Thursday, May 20, 2010

Bacon Candy

Yes, you read that right. Bacon candy. That's what I served with sweet potato pancakes at the Monday Morning Staff Meeting. I thought it would be a good pairing. What did you think?

Normally I serve Bacon Candy as an appetizer but this time it was for breakfast. Bacon is the new darling in the world of chefs. You can find bacon in all kinds of recipes. A local chef has it on the menu as Chicken Fried Bacon. The bacon is dipped in batter and deep fried. It's absolutely delicious and different.

There's only one business in our little community and that's Pete's Hot Dog place, out on the main highway. He serves a pork bomb called the Pork Producers Sandwich, which is a gut busting combination of boneless pork chop, ham and bacon, topped with cheese on a bun. Overload.

In nearby Chicago they held a Bacon Fest. Remember, Illinois is a big pork producer and when I was a kid Orien Samuelson would read the commodities numbers on WGN radio very early in the morning, ticking off rates for corn, soybeans and pork bellies.

When my stepsister arrived in the U.S. from Australia to do a six month walkabout after finishing medical school, she vowed to eat bacon for every meal. She was raised in the U.S. until the age of 10 at which time my stepfather had accepted a job down under. She fondly remembered the bacon of her childhood and assured me that there's nothing like it in Oz.

So, that's what she did. She ate bacon at every meal and every opportunity. She at bacon with pancakes, bacon sandwiches for lunch and for dinner we got creative and added bacon to salads or carbonara. I'm pretty sure she tried to smuggle bacon on the plane.

Here's how to make bacon candy!

BACON CANDY

10 slices of regular bacon (not thick sliced)
1/3 cup of brown sugar

Sprinkle brown sugar over the bacon and press down firmly so the sugar sticks to the bacon. Place on a wire rack over a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until crispy. Let bacon cool and harden. (I didn't have a wire rack so I just baked them on a foil lined pan and it worked fine, just drain on paper towel after baking).

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Arrange bacon.

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Press in the brown sugar.

Enjoy!

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Do you love bacon?

20 comments:

chocolatechic said...

Pork fat rules.

I heart bacon.

Debbie said...

I like my bacon crisp and warm! I like it crumbled up in salads and I really like a BLT with cheese on occasion. I've had some wonderful pasta dishes with bacon.
Debbie

Michelle said...

I love bacon. It ranks right up there with butter. Nice recipe.

Leslie T. said...

Ummmmmm, bacon -- love it!!

Becky K. said...

I totally love bacon!!!!!

Becky K.

LDF said...

I HEART BACON! I lived with vegetarians for a while ... they tried to appease my bacon cravings with (shudder) "mock" bacon (ingredients unknown) and turkey bacon. I used to DREAM ABOUT real crispy bacon! Thanks for the candy!

StefRobrts said...

That's just insane! We recently started going to a local butcher and buying their maple bacon - it's so good, it just melts in your mouth! It's like heaven! It's not just bacon, it's an experience. We can never go back to grocery store bacon again.

StitchinByTheLake said...

I double love bacon. But alas I'm trying to lose some weight so I had to give it up for a while. Just a while. blessings, marlene

Dodie said...

Chocolate bacon was served at the Wichita (KS) River Festival this past week. However, it got a poor rating in the paper and said not to waste you money. Can you imagine bacon & chocolate. I can't. Now your candy bacon sounds better.

Vee said...

Yes, I love bacon and have been baking it in the oven since you first showed us how. This reminds me of those amazing tidbits that the Pioneer Woman has in her recipe file. Those have a chunk of pineapple in the middle rolled in brown sugar and wrapped in bacon and baked. Oh boy howdy those are good! I will give this a whirl because goodness knows I need more calories. Thanks!

Mary Rex said...

I love BLT's! and the season is almost here. Fresh tomatoes, warm crispy bacon and cold crunchy lettuce on toast w/mayo- YUM:)

Taste of Home magazine recently had a recipe for Chocolate Covered Bacon. You thread the bacon on skewers before baking, then brush on melted chocolate and top with things like dried apple chips, chopped nuts, brown sugar or cayenne pepper. The recipe is on the website. Actually looks pretty good.

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

I love, love, love pork! Bacon is my top fave, and chopped pork barbecue is a close second. My favorite bacon is the thick slab peppered variety. Petit Jean meats makes a wonderful version (AND THEY SHIP) they have wonderful gift boxes at Christmas. This bacon "candy" sounds delicious--I have had maple bacon and it is so good. I'll have to try this!

myletterstoemily said...

no, but i do love bacon candy!

sweet, salty, crispy perfection!

cowboysandchuckwagoncooking said...

I've had this before. Wow, I remember also my grandma does another type using molasses and slow cooking. I had forgotten all about this treat until now. I'll have to try out the sweet potato pancakes and maybe add this on our sight. Love your report. Thanks, Roger Edison, Cowboys and Chuckwagon Cooking
http://cowboyandchuckwagoncooking.blogspot.com/

Millicent said...

Suzanne, we've done this bacon before and you're right - it is delicious. We used to call it Jamaican Bacon. If you don't have a wire rack, you can crumple the foil and line the pan. That way you don't have to drain on paper towels. Enjoy!

Millicent said...

PS - I saw a chocolate bar with bacon recently. Bacon is the rage.

life in red shoes said...

Doesn't everyone?
A funny bacon story, my brother worked on a movie, his best bud wrote it, and took Sela Ward the actress out to breakfast. Well Sela loves bacon too, she just doesn't care to "injest" it. So she ordered a plate of bacon, would chew it until it had lost it's flavor, and then would discreetly spit it into her napkin.
True story.
Your recipe looks yummy, I think I'll give it a try.
Oh, and I have seen bacon scented cologne:(

lisa said...

I emailed this to my husband. This could be dangerous!

Lisa D. said...

Bacon is one the reasons I could never be a vegetarian. I can't imagine a life without bacon. Bacon goes with everything.

Blondi Blathers said...

A friend of mine has just received bacon FUDGE and says it's good!
I find that hard to believe.