Candied Bacon
The first time I ever had candied bacon was at a car dealership. True story. I was sitting in the waiting room waiting for my van to be fixed. I wasn’t happy. We had just bought a new-to-us minivan and the salesman “forgot” to tell us the wheel well was shredded. We noticed it after about a week, when we were shoveling snow and happened to look up inside the wheel well. So after jumping through some hoops, and raising my voice a few times, while having my Irish blood boil, the dealership agreed to cover the cost of the repair. Customer service is HUGE in my book, and this customer, although in the end I got my way, wasn’t pleased with how I’d been treated. That is, until a random salesman walked out of the little kitchenette adjacent to the waiting room, holding a pan of fresh-from-the-oven candied bacon. What’s the one thing that could turn my day around? Apparently, fresh-from-the-oven candied bacon.
“What is this amazing stuff?” I asked the older salesman who offered me the treat.
And he proceeded to tell me exactly what he did to make this delicious, mouth-watering salty/sweet amazingness. And although we’ll never buy another vehicle from this dealership again, I will be forever indebted to them for introducing me to candied bacon. 🙂
Two ingredients. That’s all you need. So easy. So quick. So delicious.
Brown sugar and bacon. There are recipes around the web that call for other ingredients such as chili powder, cinnamon, maple syrup, pepper, even cayenne powder, but since I was making these for my boys, I wanted to keep it simple. But definitely feel free to add some spice to yours if you so desire.
I simply dredged the slabs of bacon in brown sugar. That was all. I’m tellin’ ya, anyone can do this. Anyone.
Next, place the brown sugar-coated bacon on a cooling rack with a pan underneath, to catch all the drippings. And you’re set.
It melts in your mouth. And you’ll have a hard time not eating every last piece.
There’s so many ways to use this stuff–in and on top of baked goods, crumbled up in a breakfast casserole, alongside your eggs in the morning, shoot…I even heard it’s amazing in a BLT. And of course, it’s delicious simply served on its own. I once made some up as an appetizer when friends came over. They loved it.
You really can’t go wrong. Just try it once and I’ll guarantee it’ll turn your day around–even if you’ve just dealt with a rude car salesman. 😉
- 1 lb thick-cut bacon
- 1/2 cup (or as needed) Golden Barrel Light Brown Sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Coat bacon evenly with brown sugar. Place bacon on a wire rack with foil-lined cookie sheet underneath.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bacon is cooked through. Let cool on rack for 5 minutes; it will firm up as it cools.