Bacon jam – Think like a winner!

Bacon in a jam sounds as ridiculous as Gorgonzola in an ice-cream  or  chocolate in a jous for steak, yet chefs and cooks around the world do these crazy things all the time.

Bacon jam is nothing new, yet the concept is somewhat strange, yet enticing. There is something about the combination of sweet and salty that sounds almost a bit naughty . Something like “good girl” and “bad girl” all of a sudden became “one girl”  What’s not to love about bacon? My  Corn Fritters with Camembert and Bacon, drizzled in golden syrup will send your taste buds into orbit.  The perfect pork belly roast is only complete when served with Stuffed Apples wrapped in……… you guessed it, BACON!

Who ever came up with the idea of bacon jam, heaven knows! In Austria they make something similar called Verhackert, but the origin of bacon jam remains a mystery! The recipe I read first, was on Baked Bree and when I read the list of ingredients, I thought I sensed a taste of the South in there somewhere. I did not have all the ingredients at hand , so I knew I had to wing it! Taste, taste and taste until it satisfies my idea of what bacon jam should taste like.

It seems I have an eye for a winner, because when I made my first ever batch of bacon jam last week, I had no idea that bacon jam will also win the DStv Food Network Eat Out Best New Product award this year.  I expected nothing less from Curedeli, after all they are very picky when it comes to sourcing quality pork from farmers and butchers. Their bacon jam is truly delicious and it took serious willpower not to sit with the jar in one hand and a teaspoon in the other just finishing off the whole lot.
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Another winner I picked the first day I met her, was my friend Anel Potgieter, who won the DStv Food Network Eat Out Local Foodblog of  on Friday night at the night market. Well done, a truly deserving winner you are!

The other 2013 Eat Out DStv Food Network Produce Award winners are:

Best small producers:

Grocery / condiments: Karma Home Products, Kestell. Free State

Dairy (cheese): Pépé Charlot Cheese Maker, Craighall Park, Gauteng

Dairy (other): Gourmet Greek, Lions River, KwaZulu-Natal

Paddock (fresh): Greenfields, Nottingham Road, KwaZulu-Natal

Paddock (cured): Jewell & Co., Franschhoek, Western Cape

Earth: Magic Herbs, Porterville, Western Cape

Bakery: The Bread Gypsy, Pretoria, Gauteng

Best organic/free-range producer: Farmer Angus for pasture-reared beef mince and eggs, Stellenbosch, Western Cape

South African food heritage award: Enaleni Farm for zebra beans, Enaleni farm, KwaZulu-Natal

Outstanding markets and outlets:

Outstanding market South: Neighbourgoods Market, Woodstock, Cape Town

Outstanding outlet South: Wild Peacock Food Emporium, Stellenbosch

Outstanding market East: The Food Market, Durban North

Outstanding outlet East: Spice Emporium, Durban

Outstanding market North: Pretoria Boeremark, Silverton, Pretoria

Outstanding outlet North: Braeside Butchery, Parkhurst, Johannesburg

Outstanding outlet Central: Polkadeli’cious Deli, Bethlehem

Sadly I do not have the winning bacon jam’s recipe, but here is my version of this new kid on the block!

Bacon Jam

Ingredients

500 gr bacon – finely diced

4 large onions – finely diced

5 ml chili flakes

80 ml maple syrup

125 ml strong coffee

80 ml red wine vinegar

zest of 1 orange

5 ml dry fine ginger

80 ml brandy

Method

Heat a heavy-based pot on the stove and  fry the bacon until crispy and brown. Remove the bacon from the pot and in the same pot, saute the onions until soft and translucent. Add the bacon and all the other ingredients, except the brandy back to the pot and simmer for 45  – 60 minutes.  The mixture should be thick and syrupy. Add the brandy and allow to cook through. If you want a smooth bacon jam, you can transfer the mixture to a food processor and  process until fine or if you like it chunky like I do, keep it as is. Spoon into sterilized jars and cool of. Keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, if you can save it that long.

So, if you are thinking that your blog and produce could be next year’s winner, start working at your dream…… Think like a winner and it will soon happen for you too!

For further information, please contact Hannerie Visser at hv@hannerievisser.com or 082 782 6707.