Of all the things that happened this weekend, this is really the only thing I want to talk about right now.

Because it's bacon jam.

Bacon. Jam.

And I pretty much licked out my dutch oven after I jarred this stuff up. It's crazy good.

I mentioned to a friend that I was making bacon jam when we were on the phone and she said (all in a rush), "Bacon Jam? Whoa! What do you eat it on? – – You know what, who cares what you eat it on! How about a spoon?!"

And she's right. Because it's jam, but – bacon.

You really have to taste it to understand.

(My recipe was inspired by Brittany Angell's version from Every Last Crumb.)

Bacon Jam Recipe

Ingredients

1 lb smoked high quality bacon (I buy bacon end cuts and trims at our coop. They are perfect for this.)

2 medium yellow onions, sliced

1/3 cup strongly brewed coffee or espresso (I used decaf) or mild chicken stock

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1 Tb apple cider vinegar

black pepper and salt to taste

1 Tb apple cider vinegar (reserved)

Process

In a large skillet or dutch oven, cook bacon until it begins to brown. Do not cook until it's fully crispy, but take it halfway there.

Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Pour off half of the bacon grease (reserve for other uses).

Transfer onions to still warm skillet. Caramelize onions over low heat, stirring only occasionally (less stirring yields best caramelized results). Cook for ten to fifteen minutes or until onions are translucent and beginning to brown.

While the onions cook, coarsely chop bacon.

Add remaining ingredients with the exception of reserved vinegar. Stir well, then cover pan and cook on very low heat for 3 hours (or transfer to slowcooker if you prefer), stirring every hour or so.

When much of the liquid has cooked down and the jam is somewhat thick and caramelized remove from heat.

Allow jam to cool enough to handle, then transfer to food processor and pulse to chop. Add reserved vinegar. Taste and add additional vinegar, salt, and pepper if desired.

Serve with crackers, brie, grilled chicken or pork, on a frittata, omlette, or – yes – right off the spoon.

Will last 1 week in the fridge or 1 year in the freezer. (Theoretically. Because honestly. Who could make that happen?)

Makes approximately 3 cups.