26 COOK’S COUNTRY • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019
IT’S HARD TO imagine improv-
ing on bacon. But over the past few
months, more than one of my col-
leagues has come into the offi ce with a
story of a cocktail party where they had
been served a surprising twist: candied
bacon (bacon cooked with sugar).
At their best, these crispy strips off er
a new sweet-savory way of looking at
bacon. But when things go south, you
fi nd yourself with a fatty, soggy, or even
syrupy piece of bacon that sags under
the weight of its coating, drooping and
dripping dangerously close to your best
party clothes. I wanted to create a recipe
for crispy bacon strips with surprising
fl avor and satisfying crunch.
After a few initial tests with existing
recipes, I knew for sure that the oven
was my best bet for consistent cook-
ing. And while liquid sugars (including
simple syrup, maple syrup, and corn
syrup) were easy to brush onto the
strips, they gave me soggy, droopy
bacon. Solid sugar was the way to go.
But which one?
A test of granulated sugar, confec-
tioners’ sugar, dark brown sugar, and
light brown sugar proved that light
brown sugar was the way forward. It’s
easy to sprinkle over the strips and
contributes a lovely caramel-toff ee
background fl avor along with its sweet-
ness. And unlike dark brown sugar, it
didn’t turn the strips too dark.
These tests also revealed that
center-cut bacon worked better than
thick-cut (which didn’t cook through
before the sugar burned) and regu-
lar cut (the uneven ends made equal
coverage diffi cult). What’s more, I
learned I’d need two baking sheets
for 12 ounces of bacon. Cramming
them all onto one sheet left some bits
underrendered and fl abby.
From there, the process was simple.
I just sprinkled sugar (and a bit of
black pepper for punch) over strips ofbacon and baked them on a foil-lined
rimmed baking sheet at 350 degrees
for 20 minutes or so—no fl ipping nec-
essary. Once cooled, the strips crisped
up with no hint of syrupiness.
Emboldened, I created four varia-
tions: rosemary, chipotle, jerk, and
fi ve-spice and sesame. Each is as
simple as adding a few ingredients to
the sugar and pepper and delivers the
same crunch, only with added dimen-
sion. Bacon lovers should try all fi ve.CANDIED BACON
Serves 4 to 6
Do not use dark brown sugar here.
We call for center-cut bacon because
we found the strips to be of more even
thickness than regular bacon. The
bacon on one baking sheet may cook
more quickly; if this happens, it’s OK
to remove this sheet from the oven be-
fore the other. Lining the sheets with
aluminum foil eases cleanup.12 ounces center-cut bacon
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pepper- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle
and lower-middle positions and heat
oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed
baking sheets with aluminum foil. Cut
bacon in half crosswise. Arrange bacon
on prepared sheets. - Combine sugar and pepper in bowl.
Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over ba-
con (do not fl ip and sprinkle on second
side). Use your fi ngers to spread sugar
mixture evenly over each piece. - Bake until bacon is dark brown and
sugar is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes,
switching and rotating sheets halfway
through baking (if bacon on 1 sheet
fi nishes cooking sooner, it’s OK to
remove this sheet from oven fi rst).
Transfer bacon to wire rack and let
cool for 5 minutes. Serve.
FIVE EASYHalving the strips before sugaring and baking them makes for easier eating.
Candied Bacons
The goal: equal parts sweet, savory, salty, smoky,
and satisfying. by Heather Tolmie
FIVE-SPICE AND SESAME
CANDIED BACON
Add 1 teaspoon fi ve-spice powder to
sugar mixture. After spreading sugar
mixture over bacon, sprinkle 1 table-
spoon sesame seeds evenly over top.CHIPOTLE CANDIED BACON
Add ½ teaspoon chipotle chile
powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin,
and ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic to
sugar mixture.ROSEMARY CANDIED BACON
Add 1 tablespoon minced fresh
rosemary to sugar mixture.
JERK CANDIED BACON
Add 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme,
1½ teaspoons ground allspice, ¾ tea-
spoon granulated garlic, ½ teaspoon
dry mustard, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
pepper to sugar mixture.