How To Make Brown Ale and Bacon Jam

Homemade Jam Recipes

Ingredients: Brown Ale and Bacon Jam Recipe

1 1/2 lb / 750 grams of bacon
2 medium-size white onions
10 fl oz / 300 ml of dark ale / stout
4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
6 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
7 oz / 200 grams of brown sugar
1 clove of garlic

Method - What To Do

This simple recipe is certainly a very unusual and flavoursome savoury jam, and makes for a great talking point or a very interesting gift idea at Christmas. You can be quietly confident that everyone will love this spread when served on fresh toast or with a selection of cheeses. It even makes a very enjoyable sandwich spread or accompaniment to barbecued burgers. The addition of a cooking apple is worth considering if you fancy playing around with the flavours, or possibly a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Fry the bacon until it is evenly cooked all over, but not yet crispy. Chop the cooked bacon into small pieces and place this to one side. Finely chop the two white onions and add these to the same frying pan, so that any residue of bacon fat will provide additional flavour to this savoury jam. Cook the onions for around five minutes, until they are softened and slightly browned, and then add the garlic clove (finely chopped), cooking for a further a minute.

Add the dark ale, the white wine vinegar, the balsamic vinegar and the sugar, and stir this in well with a wooden spatula, scraping as you stir so that the frying pan remains clean on its bottom and sides. Keep the heat low and allow the jam to simmer, making sure that the sugar has all dissolved into the mixture in its entirety.

Transfer the brown ale and bacon mixture to a large saucepan and allow to simmer for roughly an hour, with a lid partly covering the pan so that some of the steam escapes. Stir enough to prevent any catching or burning, and when your jam reaches a sticky consistency, rather like a thick syrup, take the pan off the heat and spoon the mixture into a food processor. Blend using a pulse button (if you have one), taking care to chop only enough to remove any large pieces of bacon and onion, rather than turning the mixture into a puree. After this quick blend, your jam will be ready to spoon into jars. Store in a refrigerator for up to a month, although it is so delicious that it is unlikely to last that long!

Brown Ale and Bacon Savoury Jam / Chutney Recipe - More Chutney Recipes.