Baked BBQ Candied Maple Bacon
by Ross Bowen, Tastemaker in Residence
Bacon has enjoyed a renaissance of late, and many restaurants and chefs are rolling out new variations all the time. Here is an easy one.
Why bake bacon instead of frying it? There are pros and cons to each method. Frying is fast and appropriate if you are only making a few pieces in the morning. It splatters though, and needs attention to prevent it from burning. I use a bacon press to prevent the curling of the edges.
Baking is good for a larger amount of bacon. It requires little attention, and the mess is contained to the baking tray. Most important, perhaps, is the shape – the bacon retains most of its size and is flat, perfect for sandwiches (or pictures)!
You can take regular bacon and turn it into something special with just a few ingredients. We took both baked and candied bacon to a party over Easter. The candied bacon was the winner, hands down!
Baked BBQ Candied Maple Bacon
Ingredients
Thick cut bacon
BBQ Rub use Two Little Pigs Bespoke Rub – recipe
Light brown sugar
Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Cover a cookie sheet with foil (you will thank me later).
- Lay out the bacon to densely cover the sheet.
- Shake rub liberally over the bacon. Flip and repeat.
- Crumble and shake brown sugar over the bacon.
- Pour maple syrup lightly over the bacon. Too much will pull the rub off.
- Place the sheet in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until done.
- Pick up the bacon with tongs and place on top of paper towels to drain some of the fat. Do not pat the top.
Serve and enjoy!