Blackstone Jalapeño Bacon Jam

This Blackstone Jalapeño Bacon Jam is smoky, sweet, savory, a little spicy, and unbelievably good piled onto burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, sandwiches, or even spooned over cream cheese for an easy appetizer. Crispy bacon, sweet onions, and jalapeños cook down with red wine, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper until thick, glossy, and jammy.

The Blackstone makes this recipe extra fun because you get plenty of surface area to crisp the bacon, caramelize the onions, soften the jalapeños, and scrape up all that flavor when the wine hits the griddle. The result is a rich bacon jam that tastes restaurant-level but is simple enough for backyard burger night.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Ultimate burger topping: Sweet onions, bacon, jalapeños, and wine create a bold topping that makes burgers taste gourmet.
• Made on the Blackstone: The griddle gives the bacon and onions great flavor and makes the jam easy to cook down.
• Sweet, smoky, and savory: Brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, red wine, and bacon balance each other perfectly.
• So many uses: Spoon it onto burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, breakfast sandwiches, flatbreads, or appetizer boards.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon, diced
• 2 sweet onions, diced
• 2–3 jalapeños, diced
• 1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Black pepper, to taste

How to Make Jalapeño Bacon Jam on the Blackstone

1. Cook the bacon. Preheat the Blackstone to medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook until crispy.
2. Set bacon aside. Move the cooked bacon to a plate or a cooler area of the griddle, leaving a little bacon grease on the cooking surface.
3. Cook the onions and jalapeños. Add the diced sweet onions and jalapeños to the bacon grease. Cook until softened, golden, and caramelized.
4. Deglaze with wine. Pour in the Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and scrape up all the browned bits from the griddle.
5. Add sweetness and tang. Stir in the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper.
6. Simmer until jammy. Let the mixture cook down, stirring often, until thick, glossy, and jam-like.
7. Add the bacon back. Stir the crispy bacon back into the onion-jalapeño mixture and cook for a few more minutes so everything comes together.
8. Pile onto burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, sandwiches, or serve as a dipper-style topping.

Recipe Tips

• Dice everything small. Smaller pieces help the bacon jam cook down evenly and make it easier to spoon onto burgers.
• Leave just enough bacon grease. A little bacon grease helps caramelize the onions and jalapeños, but too much can make the jam oily.
• Cook it low enough to thicken. Let the wine, sugar, and balsamic reduce until the mixture turns glossy and jammy.
• Control the heat. Remove jalapeño seeds for a milder jam, or leave some in if you want extra heat.

Serving Ideas

Serve Blackstone Jalapeño Bacon Jam on burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, breakfast sandwiches, sliders, steak sandwiches, flatbreads, baked brie, or spooned over cream cheese with crackers. It also makes a great topping for grilled pork chops or chicken.

Storage

Store leftover bacon jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the Blackstone, in a skillet, or in the microwave until warm and spoonable