Serious Heat: Spicy Candied Bacon
[Photograph: Bill Milne]
The distinctive red stripes, the mouth-watering aroma, the snapping sizzle from the pan, the crisp texture and, of course, the intense, porky flavor. With a food that pleasures all five of our senses, how can we resist the temptation of sinfully delicious bacon?
In a recent issue of Chile Pepper magazine, we rounded up all things bacon. There's bacon floss, maple-bacon coffee, jalapeno bacon salt, spicy bacon jerky and even bacon pancake mix.
While all were good and certainly unique, nothing trumps the bacon I had at Café Pasqual's in Santa Fe. Sticky, spicy and sugary, this was a step into bacon heaven. And it's easy to create at home.
This recipe highlights bacon at its sweet, spicy best.
Start with applewood-smoked bacon. Dip it into a mixture of chile powder and brown sugar, then slowly cook this in the oven. (Keep a watchful eye for burning.) Personally, I like to bump up the chile powder a notch. This recipe highlights bacon at its sweet, spicy best. And with the oven doing most of the work, this is an easy addition to any brunch during the holiday season.
Ingredients
serves 4 servings
- 2 tablespoons mild red chile powder
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 12 thickly-sliced pieces applewood-smoked bacon
Procedures
-
1
Preheat the oven too 300°F.
-
2
Mix the chile powder and sugar in a shallow bowl. Fit a sheet of parchment paper onto a jelly-roll pan. Bury each slice of bacon in the chile and sugar mixture, and rub both sides to assure the mixture adheres. Lay the bacon strips on the prepared pan. The bacon strips may be left flat or twisted two or three times by holding each end to make a candied "stick."
-
3
Bake for 30 minutes without turning. Always transfer candied bacon using tongs; the hot sugar can easily burn your fingers.
9 comments:
A little Dijon instead of the chile can be used for the folks who aren't metalmouths.
lemons at 10:14AM on 11/11/09
I made a similar version of this, adapted from a Gourmet recipe. Delicious!
http://muchdependsondinner.blogspot.com/2009/10/sweet-and-spicy-bacon.html
muchdependsondinner at 10:23AM on 11/11/09
i just made chili last night and bought a new thing of powder, so this is perfect! now i just gotta pick up more bacon.
gastronomeg at 11:44AM on 11/11/09
Had to try it this morning. Unreal. Can't believe I've never had this before.
sfullers at 12:37PM on 11/11/09
Pecans with it are great, too. I had "praline bacon" at the Screen Door restaurant in Portland - YUM!
jmoilanen at 1:28PM on 11/11/09
I do not suggest you try this recipe. Bacon may burn before it is actually crispy. You should par-fry your bacon, then add sugar to carmelize it. This gourmet recipe has it right:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Candied-Bacon-237190
The bacon comes out crispy, glassy, and really great. I've done this a lot!
Cantaloupe Alone at 2:00PM on 11/11/09
@Cantaloupe Alone: The sugar actually caramelizes on the bacon during the cooking process making it quite crispy. And it's cooking on low heat to prevent it from burning. I find cooking bacon in the oven in general much easier and mess-free than on the stovetop anyway. I'm sure the Epicurious recipe is good too, but I can vouch for this one certainly.
Andrea Lynn at 4:00PM on 11/11/09
@ Andrea it sure does get crispy, but the extra step in the Gourmet recipe works better with less chance of burning.
Cantaloupe Alone at 5:41PM on 11/11/09
Reminds me of the bacon recipe I use from the Santa Fe School of Cooking book. Chimayo chili powder, garlic salt, honey. Yum. I cover the baking sheet in aluminum foil, no problems.
chanterelle at 9:44PM on 11/11/09