Macheesmo

You know what’s a hard task: Improving bacon.

If you cook it correctly, it’s already pretty darn good. Most of the time I’m in the If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix it camp, but this very simple bacon technique is just too good not to talk about.

Candied bacon has been a thing for a while but adding a spicy element to it is right up my alley. The first time I saw this flavor combo was when my good buddy Chris and Blab cohost made it into an appetizer.

But I wanted to try and bake the sriracha right on the bacon. So that’s what I did.

I left a plate of these strips in the kitchen and Betsy came up to me while I was working on something and said, “What is that bacon? What is going on?!”

Sriracha Candied Bacon is addictive stuff and if you’re going to try to improve bacon, this is a good way to do it.

Sriracha Candied Bacon

This is a super-simple twist on bacon that will hit all the right tastebuds. Slightly sweet and spicy, this is bacon at its best!

3.13 from 16 votes

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Prep Time 5 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Breakfast & Brunch, Side Dishes

Servings 4 Servings

Yield 8 Pieces of Bacon

Equipment

• 1 Baking Sheet

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 strips bacon
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce

Instructions

 

• Line a baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup. In a small bowl stir together brown sugar and sriracha until it forms a paste.
• Spread out bacon strips on baking sheet and coat each strip with some of the brown sugar paste.
• Place baking sheet in a cold oven and turn on to 350 degrees F. (Starting the bacon cold will help fat render out slowly).
• Bake the bacon for about 20 minutes, maybe rotating the pan once halfway through, but never flipping the actual strips.
• The finished bacon will be really crispy and almost look burned around the edges. Remove bacon strips and let cool on a few paper towels.
• Bacon will crisp up as it cools.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Pieces of BaconCalories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 381mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 0.01gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 22IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.3mg

Keyword Bacon, Breakfast, Breakfast Sides, Candied Bacon, Flavored Bacon

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Sriracha Candied Bacon

The setup for this bacon marvel is pretty straightforward. You just need these things!

On the bacon, don’t get thick cut bacon. It takes too long to crisp up and the brown sugar will burn by the time it’s ready. So just get normal thinner slices for this recipe.

Then just stir together the brown sugar and sriracha. It’ll look like ketchup but it’s definitely NOT ketchup.

By the way, this quick little sauce is a great base for a good condiment. Add a little soy sauce to it and it’d be great for a fried rice sauce or something.

If you’re going to make this recipe, please line your baking sheet with foil. It will make the cleanup so much easier. If you don’t use foil then the cleanup will completely suck and will ruin your bacon eating experience.

After you wrap the baking sheet in foil, lay out the bacon strips (no overlap), and sort of paint on some of the sriracha paste onto each strip.

Place this baking sheet in a COLD oven and then turn it on to 350 degrees F. Starting the bacon in a cold oven will help the fat slowly render out of the bacon.

After 15-20 minutes of baking, the bacon will be a dark brown, caramel color and might even look a bit burned around the edges.

It’s just the sugar caramelizing though. It’s not really burned. (Although it can burn if you don’t watch it!)

As the bacon bakes, don’t flip the actual bacon strips since the sugar coating is on the top. If the bacon seems like it is cooking unevenly, feel free to rotate the pan in the oven or move it up or down in the oven.

After it bakes, remove the strips and let them cool on a few paper towels. As the strips cool,the sugar will harden and make the bacon beautifully crispy.

And you know I love that sriracha business. Each strip has just enough spice to keep your tastebuds interested.

Indulgent? Maybe! But probably the best bacon I’ve made at home.