Welcome to The Storied Recipe Podcast, a podcast about food, culture, and love.
This recipe for Spicy Brown Sugar Bacon (Candied Bacon) came from my Halloween podcast episode where my favorite Southern lady, Brenda Wyatt, contributed this recipe for the series. Make sure you listen to the Halloween episode while you make your own spicy candied bacon!
There I was at my desk, headphones in my ears, interviewing the dynamic, entertaining, gracious, knowledgeable Brenda Wyatt of Camellia's Cottage when I heard the words "candied bacon". Like any good podcast host, I let her finish her thoughts and worked hard to concentrate and stay curious.
But in my mind, all I could hear was "CANDIED BACON! CANDIED BACON! CANDIED BACON!"!
As the interview neared an end, I asked her if she would mind sharing her candied bacon recipe with me and my readers. I was thrilled she said "YES!"
P.S. Brenda contributed two recipes, so check out her other storied recipe, Southern Pimento Cheese!
Jump to:
- Top Tips
- Choosing the Right Thickness of Your Bacon
- The Many Names of Candied Bacon
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- Instructions
- What to Pair with Spicy Candied Bacon?
- Equipment
- Storage
- Food Safety
- More Recipes from The American South
- More Appetizer and Snack Recipes
- Listen to the Halloween Episode: 3 Perspectives
- Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
- Recipe
- Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
Top Tips
Watch Your Spices!
Just like all of Brenda's recipes, this candied bacon recipe is SPICY. To be honest, on my first attempt, it was a little too spicy for some of us! So watch the cayenne pepper!
Once I got the balance of flavors figured out, this oven baked brown sugar bacon was the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, crunchy, and salty.
Don't Let It Burn
I burned this the first time. Here are two warnings from that experience:
- Always use parchment paper. I burned the bacon so badly, I would have ruined the pans if I didn't have parchment paper down.
- Begin with setting a time for 12 minutes and watch it like a hawk!
Choosing the Right Thickness of Your Bacon
The thickness of your slice of bacon will depend on your preference, but here are some tips:
- Brenda recommends using a medium thickness of bacon. I recommend leaning towards the thicker side of medium.
- Thicker cut bacon will take longer to cook (obviously). A longer cooking time results is a deeper caramelization of the sugar and spice topping. You'll get a nice thick, sweet, deep glaze that will crisp up a bit more and need less cooking time in the oven and less glaze.
Note: If you use maple bacon instead of regular bacon since it has been cured with brown sugar might make your snack a little sweeter. You can compensate by using less sugar in the recipe.
The Many Names of Candied Bacon
While researching different recipes for spicy candied bacon, I found that there are many different names for this spicy, sweet treat, such as:
- Pig candy
- Millionaire's bacon
- Man candy
- Million dollar bacon
- Bacon candy
All of the names refer to the same delicious snack but are just called different things.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This easy candied bacon recipe uses simple ingredients but is a delicious recipe you'll have a hard time putting down.
- Brown sugar - this recipe calls for light brown sugar, but if you want to use dark brown sugar that should be fine, too.
- Unrefined sugar - has a higher molasses percentage in it which will make it a richer flavor. Some recipes use pure maple syrup instead of unrefined, but this is up to you!
- Cayenne pepper - where the heat comes from! You can opt for black pepper instead if you want a milder version.
- Pecans - you could swap these out for walnuts or a combination of both pecans and walnuts.
- Bourbon - the secret ingredient that gives you a subtle bourbon taste without being overpowering.
Instructions
Here's how to make to make candied bacon! It's easier than you think 🙂
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Arrange bacon slices on the rack without crowding.
- In a bowl, mix the topping ingredients. Sprinkle and press the mixture onto the bacon slices.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, watching for crispy edges.
- Cool bacon on the rack until warm, then transfer to a nonstick surface.
- Store in an airtight container with parchment or waxed paper between layers.
What to Pair with Spicy Candied Bacon?
