• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Kitchen Konfidence logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • ×

    Home / Recipes / Course / Appetizer

    1 Jun 22, 2011 Appetizer  |   Jump to Recipe

    Bacon Jam Hand Pies

    Bacon Jam Hand Pies

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Bacon Jam Hand Pies.  Oh yes.

    I recently sat in on an online food photography workshop taught by Penny De Los Santos.  One of the assignments included photographing a food truck experience.  While Penny was making photographs of Skillet (the food truck), the owner mentioned one his products, bacon jam.  Since first seeing that bacon jam, I’ve been dying to make a version of my own.

    This recipe for Bacon Jam Hand Pies features rich, savory bacon jam encased in light, flaky pastry.  Topped with smoked sea salt, these hand pies are to. die. for.  Please note that the recipe below is quite in depth, so plan your time appropriately.  But do give this a try, you won’t be sorry.  Continue reading for the recipe.

     

    Pastry Dough

     

    Bacon Jam

    Bacon Jam Hand Pies

    Bacon Jam Hand Pies

    by Brandon Matzek
    Recipes adapted from here and here.
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings 8 servings

    Ingredients
      

    To make the bacon jam:

    • 1 pound smoked bacon
    • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
    • 5 garlic cloves, minced
    • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
    • Tabasco Sauce, to taste
    • 1 cup brewed coffee
    • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

    To make the pastry dough:

    • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
    • 16 tablespoons 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
    • 1/2 cup sour cream
    • 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1/2 cup ice water
    • 1 egg yolk, for the egg wash
    • Smoked sea salt, for sprinkling

    Instructions
     

    To make the bacon jam:

    • In a large, heavy bottom pot, cook the bacon over medium heat, working in batches to avoid crowding the pot. Cook just until lightly brown and starting to crisp (no black spots). Set aside to cool.
    • Add onion and garlic to the same pot and cook until soft and translucent (about 10 – 12 minutes), stirring occasionally. While the onion is cooking, cut bacon into 1 inch strips.
    • Return the bacon to pot and add brown sugar, brewed coffee, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer uncovered for 3 hours, stirring every once in a while to prevent sticking. Stir in 1/4 cup of water every 30 minutes. After 3 hours the mixture should be thicker and have a deep, rich brown color.
    • Let cool for 20 minutes then transfer to a food processor. Pulse several times for a chunkier jam or pulse many times for a smoother jam. If you want to enjoy the jam sans pastry, I would recommend finishing this recipe by seasoning with the ingredients mentioned below. No additional cooking needed. If you are continuing on to make the hand pies, follow all instructions below to remove some of the fat from the jam. This will keep your hand pies from being too greasy.
    • Transfer to small bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.
    • Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and with a spoon, skim off most of the solidified fat found on top of the jam. Discard fat. Transfer jam to a small, heavy pot and season with several turns of black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paptrika, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice and red wine vinegar. Season to taste with additional tabasco sauce (for more heat) and red wine vinegar (for brighten flavors). Cook on low for an additional 30 – 45 minutes until most of the liquids have evaporated. Let cool before adding to hand pies.

    To make the pastry dough:

    • Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Place the cubed butter in a another bowl. Chill both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and add flour, salt and butter to a food processor. Cut the butter into the flour by pulsing the food processor. Continue pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Turn mixture out onto a work surface or silpat.
    • In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, lemon juice and cold water. Form a well in the middle of your flour butter mixture. Add half of the sour cream mixture to the well. Using your fingers, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining liquid and flour butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Be sure to not overwork the dough throughout this entire process. Overworked dough = tough pastry.

    To make the hand pies:

    • Divide the dough in half. Return one half to the refrigerator and place the other half on a lightly floured work surface or silpat. Roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 3 1/2 inch (or larger) round cookie cutter, cut circles out of the rolled dough. The amount of circles will depend on the size of your cutter. You can also reroll and cut more circles from the scraps. Transfer the circles to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Chill circles in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. While waiting, repeat the rolling, cutting and chilling process with the remaining half of dough.
    • Remove the chilled dough circles from the refrigerator. Prepare a small bowl of water and ice and set aside (to seal the hand pies).
    • Spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of bacon jam onto one half of each circle. Dip your fingers in the cold water bowl and run them around the circumference of the dough. Fold the dough in half so the one side comes down over the filling, making a semicircle. Using a fork, press the edges of the dough together. This will seal the pies and create a nice, decorative edge. Repeat this process with remaining circles. Return the lined baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill the semicircles for another 30 minutes.
    • Preheat oven to 375°F. Place 1 egg yolk in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of water. Beat to combine and set aside (for the egg wash).
    • Remove the chilled semicircles from the refrigerator and cut a small slit on the top side of each. Lightly brush each semicircle with the prepared egg wash and sprinkle with smoked sea salt. Bake until the hand pies are golden and slightly cracked (20 – 22 minutes). Remove the pies from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
    Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!

