“As if bacon wasn’t magical enough on its own, add a few extra ingredients, and you have what’s known as candied bacon. The best of both worlds – the sweetness of candy with the saltiness of the bacon.
This Southern treat goes by many names, like pig candy or billionaire’s bacon. The taste is hard to describe. It’s just something you have to experience for yourself, but where do you get it? Why not just make it yourself? It’s surprisingly easy to make.
Besides bacon, obviously, the other main ingredient is bourbon. You can use Jameson, Jack, or whatever your favorite bourbon or whiskey is. Best of all, you only need a half cup of it. Enjoy a bit that’s left in the bottle while you wait for this glorious treat to cook.
Even though candied bacon is super easy to make, there is one secret to making the perfect batch – indirect heat on the grill. You do this by putting your bacon in the center of your grill with the middle burner turned off. This allows the bacon to crisp slowly during the process and soak in all the sweetness of the bourbon mixture.
Ingredients:
● 1/2 cup brown sugar
● 2 tablespoons maple syrup
● 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
● 1/2 cup bourbon
● One package bacon (thick slices)
In a small bowl, combine all of your ingredients except for the bacon and mix well. Make sure your grill is clean and then preheat it by turning only the two side burners on medium-low heat (reaching around 360˚F). This is very important: your grill needs to even be 360˚F in the middle, where the burner is turned off. Proper temperature is vital.
Place your bacon slices in the center area of your grill and let it cook for twenty minutes. At this point, open the grill and brush the sugar bourbon mixture generously on top of your bacon slices. Close the grill and let it cook for another fifteen minutes.
Continue to brush more of the sugar mixture on top of the bacon and cook in increments of fifteen minutes. Repeat these two steps until your bacon is crispy and golden brown. It should take around an hour.
This recipe doubles very easily, and you’re going to want to do that. This candied bacon mysteriously disappears very quickly at most get-togethers and barbeques. Just be sure not to overcrowd the bacon on your grill; do small batches at a time. Perfection can’t be rushed.”
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