REVIEW: The Bacon Jams Gourmet Bacon Spreads

We love bacon! Not just us here at We Got Food Covered, but in America in general. We put it on everything, but sometimes crispy strips of bacon aren’t the best iteration of this savory delight for your current recipe. Maybe you just want to slather your dish in spreadable bacon. Either way, The Bacon Jams Gourmet has you covered.

TBJ Gourmet is the creation of a Philadelphia Eagles fan and a chef/restauranteur (who also speaks fluent German and loves to whitewater kayak, in case you were curious). Eagles fan Bruce Kramer was just a normal IT guy who brought Bacon Jam and Goat Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños to a tailgate. People loved the jam, so he partnered with chef Michael Oraschewsky to create what would become TBJ Gourmet.

We came across it at a pop-up Christmas market in Charlotte, NC where we sampled all three of their flavors. They were so good that we had to take home a jar to cook with it ourselves – and here’s what we discovered.

All Original

This is their original product. It’s simply spreadable and, as they describe it, “bursting with sweet and salty bacon goodness.” Spread it on crackers with some cheese, slather it on toast or liven up hors d’oeuvres at your next holiday party.

The flavor is definitely tasty. It’s a bit sweeter than you might expect but the sweetness is cut by the salty flare from the bacon. Cooking with it seems like a better option too, rather than just spreading it on crackers.

Black Pepper

This is the All Original kicked up a notch with fresh black pepper, which amps up the savory and cuts the sweetness that’s a bit overpowering in their original product. They suggest adding it atop your burger or mixing in as you cook your veggies. Sure, it makes them a little less healthy, but a lot more delicious!

The Black Pepper flavor tastes better than the All Original as it tempers the sweetness, leaving a good balance. It’s still sweet, but reminds you more of candied bacon than bacon with candy in it.

Red Chile & Garlic

This flavor extravaganza is just what the doctor ordered. A tasty blend of heat, garlic, and bacon-y goodness. They suggest slathering it all over a juicy and tender pork tenderloin or dressing up a sweet and smoky grilled pineapple. Sounds delicious to us!

We’ve been able to cook with the Red Chile & Garlic flavor a few times now and it’s been a real treat. We’ve spread it on a burger, which adds a nice level of flavor to the ground beef, and have cooked onions and mushrooms in it, which was like cooking them in bacon grease (always a solid choice for veggies), but better!

Our favorite dish to make (so far) though with this delightful spread is grilled cheese. Spread it on both pieces of bread, layer the cheese on and indulge. We even tossed a tomato slice into the middle, making this the perfect afternoon snack. If that doesn’t sound like it’s up your alley though, then you can also find a bunch of delicious recipes that the creators of this product have provided on their website.

The suggested serving size is 1 tbsp (you’ll probably want more) and all three flavors come in at 2g of fat, 50 calories, 7g of sugar and 2g of protein. You may think that 2g of fat for 1 tbsp of product is a bit high, but remember, it’s bacon and bacon has never been accused of being healthy.

We haven’t tried a lot of bacon jams, so we don’t have much to which we can compare these products from The Bacon Jams Gourmet, but we can definitely give our stamp of approval to them.

You can pick up an 8oz jar of any of these flavors for $14.99 (hilariously marked down from $15.00), or you can save a bit of dough and pick up a sampler pack for $39.99, which includes a jar of each flavor and a recipe guide.  All are available on their online store or at various specialty shops.