Candied Bacon AKA Pig Candy

Candied Bacon AKA Pig Candy is a must for bacon lovers. With just 3 simple ingredients, how can you NOT give this recipe a try? Sunday morning bacon is pretty much a given at our house. I’d been seeing candied bacon recipes for the past couple years, and finally got a chance to make some for a New Year’s Day gathering.

Often served whole as a breakfast option, I went another route and served pieces as an appetizer. This salty-sweet bacon was sublime. As usual, we had WAY too much food at our gathering, but this candied bacon recipe disappeared in a flash.

How to Make Candied Bacon AKA Pig Candy

The original directions for this candied bacon suggested a 20 minute cooking time. I placed the bacon on a rack over a foil-lined pan. I topped the bacon with a second foil-wrapped pan. This provided additional weight to prevent the bacon from curling. Unfortunately, my pans are pretty heavy duty and the bacon was barely cooked at the 20-minute mark…and hadn’t made much more progress at the 40-minute mark. So you’ll just have to play this by ear.

As the clock was ticking for departure time to our gathering, I turned on the broiler, removed the top pan and broiled a couple minutes on each side…watching it like a hawk. You’ll just want to make sure your candied bacon is crisp enough to stand alone.

Cooking Time May Vary

As the clock was ticking for departure time to our gathering, I turned on the broiler, removed the top pan and broiled a couple minutes on each side…watching it like a hawk. You’ll just want to make sure your candied bacon is crisp enough to stand alone.

I have to admit that I had visions of the fire department showing up again for a grease fire, but I put on the exhaust fan and my scrupulously clean oven didn’t fail me with a cloud of smoke. Below is the photo and commentary my oldest put on facebook after I roasted a bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin on Christmas Day. Isn’t he charming?

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Candied Bacon AKA Pig Candy

Bacon with a delicious candy coating.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

• 12 slices bacon, about 1/4-inch thick
• Finely ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325º.Put bacon slices in a bowl, season them with pepper and toss with the brown sugar. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer on top (if you have a rack, you may want to use it). Sprinkle any sugar left in the bowl over the bacon. Top with a second baking sheet of the same size which has also been wrapped in foil.
2. Bake for 20 minutes. Check to see if bacon is crispy, and if not, and cook for 10 to 15 more minutes and check again. If your pans are heavy duty or if you use a rack, you may need additional baking time. Let rest a few minutes, break into pieces if desired and serve warm.

Notes

Keep the oven temperature at 350º. Time will vary depending on thickness of bacon and your bakeware.

Recipe adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

2 slices
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 23mg Sodium: 390mg Carbohydrates: 10g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 10g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 8g