makes
16
prep
10 minutes
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
16
serves
preparation
10
minutes
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 450 g (1 lb) home-made pork belly bacon, sliced and chilled, or purchased smoked bacon (see Notes)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Combine the brown sugar and salt and place in a pile on another baking sheet. Separate the bacon into single slices and, one by one, lay the bacon in the sugar mixture and press to crust it on both sides, patting so the sugar adheres. You should have a fairly thick layer of brown sugar on both sides of the bacon. Spread in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining sugar over the bacon. Bake until the sugar melts, bubbles, and turns a deep brick red color, 18 to 20 minutes; the bacon will start to curl. If using thick-sliced bacon, after 18 minutes increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F) and bake until crispy and deep brick red in color, another 10 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil or a silicone mat.
Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
• If you use store-bought bacon, buy a thick-cut dry-cured bacon smoked with real hickory wood.
• During recipe testing, Gena Berry went one step further with this candied bacon and turned it into Crack Bacon, a wicked addictive snack. To make it, just add 1½ tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp Espelette pepper, and 1 tsp ground black pepper along with the sugar and salt in the recipe. It tastes best baked and served immediately. But you can get a jump on prep by mixing up the spice mixture ahead of time and spreading it on the prepared baking sheets. Then just coat the bacon in the seasoning, bake, and serve.
Recipes and images from Pure Pork Awesomeness: Totally Cookable Recipes from Around the World by Kevin Gillespie with David Joachim (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $40, pbk)
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
