Recipe Background
Indulge in the ultimate sweet and salty treat with Pig Candy: crispy bacon caramelized in brown sugar, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper.
The combination of sweet and salty is a classic, but Pig Candy takes it to levels beyond what you could imagine. Pig Candy is literally candied bacon: crispy fatty strips of meat caramelized in smoky brown sugar, maple syrup, and spicy cayenne pepper. You have to make sure you make enough of these because it’s almost impossible to have just one.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound bacon thick-cut
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Directions
- Mix the brown sugar and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Lay the bacon strips on a wire rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle 2/3 of the sugar-spice mixture on top of the bacon strips.
- Preheat the grill for 5 minutes.
- Once heated, place the baking sheet with the bacon on the grill rack and cover.
- Cook the meat until the sugar begins to caramelize and the bacon starts to get crispy around the edges, about 15 minutes.
- Brush the bacon on each side with the maple syrup.
- Sprinkle on the remaining sugar-spice mixture.
- Cover the bacon once again and cook until fully crispy, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the bacon from the grill.
- Serve the bacon once cooled.
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