Candied Bacon

At a glance

What stands out: Candied bacon, “pig candy”, bacon candy, pork candy, call it what you will, this irresistible treat will have everyone calling for more! Candied bacon is straightforward to whip up and uses ordinary ingredients that you may already have.

How long it takes: 10 minutes to prep, 35 minutes in the oven
Equipment you’ll need: rimmed baking pan, wire rack that fits inside the pan
Servings: 10

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Have you tried candied bacon, aka, “pig candy”? Made with thick cut bacon, brown sugar, and spices, it’s finger-licking good.

Sticky, crunchy, salty, sweet, spicy, and lots of umami, candied bacon covers all the bases. No wonder it’s always a hit!

Looking for more special occasion appetizers? Be sure to take a look at our list of straightforward holiday appetizers!

What is candied bacon?

Candied bacon is simply thick cut bacon, dredged in a mixture of brown sugar, and spices, and baked until crispy. It smells so good when it’s baking, you’ll hardly be able to wait to take it out of the oven and try it.

What goes in

• Thick cut bacon – The recipe is for “butcher” thick-cut bacon. We love how sturdy and thick it is, especially when candied. If you choose to use a thinner bacon, make sure to keep an eye on cook time.
• Seasoning – You’ll need brown sugar (light or dark will both work), ground cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, coarse ground black pepper.

How do you make candied bacon?

Prep. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Prepare a baking pan by lining it with heavy duty foil and placing a baking rack on it. Spray the rack lightly with non-stick spray.

Make seasoning. Using a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, and black pepper. You can customize the spices to your own preference, making it more or less spicy.

Coat bacon. Separate the bacon into slices and dredge the slices with the sugar mixture, rubbing lightly to help the sugar adhere to the bacon.

Bake. Arrange the slices on the baking rack and bake until crispy, 30 to 35 minutes. Cooking time will depend on how thick your bacon slices are. Watch closely at the end of the cooking time so that they don’t get too brown. You may want to remove slices that are getting done more quickly.

Cool. Cool slightly. The slices will crisp up a bit as they cool.

Make it Your Own

• Sweet only: For a simple sweet coating, stick with just maple syrup or brown sugar or a bit of both.
• Add smokiness: Chipotle chili powder is a great way to add smoky heat. Try smoked paprika for smokiness without heat.

Keeping leftovers

Reheating: Candied bacon is rich warm or at room temperature. If you would like to reheat it, put it on foil and warm it up in the oven for 10 minutes or so.

Storage: It should be kept in a covered container in the fridge or freezer, between wax paper layers so it doesn’t stick together. Keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or the freezer for 2 to 3 months. Don’t be surprised if you open the container and it has completely disappeared though.

• Yield: 10 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 35 minutes
• Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound thick cut bacon (see note)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top of lined baking sheet. Spray rack lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, and black pepper.
3. Cut bacon in half if you would like smaller pieces. Dredge bacon in spice mixture so both sides are coated, rubbing it in with your fingers to make it stick well.
4. Arrange bacon in a single layer on wire rack. Sprinkle any remaining spice mixture over the top of bacon slices.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Check frequently toward the end of the cooking time to make sure bacon doesn’t get too brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Bacon strips will get crisper as they cool.

Notes

We use “butcher” thick cut bacon. If you use regular thick cut bacon, or a thinner cut, decrease the cooking time.

Don’t cool this bacon on paper towel lined plates, it will stick!