Smoky Tomato Bacon Jam

Figuring out what to do with 22 pounds of organic tomatoes before they go bad is always part of the fun of cooking and enjoying the awesome flavors of summer through the winter.

Hubby is a little perplexed that I felt the need to buy so many but he does enjoy reaping the yummy rewards that come from helping me to process them all, even if he doesn’t completely enjoy helping with the process part. I have to admit he is always a good sport just as he was with this batch of overindulgence. He manned the grill and fire-roasted all those bad boys along with a few pounds of peppers while I turned them into salsa, tomato bacon jam and the rest into tomato purée for pasta sauce at a later date.One advantage to fire-roasting the tomatoes is you can skip the peeling part. Tossing them in the food processor or blender with the peel on adds that lovely smokey taste from the blackened skins to whatever you’re making. I love the smokey flavor gained without adding liquid smoke. Using naturally smoked salt and smoked meat products are other great ways to gain smoke flavor without using liquid smoke. I just really dislike liquid smoke. It leaves a distasteful taste behind in my opinion and I can always taste when it has been used.

The Smoky Tomato Bacon Jam recipe I am sharing with you today uses all three processes to add smoked flavor. It results in a jam that is wonderfully smoky and full of summer’s fresh tomatoes and lots of bacon. The addition level of this stuff is huge. It’s smokey, slightly spicy, full of wonderful tomatoes and onions. The recipe is a creation from The Kitchen Whisperer with my own adaptions.

I have used this savory jam on crackers with several types of cheese. It went well with all of them! I have also used it on breakfast sandwiches in the morning with eggs and cheese and I am just waiting for the opportunity to get a pizza made so I can try it on it. Hubby likens the addiction ratio to crack level. You will just keep wanting more! And you can impress everyone with it without telling them how easy it was to make.

Fire-roast some fresh tomatoes or if you want the really easy way, grab a few cans of already roasted ones. Personally I like the gratification of making my own but I do understand the need for a shortcut at times. Fry up some bacon and then toss the rest of the ingredients into the pot and simmer until you reach your desired thickness. You’re done! It is just that easy, so do not miss out on having a wonderful jar of Smoky Tomato Bacon Jam sitting in your fridge.

Smoky Tomato Bacon Jam

heidi medina

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Notes

adapted from The Kitchen Whisperer's recipe for Smoky Tomato Bacon Marmalade

2 1/2 pounds roasted tomatoes, skins on, chopped

3/4 pound bacon, cut into 1" pieces

2 cups onions, chopped

2 tsp. smoked salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Sriracha

2 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

In a large pot or pan, fry bacon pieces until crispy and then remove from the grease using a slotted spoon. Drain the bacon grease, reserving 1 tablespoon.

Return the pan to the stove with the reserved bacon grease. Add the tomatoes, onions, sugar, Sriracha, vinegar, salt and pepper to the pan. Turn the heat up to high.

Stir constantly, until the sugar dissolves and mixture has come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and return the bacon to the pan.

Cook the mixture for about an hour or until it has thickened to desired thickness, stirring often.

Once desired thickness, pour the mix into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Place the jam in a jar and store in the fridge.

*Can be canned if you use a pressure canner or leave bacon out to process in a water bath. Meat products must be canned using a pressure canner to make sure they reach a high enough temperature to be safe to eat.