves bikes. Calls Shetland home.
Jess says
Bacon makes everything better. This bacon jam is life-changing!
Taylor Kiser says
Oh my word!! This looks so delicious! Definitely a must make!
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter says
Such a great idea! Although I don’t eat myself, I know my meat loving guests will love it for brunch!
Dannii says
Oh I am definitely making this for my breakfast at the weekend.
Gina says
This is the ultimate breakfast sandwich topping, we love making it and giving as gifts too!
Margaret Gallagher says
What a delight – weekend treat for all our family
Katie says
This looks so good! I’m going to try it with a giant crumpet for dinner one night this week. I bet it would make a nice brunch as well. Your egg is just perfection!
Leigh-Ann says
I am going to have to go to the shops now! This look delish!
Vicky Cristina says
that’s a whole meal there. so delicious. thanks you for teaching us and sharing this lovely recipe
Jennifer says
Wow, the dish looks so beautiful and delicious, I will make it at this weekend. My husband will love it very much! Thanks for sharing!
Steve | Big Stevie Cool Food Blog says
This looks incredible! I have all of these ingredients at hand so will be trying this for brunch at the weekend. I’ve had a jar of bacon jam in the fridge for a couple of weeks but didn’t know what to use it for!
Davena Ma says
So excited to try this! I’ve been waiting for the Bacon Jam recipe! Thank you!
We live about three hours north-east of Banff AB. Avocados have become quite popular in Canada, but they can be rather expensive here. Almost $2 a piece at times! Which makes me wonder how expensive they must be in Shetland !?
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed says
Oh wow, what an ingenious idea, you really have took a crumpet topping to a whole new level. I love crumpets and I just have to try this!
Krystal // The Krystal Diaries says
You totally had me at avocado. This looks so good! I love poached eggs too.
Manju | Cooking Curries says
Love that you made the bacon jam also. It all looks so very delicious!
Nisha Syam says
Yummy.. This looks so delicious. It looks super easy to prepare also. Even looks very beautiful.
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Thomas says
Wow! Look so delicious, especially when I am so hungry as now. I think I can do this easy recipe without the help of my wife.Thank for your sharing!!!!!
Chasa Fulkerson says
Hmm being lassoed by a cowboy sounds found and the crumpet looks good. The whole meal does, but I couldn’t eat sweet with savory. I am sure my husband would like to try the jam though.
Karyl | Karyl's Kulinary Krusade says
I love watching the old British comedies on PBS so I’ve heard of crumpets, but never seen a recipe using them! At first glance I thought it was an English Muffin. I absolutely love avocado and bacon, so this looks like a wonderful breakfast or snack.
neha says
That seems like one yummy recipe. It’s going to be tried in my breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Gillian Thompson says
I’ve always loved crumpet. We don’t get them much in HK. If we could I’d be making this recipe. Love your lasso story, I can imagine that for a while you looked back and kicked yourself for being clouded by your temper – ha ha!
Marie-Pierre Breton says
Bacon jam!!! what?!?! I need that asap! This looks like it could become quite easily my new favorite breakfast/brunch dish! Lovely recipe!
Stephanie Jeannot says
Boy does that look like a tasty food to eat. Maybe you can call it the foodie melt.
Amy says
I love your story – so funny! These crumpet sandwiches sound delicious! I have never tried bacon jam but it sounds excellent!
Fred says
This is totally new to me but it looks and sounds yummy. The only problem is there are no crumpets in Sand Diego. Thanks for sharing!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
Ok so this is my kind of breakfast. Ah yes the Calgary Stampede….I remember those days. We always went west every summer. My mom was from Saskatchewan and dad was from Manitoba. As for crumpets….well my husband’s grandparents were from England. He LOVES crumpets with condensed milk!! I love them with peanut butter…but this great looking sandwich is a “must try” for sure.
Nicole says
I love crumpets toasted, with tons of butter and a dollop of jam, but this is much healthier. Sounds delicious, thanks for this.
Aish Das-Padihari says
Honestly, these pics are making me hungry. And that perfectly done egg!! Heavenly.
Alicia Taylor says
I absolutely love the story about how you came up with the name! Ha! Love it.
Becky Excell says
These crumpets are amazing aren’t they?! Thanks for sharing, I love a good crumpet topping!
Maria Han says
This is the first time that I heard about this recipe and it really sounds good to me, I bet my hubby would love this too
Elizabeth says
That’s because there’s nothing out there like it. I invented it! 😉 My husband thoroughly enjoyed his when I served it to him. 🙂
Basim says
this looks so delicious. i just wanna eat it from the picture lol
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
I would give anything to have just one bite of this.
Elizabeth O. says
Bacon and avocado has always been a good combination! This sounds amazing! I love that you can have this filling recipe for breakfast and still have enough time to get ready for the day ahead. I’m sure the kids will love it.
Anna nuttall says
Yum this look amazing! Such a great idea with Crumpet. I never thought of that. xx
Glenda says
My son and husband would love the crumpet avocado, bacon and egg sandwich. I think I am going to try it this weekend for them. Thank you for the recipe!
Cameron says
These look so good! We don’t really have crumpets here in the US, but put it on a southern biscuit (which aren’t like your biscuits haha) and we’re good to go!
| diaryofasouthernmillennial.com
Catvills says
that poached egg looks very perfect to this meal! i like it
dana vento says
that looks so delicious and easy to prepare! thats very interesting!
Angel says
This looks so good! And easy enough for a cooking-newb like me to make too~ Now if only it comes with a cowboy…
Author Brandi Kennedy says
Good lord – bacon jam on a grilled cheese! Yes please! Or on a cheeseburger – yum!
Ang. says
This looks SO good. But the name is cracking me up! So clever. I Love it!
Agentizerozerosetter says
This recipe is so funny ,colourful ,cool and yummy!Love the name,it’s perfect!
Kate | Veggie Desserts says
What a great story! Accidentally lassoo’d – ha, ha ha. I love the thought of this hipster crumpet. I love Warburton’s crumpets and you’ve turned this gluten-free one super-glam. Lovely brunch idea.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Ooooh you can’t beat a good crumpet, gluten-free or not. I usually just have them with far too much butter (love the way it melts into the holes!), but this looks far more exciting! Can’t wait til I can eat runny eggs again!
Sus // roughmeasures.com says
I love the name of this recipe! I always forget about crumpets, but this recipe has me running to the shop to grab some!