Bacon marinated in bacon, turned into bacon jerky. The Jerky.com Test Kitchen spotted a jar of bacon jam at the store and had what we'll call a stupid idea: marinate beef bacon in the whole jar, then finish it with a bourbon bacon jam glaze. Can jerky survive that much sugar? Watch and find out. If you love bacon jerky, try our Barbecue Bacon Jerky.
Instructions:
Blend the marinade: Add the bacon jam, soy sauce, Worcestershire and black pepper to a blender and blend. The jam won't fully smooth out, and that's fine: you'll get a chunky, sticky marinade with bits of bacon in it.
Coat the beef bacon: Lay out the strips and massage the marinade into every piece, all the folds and crevices. This marinade is heavy, so take extra time on each strip. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours; we used these marinade containers. Stir it once in a while if you like, but you don't have to.
Rack it up: Lightly spray the trays so the sugary strips don't stick, then lay each strip flat with space between them. They'll shrink as they dry.
Dry it: We dried ours in our Cosori dehydrator at 158°F and started checking at 3 hours, watching the sugar so it didn't over-caramelize. Check every hour or so. You're after a dark, glossy, slightly tacky surface that bends without snapping. Ours looked done at about 7 hours.
Glaze (optional): Whisk 1/2 cup of bacon jam with a couple tablespoons of bourbon until it's thin enough to brush. Brush a thin layer on each strip and dry about 1 more hour, roughly 8 hours total.
Cool: Let the jerky come to room temperature so the glaze sets and the texture firms up.
Test kitchen note: We dried at 158°F. The USDA recommends heating beef to 160°F (poultry to 165°F) before or during drying. The simplest way is to dry at 160°F. If your dehydrator can't reach 160°F, steam or roast the strips to 160°F first.
Want a beef bacon jerky that made our Hall of Fame? Try our apple butter beef bacon jerky. For more bacon and bourbon, see our maple bourbon bacon jerky.
Taste test notes: Joey and Kenny joined the taste test. The glazed side came out glossier and loaded with bacon chunks. On the nose: "Oh, almost smells like barbecue." On flavor: "It's got some savory and some tang to it. Definitely not what I was expecting, but I don't hate it." Asked what it tasted like, one taster said, "The closest thing that comes to mind is like a whiskey barbecue." The texture got the most talk: "It's a texture roller coaster," with a caramelized, almost crunchy glaze, a tough chew and softer rendered fat. The panel split. One taster said, "That's crazy cuz it surpassed my expectations," while another said, "little too sweet and the contrasting flavors are a bit much for me." The final call: tweak it or kill it. "I think if we were going to drop a beef bacon flavor, this probably wouldn't be the first one we did."
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Bacon Jam Beef Bacon Jerky FAQ
Can you make jerky with bacon jam?
Yes. We blended a whole jar of bacon jam with soy sauce, Worcestershire and black pepper, marinated beef bacon in it for 24 hours and dried it into jerky.
Does all the sugar in bacon jam ruin jerky?
It didn't ruin ours, but watch it closely. Start checking at 3 hours so the sugar caramelizes without going too far.
What does bacon jam beef bacon jerky taste like?
Savory and tangy with a barbecue-like edge. One taster compared it to whiskey barbecue.
Is the bourbon glaze necessary?
No, it's optional. It adds a glossy, caramelized, almost crunchy surface and a bit more flavor.
What temperature should I dry bacon jam beef bacon jerky at?
The USDA recommends heating beef to 160°F (poultry to 165°F) before or during drying. The simplest way is to dry at 160°F. If your dehydrator can't reach 160°F, steam or roast the strips to 160°F first.
Rather skip the work? Try ours: Barbecue Bacon Jerky or the Bacon Jerky Assortment, or browse all our bacon jerky.
Would you keep it or kill it? Tell us in the comments, and send us your wildest ideas for what we should make next!
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Test Kitchen RecipeBacon Jam Beef Bacon Jerky Recipe (With a Bourbon Glaze)
Beef bacon marinated 24 hours in blended bacon jam, soy, Worcestershire and pepper, dried, then finished with an optional bourbon bacon jam glaze.
Ingredients
Steps
- Add the bacon jam, soy sauce, Worcestershire and black pepper to a blender and blend. The jam won't fully smooth out, and that's fine: you'll get a chunky, sticky marinade with bits of bacon in it.
- Lay out the strips and massage the marinade into every piece, all the folds and crevices. This marinade is heavy, so take extra time on each strip. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours; we used these marinade containers. Stir it once in a while if you like, but you don't have to.
- Lightly spray the trays so the sugary strips don't stick, then lay each strip flat with space between them. They'll shrink as they dry.
- We dried ours in our Cosori dehydrator at 158°F and started checking at 3 hours, watching the sugar so it didn't over-caramelize. Check every hour or so. You're after a dark, glossy, slightly tacky surface that bends without snapping. Ours looked done at about 7 hours.
- Whisk 1/2 cup of bacon jam with a couple tablespoons of bourbon until it's thin enough to brush. Brush a thin layer on each strip and dry about 1 more hour, roughly 8 hours total.
- Let the jerky come to room temperature so the glaze sets and the texture firms up.
Rather let us do the drying? Over 100 flavors, ready when you are.
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