Happy National Grilled Cheese Day! Sharing my all-time favorite cheese toastie: Bacon Jam & Gruyère Grilled Cheese. It’s the coziest grilled cheese sandwich and a hug in every bite.
key ingredients
- Bacon: I like to use thick cut uncured applewood or hickory smoked bacon. Substitutions: If you can’t find this specific cut, you can use any cut of pork bacon. Turkey bacon will not work well as a substitution. If you can’t consume pork, you can make this without the bacon altogether. Replace the bacon and its fat with some olive oil and you’ll end up with a delicious caramelized onion jam.
- Onions: Yellow, white or Spanish onions will work well for this jam.
- Coffee: Don’t skip the coffee. A strong brewed coffee will amplify the other ingredients which will give the jam more flavor.
key steps
- Render Bacon: When you render bacon, you’re basically cooking the bacon in a skillet over low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Why we render the bacon is because we want to completely extract the fat from it without charring the bacon. Pro Tip: It’s easier to cut bacon while it’s still cold so keep it in the fridge until you’re read to slice the bacon. You can also pop it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes if you need to chill the bacon again before cutting.
- Caramelize Onions: This is probably going to be the trickiest step in the recipe. Caramelizing onions is an art. It’ll take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to caramelize onions and it’s one of those steps where you really can’t step away from the stove. We have to leave them alone enough to brown but not too long so that they burn. If the onions look like they’re charring too quickly, you may want to lower the stove temperature and add a little more oil or water. It’s also important to scrape the pan every few minutes as the onions caramelize. It’s a bit tedious but the effort is worth the reward. You will end up with jammy sweet onions that pair well with just about any dish.
3 ways to use bacon jam
- Cheese Boards: Pairs well with sharp, tangy or creamy cheeses like blue cheese or Brie
- Burgers: An easy way to elevate any burgers
- Pâté or Foie Gras: A sweet accompaniment to any rich pâté
faq
Can I make a vegan version?
Yes! You can replace the bacon with olive oil to caramelize the onions and shallots. Add the rest of the ingredients and you’ll end up with a sweet and savory onion jam.
How do i store bacon jam?
When the bacon jam is completely cooled off, transfer the jam to a clean storage container. I usually store my bacon jam in a half-pint (8 oz.) mason jar.
Bacon Jam & Gruyère Grilled Cheese
Bacon jam is a condiment that pairs well with most grilled sandwiches. When you simmer the bacon, onions, brown sugar and coffee together, it reduces into a sweet and savory jam. A little effort goes a long way and it's a great accompaniment to sandwiches, cheese boards, pizza and pâté. Note: This recipe makes about 8 oz of bacon jam.
Ingredients
Bacon Jam
- 10 slices of thick cut uncured Applewood or Hickory smoked bacon sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot halved and sliced into thin half moons
- 1/3 cup coffee strong brew
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup maple sugar
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Gruyère Grilled Cheese
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
- 2 slices of sourdough bread
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup bacon jam
Instructions
Bacon Jam
- Heat a skillet over low heat. Cook the bacon until the fat gets rendered and the bacon starts to develop some char around the edges (approximately 10 minutes). Stir every 2 minutes to prevent the bacon from burning on one side. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Pro Tip: It's easier to cut bacon while it's still cold so keep it in the fridge until you're ready to slice the bacon. You can also pop it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes if you need to chill the bacon again prior to cutting.
- Place the same skillet over low heat again. Then add the onions and shallots. Stir every 1-2 minutes and cook the onions until they are caramelized (approximately 12 minutes). If the onions look like they're charring too quickly, you may want to lower the stove temperature and add a little more oil or water. It's also important to scrape the pan every few minutes as the onions caramelize.
- Once the onions are caramelized, add the bacon back to the pan. Then add the brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
- Cook for an additional 18 minutes until the liquid in the mixture is reduced and turns into a thick jammy consistency. Occasionally stir every 4-5 minutes to prevent. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Gruyère Grilled Cheese
- Set a skillet over low heat.
- Spread the bacon jam on one side of the bread and add the grated Gruyère cheese to the other side. Then butter both sides of the sandwich.
- Place the sandwich on the skillet. Then add a tbsp of water into the pan and cover with a lid immediately. This process will create steam in the pan and help the cheese melt quicker. After 3 minutes on one side, flip the sandwich to the other side and let it toast for another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