     

    1
    Brandon and Federico
    Brandon

    I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Creamy Pesto Caprese Skewers Recipe
    • Fried Rosemary and Garlic Dip Recipe
    • Buffalo Chicken Dip with Caramelized Shallots and Blue Cheese
    • Melon and Prosciutto Toast with Mint Pesto
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • WhatsApp
    • Email

    Categories: Appetizer Tags: allspice, apple cider vinegar, bacon, black pepper, brown sugar, butter, coffee, eggs, flour, garlic, lemon, maple syrup, onion, pastry, pie, red wine vinegar, sea salt, smoked paprika, smoked sea salt, sour cream, tabasco sauce

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Krystal R. says

      June 22, 2011 at 2:23 pm

      A man after my own heart, bacon – it’s meat candy!!! I also love food trucking, it’s one of my other foodie hobbies!!! I love everything about these bacon jam hand pies!!! MMmmmmmm good.

      Reply
      • Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says

        June 22, 2011 at 2:58 pm

        Meat Candy… HA!!!  Thanks Krystal.

        Reply
    2. Averie says

      June 22, 2011 at 8:00 pm

      Bacon jam?!  Oh wow, that is super creative!

      Reply
    3. Platanosmangoes says

      June 24, 2011 at 5:19 pm

      How I envy a person that can make a good pastry doug…The thought of bacon jam is so tempting.  Have a great weekend!

      Reply
    4. Terris - Free Eats says

      June 25, 2011 at 12:08 am

      Those are pockets full of love. I’m kind of obsessed with handheld pies so I may need to make these. I have to eat gluten free, but luckily gf pastry dough works well.

      Reply
    5. Liz Marr, MS, RD says

      July 1, 2011 at 4:45 pm

      Wow – what a great idea for an outdoor brunch. The bacon jam sounds killer – and I mean that in a good way….this from a dietitian. 🙂

      Reply
    6. Stephsbitebybite says

      July 1, 2011 at 5:14 pm

      What an intersting pie! I think I’m drooling!

      Reply
    7. Kim Forni says

      July 5, 2011 at 1:16 am

      WOW, these really sound delish!!!!!!!

      Reply
    8. Authenticsuburbangourmet says

      July 8, 2011 at 1:48 am

      This sounds super delish as well as unique.  I must try to make this jam. 

      Reply
    9. Joy says

      July 10, 2011 at 8:49 pm

      I never heard of bacon jam until recently.  That looks great.

      Reply
    10. Shirley G says

      July 11, 2011 at 3:38 am

      What can’t you make out of bacon these days? I’m intrigued by the use of coffee in the recipe. The pies look great!

      Reply
    11. Wickedpies says

      July 27, 2011 at 11:16 pm

      OH MY GOD…. This is a pregnant girls dream. I’m actually kinda flipping out with excitment to try this recipe!

      Reply
    12. nutyluv says

      August 10, 2011 at 3:11 pm

      Just made these last night.  Awesome.  Can’t wait to hand these out to my guy friends (the ladies have appreciated them as well!).  Bacon jam – whodathunkit?

      Reply
      • Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says

        August 10, 2011 at 3:57 pm

        Thanks!!  So glad you enjoyed.

        Reply
    13. Jenn says

      April 30, 2014 at 2:21 pm

      Just stumbled on this recipe via your Refinery 29’s chia pudding post. Sounds amazing. I was wondering if the hand pies are freezable (I assume probably prior to baking)? Also, how long would the bacon jam be good for? I assume that needs to be stored in the fridge? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Brandon Matzek says

        May 1, 2014 at 12:36 pm

        Thanks Jenn! The bacon jam lasts for about a month before the flavors start to diminish. You could certainly freeze the unbaked hand pies. I’d recommend freezing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid. After that, you can transfer them to a freezer bag for long storage. Enjoy!

        Reply
        • Jenn says

          May 4, 2014 at 5:09 pm

          Loverly. Thanks so much for the tips Brandon 🙂

          Reply
    14. hungry girl says

      June 11, 2014 at 11:50 am

      Must try this! I usually use frozen puff pastry dough to save time, and then I re-freeze it to pop in the oven in a pinch. I might try adding apples to these to add some tartness? What do you think?

      Reply
      • Brandon Matzek says

        June 18, 2014 at 4:44 pm

        Puff pastry would be a good time-saver. And you can easily make this jam in advance. I’m sure apples would be a good addition. Let me know if you try it!

        Reply
    15. Natalie @ In Natalie's Shoes says

      June 19, 2014 at 3:32 pm

      Wow! I stumbled upon this recipe from your recent Refinery29 post and am SO GLAD! This sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Brandon Matzek says

        June 20, 2014 at 3:57 pm

        Thanks Natalie!!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    Brandon and Federico

    I'm Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Read More…


    Popular Posts

    • Pork Ribs on the Grill
    • Sriracha Aioli Recipe
    • Zucchini Pizza Recipe
    • Jorge’s Green Chilaquiles Recipe

    GET THIS FREE 40-PAGE ECOOKBOOK! SIGN UP BELOW

    ebook cover 2021
    Subscribe Here

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Get Social!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Quick Links

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright & Licensing
    • Download my E-Book!
    • See All Recipes

    Kitchen Konfidence is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

    All Content & Images © 2022 Kitchen Konfidence

    Scroll Up