Smoked Onion Jam Recipe – Or Whatever You Do

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If you love a good charcuterie board, you’re going to need to pay attention to this Smoked Onion Jam Recipe. It is perfect for your next potluck, cookout, or bbq, and is perfect in many different recipes.

Traeger Smoked Onion Jam Recipe

Want a stupid simple recipe that is going to blow away your family and friends? This flavor bomb also known as Balsamic Onion Jam is perfect on a burger, whipped into compound butter, heaped on top of smoked cream cheese, on that homemade charcuterie board, or mixed into some scrambled eggs.

This recipe takes a while to finish, like any good caramelized onion does, but the good news is that most of the time is passive. Meaning, you aren’t babysitting a pan OR the grill. I make these on a weekend day when I’m going to be puttering around the house anyway, and then use the timer on my watch to remind myself that the pan of onions is in the smoker. Not that you’ll need reminding, since the smell of this is going to have the neighbors over asking when dinner is.

Smoked Onion Jam shopping list

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

sweet onions
olive oil
beer
balsamic vinegar
red wine vinegar
brown sugar
salt & pepper
garlic

How to make Smoked Onion Jam

This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Preheat

We want the pellet grill to be running at about 220° for the first portion of the cook.

Prep

While the grill is preheating, slice up all of those onions (try not to cry), spray your large rectangular high-sided grill-safe baking dish with cooking spray, and spread the onions in there in an even layer.

Sauce & Season

Mix together the beer, balsamic, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar in a bowl until everything is combined. Pour over the onions.

Sprinkle the onions with the salt and pepper, and toss in the garlic cloves.

Smoke

Smoke the onions on the grill for 2 hours. Next, turn the heat up to 350°. Stir every 20-30 minutes during this phase, and cook for another few hours, or until the onions are soft and the sauce has reduced to your liking.

Enjoy

These are great on crackers or on a charcuterie tray, on top of smoked cream cheese, mixed into a compound butter for your next steak, on your loaded baked potatoes, or mixed into pasta.

Smoked Onion Jam FAQ

How do you store leftovers?

Covered in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. You can freeze in ice cube trays and then keep in a freezer baggie as well to extend the life of your onion jam.

Can you use another kind of onion?

Sure! Do your thing. I’ve only tested with yellow sweet onions, but white onions or red onions might work as well.

More great recipes to love!

Prep Time
10 minutes

Cook Time
4 hours

Total Time
4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

6 large sweet onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beer (lager or ale)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cloves garlic

Instructions

Preheat the pellet grill to 220°.
Slice the onions into long strips. Spray a large rectangle grill-safe baking dish with cooking spray, and place the onion inside, evenly distributed.
Combine the olive oil, beer, vinegars, and brown sugar in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Pour over the onions.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top, and toss in the garlic cloves too.
Smoke for 2 hours at 220°.
Turn the heat up on the grill to 350°. Continue cooking, stirring every 20 minutes until the onions are cooked down. It took us about 2 additional hours. You can remove whenever the onions are as tender as you like and the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency.