Savory Maple Glazed Bacon and Cayenne-Candied Bacon

 “Bacon bits are like the fairy dust of the food community” ~Jim Gaffigan

 Savory Bacon Recipes

The smell of bacon cooking is one of those aromas that touch my inner core.

This week my husband and I are staying at a small cottage on Otsego Lake; and the wafting smoke from the nightly campfire reminds me of my childhood vacations. I envision my mother standing in front of the Coleman stove browning bacon that accompanied eggs or pancakes every morning. On those days when the rain drops fell on our protective canvas tarp; and the dampness crept into our sweatshirts, it was especially comforting.

Perfectly cooked maple glazed bacon

I have been cooking this savory bacon ever since I saw Ina Garten, from the Barefoot Contessa, prepare it on the Food Network.  The combination of the sweet maple syrup with the smoky bacon is really delicious.  I use Applegate’s nitrite free apple wood smoked bacon that is very tasty.

Maple Glazed Bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan and lay the bacon slices on the cooling rack.

Bacon ready for cooking

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and brush each slice of bacon with real maple syrup. Return to the oven and continue cooking until your desired level of crispness is reached.

Glazing the bacon with maple syrup

Recently, I had a potato salad that was garnished with candied bacon;  it was so good that I searched the web for some recipes. This one from Emeril Lagasse fit the bill.

Cayenne-Candied Bacon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil and put the broiler rack on top of the pan.  Coat the rack with some vegetable oil. Combine the brown sugar and cayenne pepper in a small dish. Press one side of each bacon slice into the brown sugar mixture. Arrange the slices in a single layer, sugared side up, on the broiler rack.  Any remaining sugar may be sprinkled on top of the slices.

Bake until the bacon is crisp and the sugar is bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.  Transfer to paper towels to absorb any extra grease.

Plate and serve.

Perfectly cooked maple glazed bacon

 

Signature

Cayenne-Candied Bacon

Bacon-raw_3984

By Patricia Rio Published: August 16, 2013

  • Savory Maple Glazed Bacon and Cayenne-Candied Bacon
    2 votes, 4.50 avg. rating (91% score)
  • Yield: 4-6 Servings
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Ready In: 30 mins

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cayenne-candied-bacon-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil and put the broiler rack on top of the pan. Coat the rack with some vegetable oil. Combine the brown sugar and cayenne pepper in a small dish. Press one side of each bacon slice into the brown sugar mixture. Arrange the slices in a single layer, sugared side up, on the broiler rack. Any remaining sugar may be sprinkled on top of the slices.
  3. Bake until the bacon is crisp and the sugar is bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to absorb any extra grease
  4. Plate and serve. Enjoy!!
    Patricia Rio
    This entry was posted in Side Dishes. Bookmark the permalink.
    Print Friendly