Over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, add the bacon and cook–stirring often with a wooden spoon while scraping up all the lovely bits that get stuck to the bottom of the pan–until the bacon begins to brown and crisp up (about 20 minutes). Keep all the bacon fat in the pan. Now is not the time to discard the fat; the fat is flavor. The fat is beautiful! It is what elevates the ordinary into the extraordinary! Allow it to work its magic and enjoy it, shamelessly!

Lower the heat to medium and stir in the onion and shallot. Continue cooking until onion and shallot are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and add the water, then stir to combine well.

Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring only occasionally, if needed. Simmer until the jam has a glossy appearance and syrupy consistency, 45 minutes – 1 hour.

Remove from the heat and allow the jam to cool for 30 minutes. Using a spider strainer, remove the jam from the pan and place it into a bowl, leaving the majority of the fat (it served us well) in the pan to be discarded and allow the remaining mixture to cool completely. The jam should be thick and chunky, with little crispy bits throughout. Set it aside to cool a little bit. This can be made up to 3 days ahead. Store covered in the fridge.