Spicy Candied Bacon
Who doesn’t love bacon?! Bacon is GREAT, but Spicy Candied Bacon is even better. If you can manage not to munch it all up before ir even cools, crispy strips in a cellophane bag tied with a pretty ribbon would make an AWESOME GIFT for your fellow carnivore friends. Trust me!
TIMING is everything here! So, let’s get started making some Spicy Candied Bacon…making sure to keep your eyes on the clock. Aaaand, baking bacon allows for super simple cleanup after. Bonus!
Spicy Candied Bacon
Equipment
- half sheet pan
- pan racks
- aluminum foil
- small bowl
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb thick cut smoked bacon
- 1 tbsp 100% maple syrup not the fake stuff
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line half sheet pan with aluminum foil.
- Place racks inside sheet pan on top of foil.
- Lay bacon strips on top of racks, without any overlap or slices touching.
- Place pan on middle rack in oven and bake for 16 minutes. Time might vary slightly due to uneven oven cooking, inaccurate temperature, and/or the exact thickness of the bacon. The goal here is to cook the bacon until it is almost crispy. After the first 12 minutes, check every one minute [without opening the oven door].
- While bacon is cooking, mix the maple syrup and sriracha in a small bowl. The 1:1 ratio is fairly mild. If you like more spice use more sriracha; less spicy use more maple syrup. Set aside.
- When bacon is almost crisp, carefully remove and place on heat safe surface.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the top of each slice of bacon with the mixture.
- Return the pan to the oven.
- Bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes, watching very closely. It only takes a matter of seconds for the bacon to go from perfect to burned. When the bacon is a deep golden brown, it's probably time to remove pan from oven.
- Spread bacon in a single layer on top of paper towels to cool and remove any excess grease. The bacon will become slightly more crispy as it cools.
- Try not to devour it before trying in other forms (e.g., BLT sandie, an upgraded breakfast side, in a dip, more!). I dare you!
Notes
What you don’t know about Sriracha: 11 fun facts
PLUS, while Huy Fong is by far the most popular, and arguably BEST, sriracha on the planet, the name was never trademarked and that’s why you see it plastered on everything from potato chips to chewing gum.
If you like it spicy:
BUFFALO CHICKEN SLIDERS RECIPE: GAME DAY EATS AND HOLIDAY TREATS
I used honey instead of syrup and it tastes great, but the color was very dark brown, almost burned. Any idea why? Thanks,
Hi Mandie,
I’m so happy to hear the bacon was yummy. As far as subbing honey and the bacon being darker, my only guess is that honey generally has a higher sugar content than maple syrup. Honey has a lower burning point. Also,the result could simply be due to your oven temperature. Most vary. Mine may run low, yours may run high. Plus, the timing is VERY temperamental.Thank you for trying my recipe and the feedback. I hope you’ll try it again. Cheers!