Secret Recipe Club: Tomato Bacon Jam

For the August edition of Secret Recipe Club I was assigned the blog Feed Me Seymour - I had a WONDERFUL time browsing through Kim's lovely blog! SOOO many amazing recipes that I pinned to add to my menu plan in the very near future, including these Ham and Cheese Popovers, Gouda and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese, Garlic Butter Mussels, and Creamy Chicken Soup.  Check out Kim's About Me page to find out more about this lovely, self-proclaimed "reformed kitchen failure" and her assertion that "You shouldn't need a culinary degree to make a tasty meal for your family." I totally agree - I love all the easy to read, understand, and duplicate "real good food" recipes Kim shares!

I ended up falling head over heels for the Tomato Bacon Jam, and we took this amazing recipe just a step further and turned it into an integral part of the Triple Bypass Bacon Burgers, recipe below.

Bacon Jam goes great on an ooey gooey grilled cheese too!!

Triple Bypass Bacon Burgers

Tomato Bacon Jam Ingredients (from Kim at Feed Me Seymour)
8-oz bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBS white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground mustard
1 TBS apple cider vinegar

Burger Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons barbecue sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup bacon bits (coarse chopped, cooked bacon)

4 slices of cheddar cheese

4 thick cut slices of bacon

Instructions

1. Prepare Tomato Bacon Jam first:
1. Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat until crispy. Place cooked bacon on paper towels to absorb grease.
2. Drain grease from skillet, reserving 2 TBS in the skillet. Saute onions in the remaining grease until translucent, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, crumble (or rough chop) the bacon when cool enough to handle. When onions are cooked, add the bacon to the skillet along with all remaining ingredients.
3. Bring jam to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and continue cooking for about 45 minutes, or until thickened. Cool in the pan and then move to a jar for storage.
2. After jam has been prepared and has been set aside to cool, begin preparing the burgers.
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt, black pepper, barbecue sauce, bacon bits, and garlic powder using your hands. Form the mixture into 4 patties and set them on a plate (you can cover and refrigerate until ready to use if necessary).
2. Preheat your grill for medium heat.
3. While grill is heating, cook the 4 thick cut slices of bacon to desired crispiness, and set aside to drain on paper towels when cooked through.
4. Cook the burgers about 3 - 5 minutes per side, or until they reach desired doneness.
5. On a bun, layer the burger, slice of cheese, cooked bacon, and coat the top (or bottom) bun with the Tomato Bacon Jam. Add additional toppings to your burger as desired (pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.)
6. Enjoy.
7. Schedule an appointment with your cardiologist.

Lindsey Rose is 11 months old!

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