I’ve never really understood why so many recipes say that onions can be caramelized in 5-10 minutes. Truly caramelized onions take a long time to cook. It takes at LEAST an hour, or more if you’re cooking them super low and slow. There is just no other way to produce sweet, soft, luxurious onions. Real talk, my onion bacon jam takes a long time to cook, nearly 3 hours!, but don’t let that scare you. It only requires occasional stirring once the onions get cooking, so take the time to- Read a book! Clean your kitchen! Watch a movie! Or make some art! The result is a smoky, sweet, tangy delightful jam that adds an extra oomph to just about any dish. Put it in an omelette, top your favorite burger or sausage with it, make a next level grilled cheese- it can do no wrong. It is the perfect condiment.

Onion Bacon Jam

Ingredients:

4 1/2 lbs onions, halved and thinly sliced

12 oz bacon

2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

1 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed

Slice bacon into 1/4” strips. In a large pot or saute pan (large enough to hold the mountain of onions you’re about to cook) brown bacon over medium heat until crisp, approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain half the bacon fat from the pan. Add the onions. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 tsp salt, and stir to combine. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 40 minutes. Your onions will have reduced by half at this point. Remove cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally, for another 2 hours. Your onions will be done when they are incredibly soft, a dark amber color, and have reduced by 1/2 again.

Transfer onions to a food processor. Add bacon, 1 tsp salt, chipotle powder, fish sauce, dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, and thyme leaves. Puree until everything is combined, approximately 15-20 short pulses.