Tomato Bacon Jam

Not sure what to bring to the dinner party? Whip up some of Sweet Daddy D's Tomato Bacon Jam and grab a box of crackers.  It will be the talk of the party so be prepared to share the recipe.

Just simmer your favorite ripe tomatoes with some smoked bacon and sweet onions. Add in some sweet and savory flavors with brown sugar, lemon and cider vinegar.  Reduce it down until it slightly thickens and you've got a world-class appetizer or a super-charged condiment.  The whole thing will be done in an hour, including peeling the tomatoes and prepping all the ingredients.  It's not only a great appetizer but add it to your favorite sandwich or a burger and its a game changer. And wait until you taste what it can do for a hot dog!

Recipe

Tomato Bacon Jam

Fabulous appetizer and a terrific condiment. Simple to make. Sweet, smoky flavors round out the intensity of the tomatoes and onions.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 Cups

Calories: 21kcal

Author: Sweet Daddy D

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Here's What You Need

• 4 cups ripe roma or plum tomatoes peeled and chopped
• 2 slices thick smoked bacon
• 2 cups sweet onions rough chop
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar packed
• Kosher salt to taste

Here's What You Do

• Bring about 8 cups of water to a heavy boil.
• Make a crosshatch on the stem end of each tomato with a sharp knife and immerse in the boiling water for about 1 to 2 minutes after it returns to a boil. Remove to a bowl of ice and water to stop the cooking for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the peeling and cut out the stem core, then rough chop the tomatoes.
• Place the chopped tomatoes in a bowl to accumulate the liquid.
• Chop the onions, zest and squeeze the lemon and measure the remaining ingredients.
• Slice the bacon crossways into small strips, about ⅛ to ¼ inch.
• Starting in a cold cast iron frying pan, fry the bacon over medium heat until the fat has been rendered, stirring often so that it does not scorch. About 5 minutes.
• Leaving the bacon in the pan and the heat at medium, add the onions and saute until beginning to caramelize. Make sure to stir often so the onions do not scorch. About 15 minutes.
• Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar and brown sugar and stir well.
• Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes, juice from the tomatoes and a pinch of kosher salt and stir well to combine all the ingredients.
• Bring the mixture to a high simmer, then reduce the heat to medium.
• Stir often and smash some of the bigger tomato pieces as you go.
• Continue on a low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, uncovered, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the mixture is beginning to thicken.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool about 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture will thicken some more as it cools.
• This can be served cold or warm over crackers or toast and makes a wonderful condiment for sandwiches, burgers or hotdogs.
• Yields about 2 cups.

Recipe Notes

Ripe tomatoes are the key to this recipe, although the variety does not matter so much.  Roma tomatoes are very good in this and are available most of the year. Plum tomatoes are also good, as are Creole Tomatoes when they are available. Use your favorite!

It's important to use a moderate to low heat for most of this recipe, Drawing the sugars out slowly and reducing the tomatoes gradually intensifies the flavors.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.0001g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 3g