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1
Place the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the bacon is starting to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
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2
Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has browned, about 5 minutes.
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3
Add the sugar and stir to combine.
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4
Add 1 cup of the broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
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5
Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes.
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6
Add 1 more cup of the broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes.
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7
Add the remaining cup of broth, honey, Espelette, measured salt, and black pepper and stir to combine.
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8
Transfer the mixture to a blender and reserve the pot.
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9
Blend until smooth, removing the small cap from the blender lid (the pour lid) and covering the space with a kitchen towel (this allows steam to escape and prevents the lid from popping off).
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10
Return the mixture to the reserved pot, place over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 6 to 8 minutes.
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11
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter; set aside.
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12
(At this point, the bacon jam can be cooled to room temperature and then refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
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13
Rewarm before using.)
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14
Trim the stems from the okra and cut each pod in half lengthwise.
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15
Place in a large bowl, add the salt, and toss to combine; set aside.
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16
Heat a large, well-seasoned or enameled cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes.
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17
Working in 2 to 3 batches so as not to crowd the pan, add the okra, cut-side down in a single layer, and sear undisturbed until charred on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes.
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18
Flip the okra and cook until crisp-tender, about 30 seconds more.
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19
Remove to a medium bowl.
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20
Remove the pan from the heat, add the okra in the bowl and 1/2 cup of the bacon jam to the pan (reserve the remaining bacon jam for another use), and stir to combine.
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21
Immediately transfer to a serving dish.
