I had SO much fun with this experiment! I chose to use tomatoes as my primary ingredient, that I picked up from a local grocery store on the way to my cottage. My dad keeps his smoker out there, so I had the idea to try smoking the tomatoes before turning them into a succulent jam. I cut them each in half while the smoker heated up, awaiting the soaked Maplewood smoking chips. Once everything was ready, I placed the tomatoes on the top shelf of the smoker, where the heat is less intense, and left them for a good 3 or 4 hours, until they were still firm but strongly infused with the smoke flavour. I let the tomatoes rest for a night in a glass bowl covered tightly with seran wrap, and the next day I prepared my jam. I began by frying up some bacon on the stovetop until crispy, and setting it aside. I prepared the tomatoes by removing the peels and stems, then diced them into a chunky consistency. I diced up some white onion and sweat it down in the leftover bacon fat, then added my tomatoes, sugar, red chill peppers, apple cider vinegar and salt and pepper. I added a bit of the smoky tomato juice from the bowl that I let the tomatoes rest in, and brought the mixture to a boil. I added the bacon to the mixture, and set it on a low temperature so that it could reduce and become the thick/sticky/sweet/salty/heated unique jam that I was aiming for. Taste-testing along the way, the jam went from good to delicious as its sugars concentrated and meshed with the flavours of the sweet, salty, smokey and spicy components. It's finishing flavour is complex, having an initial smokiness that is followed by the natural sweetness of the fruit in addition to the dissolved sugar. The saltiness in the occasional piece of bacon that you bite into is a pleasant surprise, and you're left with a faint bit of heat on your palate that compliments the flavours perfectly. I was extremely pleased with my finished result, especially as this was my first time actually using a smoker and experimenting with different methods of food preparation. I used a very basic way of preserving my jam, sanitizing the jars and lids in boiling water then once filled, boiling in a tall pot of water for just over an hour. They sealed wonderfully and I am definitely more confident in my preserving abilities now, looking forward to the next time I do it. The Recipe:Ingredients: 8 ripe tomatoes, halved 4 pieces bacon 1 white onion, chopped 1 cup white sugar, granulated 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp red chill pepper flakes Salt & pepper, to taste 1. Smoke tomatoes as explained above, then peel and dice. 2. Fry bacon until crispy, set aside and reserve some of the fat in the pan for onions. 3. Sweat onions until translucent, then add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, chill flakes and salt & pepper to taste. 4. Bring mixture to a boil; crumble reserved bacon then add to pan. Reduce to low heat and cook for about 45 minutes, until thick and a deeper crimson colour. 5. Can in sanitized jars, removing air pockets and sealing tightly. Boil jars in tall pot for just over an hour, then let cool on the counter. |