Slightly spicy and sweet with a rich whiskey flavor, this bacon adds flavor and sophistication to many dishes!

Ingredients

  • 8 pieces bacon (2/3 package)
  • ½ cup whiskey
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, divided (see notes)
  • ½ – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste) *I used ¼ tsp in each part of the recipe; so, I used ½ tsp total

Tools & Timing

  • 2 cookie sheets
  • Parchment or wax paper
  • Aluminum foil
  • Small pot
  • Heat proof whisk
  • Medium prep dish
  • Tongs
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Timing: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 pieces of candied whiskey bacon

Background

Years ago, I wanted to try making chocolate chips cookies that had bacon in them. The cookies were yummy…but it was the candied bacon that stuck with me. Since then, candied bacon has made it into macaroni and cheese, baked jalapenos, and grilled cheese (see thoughts below on making amazing grilled cheese).

Now, I have fun experimenting with adding this Candied Whiskey Bacon to various dishes and desserts!

This recipe is a hodgepodge of various recipes I have used over the years to create different types of candied bacon.

Step-by-step

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil. Cover another cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and place a cooling rack on top.
  2. Measure ½ cup of your brown sugar, packing it, and ½ of your cayenne pepper into a small bowl. Whisk them together and set aside.
  3. Measure another ½ cup of packed dark brown sugar WITHOUT PACKING IT and the rest of your cayenne pepper into a pot. Add your whiskey. Set it on the burner and turn heat to medium high.
  4. Bring your whiskey mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally (this happens in about a minute). Once mixture boils, reduce heat to medium.
  5. Simmer for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally, so the mixture can reduce (concentrating our lovely flavors). After 3 minutes, remove from heat. (*I used organic dark brown sugar once, and the mixture foamed a lot more as it cooked – if this happens, briefly remove the mixture from heat whilst whisking; once the foam subsides, return mixture to heat and continue to cook for the rest of the 3 minutes. In this instance, the whiskey mixture also did not reduce down as much – that’s ok!)
  6. Using tongs, dip a piece of bacon into your hot whiskey reduction – use the tongs (and I also use an extra spoon or fork) to swirl the bacon piece in the whiskey reduction. Place onto prepared baking sheet. (Note: I usually end up folding my bacon pieces in half so they fit better.)
  7. Work to coat all pieces of bacon, leaving a bit of space between each piece when you place them on the baking sheet.
  8. Once all pieces of bacon are coated and on the sheet, sprinkle them with 2/3 of your brown sugar mixture (reserve the rest for when you flip your bacon) and place baking sheet into the oven and set your timer for 10 minutes.
  9. At 10 minutes, flip your bacon. Sprinkle with the rest of your sugar and cook for another 5-10 minutes, checking to make sure your bacon doesn’t burn  (mine took the entire 20 minutes, but every oven is slightly different – and this also depends on whether you purchased thick cut bacon, which will take longer to cook).
  10. Transfer to wire rack (on your other prepared cookie sheet). Let cool.

Serve and Enjoy

If you have leftover bacon, store in the refrigerator like you would regular cooked bacon.

Makin’ Grilled Cheese

Think about your cheese pairing: Candied Whiskey Bacon pairs well with gouda and cheddar. Also think about the consistency of your cheese: American cheese from the deli melts better, so I always blend my cheese choice with a few slices ooff of a chunk of American deli cheese.

Choose delicious bread: I like to grab a loaf of garlic bread and slice it myself to control the thickness.

Make sure your bread toasts and your cheese melts: cook over low temp but put a pot lid on your frying pan! This way, your bread will slowly toast and your cheese will melt.

Tips, Tricks, and Tweaks

*If using organic dark brown sugar, please note that your whiskey reduction won’t be as thick (and may foam a bit as it cooks) and your sugar itself will be a bit more sticky. I’ve used it, and it works (the bacon was still delicious), but it does change the results slightly.