Make Ahead Candied Bacon
The Ultimate Salty and Sweet Snack
Make Ahead Candied Bacon is a culinary delight. Who doesn’t love bacon? Especially when it’s candied and delicious?
This make ahead bacon is a minor labor of love. The good news is, it can be made ahead of time and reheated when ready to serve or even eaten cold.
It is a wonderful special treat to serve alongside deviled eggs for a play on bacon and eggs. The method is easy and just slightly time consuming but the end result is worth it.
A GREAT Brunch Idea
This is a wonderful treat to make for a “snacky” brunch situation. This bacon can be served with my Deviled Egg Recipe.
I love this option for a holiday morning when you know a big meal looms on the horizon. This is something special, without being too heavy.
I also like that you can make this bacon ahead of time and have it on hand.
The same can be said about the deviled eggs. Prep and make the filling, then fill and serve when ready.
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Wire Racks
There is one caveat to this recipe and that is I recommend using wire cooling racks to cook the bacon on. This helps the bacon not to be too greasy.
I have you start out the bacon directly on the baking sheet. This step helps the bacon crisp up in its own bacon drippings.
When it comes time to have the bacon absorb the maple syrup glaze, the bacon should go on these cooling racks and back in the oven.
Putting the bacon directly on the pan for this step can create a sticky situation from which you will not recover. The bacon will stick to the pan.
Thicker Is Better
I HIGHLY recommend using a thicker cut bacon for this recipe. A very thin bacon will shrivel up to nothing for this longer cooking method.
I know that bacon is expensive. In this case it is worth the splurge to buy the better bacon.
I like the Appleton Farms Thicker Cut Bacon I get from Aldi.
The Devil Is In The Details
In this case, the detail is in the deviled eggs. My Simple Deviled Egg recipe, linked earlier in this post, is an ideal partner to this bacon.
This combo makes a fun play on the concept of a bacon and eggs breakfast. This is a great treat to serve on holiday mornings with mimosas and Bloody Marys.
If you still participate in “Black Wednesday” this combo may also help a hangover.
Seasoning Is Personal
I have said many times in my recipes that the seasoning measurements are merely a suggestion. That is also true for this recipe.
You can alter the measurements to your liking. I also suggest playing around with other spices.
I love to sometimes add a tiny bit of dried clove or Chinese five spice to this bacon. It really kicks this up a notch.
Make Ahead Candied Bacon
Who doesn't love bacon? Especially when it's candied and delicious? This make ahead bacon is a minor labor of love. The good news is, it can be made ahead of time, and reheated when ready to serve, or even eaten cold. It is a wonderful special treat to serve along side deviled eggs for a play on bacon and eggs. The method is easy and just slightly time consuming. The end result is worth it.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of bacon (I recommend using a thicker cut bacon)
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup (preferably real maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika (or to taste)
- *you will need some baking racks to make this recipe that go over your pan in the oven. pictured in post. (the kind you cool cookies on)
- *this recipe can be doubled or tripled
Instructions
- Remove your bacon from the package, I DO recommend using a thicker cut bacon for this recipe, the thinner bacon shrivels with the longer cook time. I start the bacon out directly ON the sheet pan. Spread the bacon out on sheet pans, flat, it can be close together.
- Place the bacon in a cold oven and turn the heat on to 375 degrees and let the bacon start cooking while the oven heats. This prevents splattering.
- While the bacon bakes, in a sauce pan, add your syrup, brown sugar vanilla, chili powder, black pepper and paprika. Turn the heat on low and let this get warm, don't let it come to a boil. Whisk this until the sugar is dissolved.
- Check your bacon and pull it when it is MOSTLY cooked fully, you want it slightly floppy but not totally crisp. Every oven bakes differently, so keep a close eye on this the first time you make it.
- Carefully remove the pans, take the bacon off and spread on the wire cooling racks, and drain the grease from the pans and place the cooling racks on your baking pans so that the bacon is OVER the pan.
- Place the bacon back in the oven and bake again for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Then begin basting your bacon with the syrup mixture. Baste, bake for a couple of minutes and then flip and baste again. I repeat these 2 to 3 times. You want to make sure your bacon isn't overcooking, you may need to reduce the heat of your oven.
- When the bacon is fully basted, I do some cracked black pepper over all of it. Turn the heat off in the oven and let the bacon rest in there until the oven cools off.
- My cooling racks are non stick, you may need to spray yours with a non stick spray before making this.
- I store the bacon in a container with a lid, and I put a piece of parchment paper in between each layer of bacon.
- Store in the fridge for one to two days. You can reheat this in a low temp oven or in the microwave, this is also ok to eat cold or room temp. I like to serve this for brunch with deviled eggs.
2 Comments
Shannon Paul
December 12, 2024 at 3:53 pm
Made this for a work holiday breakfast. Let’s just say I should have doubled or even tripled the recipe!
thetipsyhousewife
December 12, 2024 at 6:34 pm
I am so glad!!