Onion Jam

Perfect Pairing:  Grilled flank steak

Everyone is familiar with strawberry, grape, and raspberry jam.  The more adventurous eater may also be a fan of apple or even pepper jam, but what about onion jam?  Onion jam??  Oh yes my friend…. Embrace it.  This onion jam even has bacon. 

I made this recipe on Christmas for my family.  I don’t think everyone was sold when I told them what I was making, but when it came time for dinner, everyone loved it.  This jam is sweet from the sugar in the onions, apple cider, and brown sugar.  It has a savory depth to it from the bacon and thyme.  It is pretty much all around delicious.  Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to cook the onions down to a jam-like consistency.  I let them reduce for at least four hours. 

The Perfect Pairing for onion jam is grilled flank steak, which is how I served it on Christmas.  The flank steak was seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled until medium rare, and then thinly sliced.  Top off the slices with a good dollop of this jam and you have a true perfect pairing.  I admit that my serving may have had more jam than meat, and I was totally ok with that.  If you have some jam leftover serve it alongside some cheese and crackers.  We added our leftovers to a cheese tray the next day and it was the first thing gone from the buffet.

Onion Jam

Adapted by Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing from Patio Daddio BBQ

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

·         5 slices of bacon

·         5 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced

·         2 tsp salt

·         2 cups apple cider

·         ¼ cup white wine vinegar

·         ¼ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

·         2 Tb thyme leaves

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large pan over medium heat.  Add bacon to pan and cook, turning often, until crispy.  Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain.  Leave about 1 Tb of the grease in the pan to cook the onions.  Add the sliced onions and salt to the hot pan and stir to coat with the bacon grease.  Allow the onions to soften over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Once the onions have softened, add the apple cider, vinegar, brown sugar, and thyme.  Crumble the cooked bacon and add to the pan.  Stir until everything is combined and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions have turned into a jam consistency.  They should be a deep brown color.  This should take about 3 to 4 hours.

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