Ultimate Grilled Cheese with Bacon Jam
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
1 hour 30 mins
Total time
1 hour 45 mins
Three cheeses are combined with a sweet, salty and tart bacon jam for the Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich.
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
Bacon Jam*
- 1 pound Jones Dairy Farm Dry Aged, Cherrywood Smoked Bacon, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1½ cups diced onion
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Sandwiches
- 8 slices good quality white bread
- butter
- 4 slices American cheese
- 4 slices Cheddar cheese
- 6 oz Brie cheese, sliced
Instructions
To make the Bacon Jam
- In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Drain on a paper towel drained plate. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pot. Add in the onion and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the water, maple syrup, vinegar, brown sugar and Dijon mustard. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the bacon back in. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1-2 hours. If it gets too thick, add in a little more water.
- Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Pulse a few times to break it down into a spreadable consistency.
To make the Sandwiches
- Butter the outsides of each of the pieces of bread. Place a slice of Cheddar cheese on the unbuttered side of 4 pieces of the bread. Spread some of the bacon jam on top of the cheese. Divide the Brie between the sandwiches and layer on top of the jam, followed by a slice of American cheese. Place the remaining bread on top of the cheese, buttered side out.
- Heat a griddle over medium-low heat. Cook the sandwiches until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Notes
*This will make more bacon jam than you will need for these sandwiches. Save the remainder to top hamburgers or more grilled cheese sandwiches!
