Brown Sugar Candied Bacon

A metal cone holds crispy strips of candied bacon arranged upright in white parchment paper, set on a gray surface.

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This is a savory, sweet, salty, spicy, and addictive snack for any time of the day!

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Bacon

Servings:

Author: Nicole

Equipment

1 Full-size sheet pan with rack

Ingredients

1 pound bacon thick-cut
¾ cup light brown sugar packed
2 teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Set a wire rack on top of the foil; lightly spray with baking spray and set aside.
In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine the sugar, mustard, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using), breaking up any clumps with a fork. Dredge each piece of bacon on both sides in the sugar mixture until thickly coated. Arrange the bacon on the rack 1/4-inch apart and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking, or until the bacon is richly browned and crisp. (You do not need to flip the bacon as it bakes.) Transfer the bacon to a sheet of parchment. paper and cool to room temperature. Bacon can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

Use thick-cut bacon. Regular or thin-cut slices will burn to a crisp. Extra-thick-cut bacon will not crisp.

I like to use a full-size sheet pan lined with foil. A full-size pan will be large enough to cook all of the bacon, and the foil will make for super-easy cleanup. When baked on the rack, the bacon does not need to be turned because the heat is hitting both sides of the bacon.

I use a low temperature of 325°F so the bacon does not curl when baking and the fat renders evenly. The baking time will vary slightly because not all thick-cut bacon is exactly the same thickness. Once the bacon is richly caramelized, transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper, and it will crisp as it cools.

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