Sheridan and Allen.

Two of my favorite words.

Making this was a weekend goal of mine. Achievement unlocked. Here’s the original recipe. I made a couple of adjustments.

The first step is cooking the bacon. You can do this in a frying pan, or you can bake it in the oven. (That’s my preference.)

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 pounds cooked, chopped bacon.
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 large yellow onions, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, divided
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Melt butter over medium heat and add the diced onions and salt. Cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp of the thyme, and the peppers. Then add the bacon. Stir in the water and then continue to cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. The jam will thicken and become dark brown in color. Remove from heat and taste. If you’d like a sweeter taste, like I did, add a tbsp or so of brown sugar. Add the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil, and taste again. Adjust accordingly.

Store in the refrigerator. Great on burgers and as part of a cheese plate.

This recipe made about 4 cups of jam.