Of course, this snack can be eaten on its own, but here are a few ideas for how it can become the perfect addition to a party or dish for any time of year:
- Bloody Mary topping - this is a great Sunday brunch idea if you want to give your guests something a little sweet and spicy with their drink.
- French toast - the caramelized sugar and spicy flavors will go perfectly with the soft, sweet flavors of french toast.
- Cinnamon rolls - instead of having bacon on the side, put the salty flavor of the candied bacon directly on top!
- Cheesecake - savory and sweet and creamy, it would be hard to stop at the first bite.
- Ice cream - this is my favorite way of eating it because it is the perfect balance of cold, creamy ice cream paired with spicy, salty, sweet, and crispy bacon.
- With a dip - this recipe from Half Baked Harvest uses spicy candied bacon and dates as the topping for their whipped goat cheese appetizer.
- As a cracker - Ninjacue shared a recipe for spicy candied bacon crackers that uses club crackers as the base and tops them with a jalapeno.
- Brussel sprouts - who said brussel sprouts had to be boring? This recipe from Tastefully Grace garnishes her brussel sprouts with spicy candied bacon.
Equipment
- Sheet pan OR baking sheet
- Small bowl OR shallow bowl
- Aluminum foil
- Parchment paper
- Oven-safe wire rack
Storage
- You can store candied bacon in an airtight container for 3-4 days, but before putting it in the refrigerator make sure that it has first cooled to room temperature.
- You can store it in the freezer for up to 4 to 8 weeks and it holds up pretty well.
- To reheat it, you can simply put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds or until it is warm enough to your liking.
- If you are making it ahead, it would be best to only leave it out at room temperature for about 2 hours until you put it in an airtight container in the fridge.
source: Daily Meal, USDA
Food Safety
Never brown or partially cook raw bacon and then refrigerate it to continue cooking it later because any bacteria present will not be destroyed. (USDA)
More Recipes from The American South
More Appetizer and Snack Recipes
Listen to the Halloween Episode: 3 Perspectives
Brenda befriended me on Instagram several months ago and offered to share her recipe for an apple-shaped cheese ball, which would be perfect for a harvest party. Now, a cheese ball wasn’t the most exciting recipe I could fathom, but I find Brenda so fun, knowledgeable, and entertaining, and I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to talk with her. Sure enough, she had me laughing in 30 seconds, and I walked away from the interview with two additional recipes I just had to try!
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Recipe
Spicy Candied Bacon
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
- A pinch of Cayenne watch this!
- Cinnamon if desired
- 1/2 cup Pecans finely chopped
- 1 -2 teaspoon Bourbon Brenda says, If you dare!
- 1 pound Medium or Thick-Cut Bacon See Note 1*
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
- Make sure to listen to Brenda on The Storied Recipe Podcast, Halloween 2019 – 3 Perspectives while you make her Spicy Candied Bacon recipe!
Make The Recipe
- Preheat oven to 350, prepare 2 baking sheets lined with foil to catch drippings.
- Lay the bacon on the pans. Don't crowd!
- In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients. Toss together for a ‘rub’.
- Sprinkle rub over bacon, pressing to adhere.
- Cook for 12-20 minutes. Watch it closely after 12 minutes or so!
- Allow the bacon to cool on the rack until warm - the hot glaze will burn you!
- Move to a nonstick surface in a single layer until cool.
- Brenda puts it in an airtight container and puts waxed or parchment paper between layers!
Notes
- Make sure to listen to Brenda on The Storied Recipe Podcast, Halloween 2019 – 3 Perspectives while you make her Spicy Candied Bacon recipe!
- Note 1: You can choose either medium or thick-cut bacon but add more time and use more glaze if you opt for a thicker cut.
- If you use maple-cured bacon it might make the recipe a little too sweet so you can cut some of the sugar from the recipe to balance out the flavors.
- Try this with ice cream, dips, Brussels sprouts, Bloody Marys, and more!
Nutrition
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Hannah Neeper says
I love this appetizer; it's so easy to make!