Apple Whiskey Bacon Jam
I remember the first time I made a bacon jam that leaned into autumn — the kitchen smelled like a small orchard. I wasn’t aiming to reproduce anyone’s recipe, but I did borrow the idea of withering apples with sugar and a little booze. If you need a fast snack to pair with the jam…
I remember the first time I made a bacon jam that leaned into autumn — the kitchen smelled like a small orchard. I wasn’t aiming to reproduce anyone’s recipe, but I did borrow the idea of withering apples with sugar and a little booze. If you need a fast snack to pair with the jam while it cools, I sometimes tuck it into simple apple sandwiches I make in five minutes: 5-minute apple sandwiches.
A quick note on the pantry items I pulled together: several thinly cut strips of cured pork, a couple of cups’ worth of apples chopped into bite-sized pieces, a good mound of brown sugar, a modest pour of whiskey to flambé the onion-free pan (just a splash, trust me), a touch of tang from both apple cider vinegar and fresh lemon, a warming dusting of cinnamon, and salt and pepper to knit everything together. Quantities I used matched the modest batch I wanted — enough to last a week of breakfasts and cocktail-hour snacks.
Ingredients I used (summarized)
- About four strips of bacon, cooked crisp and chopped.
- Roughly two cups of diced tart-sweet apples.
- A half-cup of packed brown sugar to caramelize the fruit.
- A small measure of whiskey to deglaze and add depth.
- Little spoons of apple cider vinegar and lemon juice for acidity.
- A half-teaspoon of cinnamon, plus salt and pepper to taste.
Technique, narrated rather than numbered
I start by frying the bacon slowly until it’s deep mahogany and the fat is clear. There’s no epiphany in this step — just patience. With the bacon set aside, I tip most of the rendered fat back into the pan and toss in the apples. They sizzle, soften, and give off a perfume that tells me they’re ready for sweetness. The brown sugar goes in next; it melts and clings to the apple pieces, turning everything glossy.
Then comes the brief, slightly theatrical moment: the whiskey. I pour a modest glug into the hot pan and let it bubble, scraping browned bits from the bottom. That flame is optional; I rarely bother if I’m making this on a weeknight. After a minute of simmering to cook away the raw alcohol, I stir in vinegar and lemon for balance and sprinkle in cinnamon. Salt and pepper finish the savory arc.
How long? I simmer until the apples collapse into jammy threads but still show tiny pieces of fruit — about fifteen to twenty minutes at medium-low. The bacon goes back in near the end so it keeps a bit of texture instead of dissolving entirely into sweetness.
A pairing detour
This jam loves cheese. Spread it on crackers under a slice of brie warmed quickly; you can even pop the combo into an air fryer for a minute if you’re impatient like me — it turns into a spoil-yourself bite fast. If you want a quick recipe for that kind of snack, I leaned on an idea similar to these air-fryer brie bites when testing textures: air-fryer brie and pineapple bites.
Variations I tried
- Increase the whiskey and let it reduce more for a boozier, darker jam.
- Swap half the brown sugar for maple syrup if you like a woodsy sweetness.
- Add a small pinch of cayenne if you want a counterpoint to the sugar.
Storage and small practicalities
I cool the jam completely and spoon it into a sterilized jar. It keeps well in the fridge for about a week; the flavors continue to meld and it only gets better for the first few days. Freezing is possible in small portions, but the texture softens a bit on thawing.
A use-case you might not expect
I once mixed a spoonful into warmed pork tenderloin sauce to fast-track a glaze; it worked brilliantly, lending both fruit and umami. If you have an active pup and want to make apple treats that are safe, I sometimes reference other apple-based quick snacks during test days: 15-minute apple carrot hard bones for dogs they’ll devour.
My favorite serving
Toast, a smear of mild cheese, a generous dollop of the jam, and a scattering of microgreens if I’m pretending to be fancy. It’s portable too — excellent wrapped around a slice of sharp cheddar in a sandwich for a picnic.
A last, tiny mechanical tip: if your jam seems too loose when it’s still hot, let it fully cool before condemning the batch; chilling tightens the set considerably.
Conclusion
For my source of inspiration and the original concept that nudged me into this riff, I referred to the Apple Whiskey Bacon Jam from I Am Homesteader which sparked a lot of my adjustments: original Apple Whiskey Bacon Jam on I Am Homesteader.
One personal limitation I noticed: I’m still working on getting the bacon texture perfectly consistent — some batches I like chewy, others I prefer crisp — and I haven’t yet settled on the exact compromise I really want.
Bacon Jam with Apples
Ingredients
Method
- Fry the bacon slowly until it’s deep mahogany and crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside, retaining the bacon fat in the pan.
- Add the diced apples to the pan with the rendered bacon fat. Sauté until the apples soften and become fragrant.
- Stir in the brown sugar, allowing it to melt and coat the apples.
- Pour a splash of whiskey into the hot pan, letting it bubble while scraping any browned bits from the bottom.
- Simmer for about 1 minute to cook off the raw alcohol before adding the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
- Season with salt and pepper, then simmer until the apples are jammy, about 15-20 minutes. Add the bacon back in near the end to retain its texture.
- Cool the jam completely before transferring it to a sterilized jar.
- The jam will keep in the fridge for about a week, and flavors will develop further over the first few days.
