Recently my in-laws did a Costco run and picked up a huge container of strawberries. As soon as I took it out of the bag, I knew I had to try some new strawberry recipes. But what would this giant container become? A quick scan of my Pinterest boards, and I found something I have always wanted to try: jam. I was delighted when I read this Easy Bourbon Strawberry Jam recipe and saw it could be made on the stovetop without canning. Plus I’ll try almost anything with bourbon!
This is the easiest recipe for delicious homemade strawberry jam! It’s made without pectin and canning, and it’s as simple as simmering strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and bourbon until thick.
The Ingredients
That giant Costco container of strawberries was just over 2 pounds, so the main ingredient was covered. I also had lemons and bourbon on hand. Unfortunately, I didn’t have quite enough sugar, so I made sure to pick up a batch at the grocery store.
The Process
The instructions for this Easy Bourbon Strawberry Jam were straightforward and easy to follow. The consistency of the jam needed to be tested on a frozen plate, so I popped a salad plate into the freezer and moved to the prep work.
I weighed out two pounds of berries, gave them a wash, and removed the leaves and stems. Next, the strawberries went into a 2-quart pot with the sugar, bourbon, and lemon juice. I gave it all a good mix and let it macerate.
I didn’t notice much change in the strawberries’ appearance when I checked on them 30 minutes later, but it felt like there was more liquid in the bottom of the pot. Macerating is supposed to draw out juices and soften fresh fruit, so everything was working as it should when I noticed the extra liquid
Now it was time to cook the strawberries and turn them into jam. Once the berry mixture reached a boil, I let it simmer for 20 minutes before testing the consistency on the frozen plate. It was very thin, so I let the berries continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes. and re-did the test.
The consistency had thickened after cooking for 40 minutes but still seemed thinner than store-bought jam. The recipe notes say to err on the side of thin because the jam would thicken as it cooled. I followed that advice. I poured the jam into a large storage container and let it cool for 30 minutes before adding the lid and refrigerating it overnight.
Timing
This recipe listed 5 minutes to prep and 20-40 minutes to cook, making the total time 25-35 minutes. Here’s how my time was spent:
- 10 minutes to prep
- 30 minutes to macerate
- 14 minutes to reach a boil
- 20 minutes to simmer
- 2 minutes for 1st consistency test
- 20 minutes to simmer
- 2 minutes for 2nd consistency test
- 30 minutes to cool on the counter
- 2 hours 8 minutes total
A shorter, easier-to-read list of the times is:
- 10 minutes to prep
- 30 minutes to macerate
- 54 minutes to cook
- 4 minutes to test (both times)
- 30 minutes to cool
- 2 hours 8 minutes total
The times listed on the recipe don’t seem to include testing or cooling, so I’ll only use prep, cooking, and macerating for the time rating. I came in a little over everything but the macerating step, but not by too much.
