Smoked Bacon Jam

Use a 3 to 1 ratio when making bacon jam: three lbs of chopped bacon to 1 lb of chopped sweet Vidalia onion (about 2 medium).

Start with the bacon: Smoke chopped thin sliced bacon at 225F with super smoke on a Traeger Grills timberline until the fat has completely rendered out. Stir every 20 minutes for 3 hours.

Add in the onions and 3 tbsp of minced garlic. Stir and smoke for an additional 3 hours. Continue to smoke until the onions and garlic are completely breaking down and the bacon is softened.

Add 1/4 cup maple Syrup, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 3 tbsp instant espresso powder, 3 tbsp honey Dijon mustard, 2 tsp Traeger coffee rub, and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Turn your grill up to 275/300F.

Stir every 20 minutes and continue to grill until the mixture is slightly thickening, approximately 2 hours.

Remove from grill and set aside for 1 hour to cool at room temperature.

Working with a food processor, pulse batches of the bacon mixture until a jam-like texture is achieved. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for later use.