Pig Candy (Candied Bacon)

Close up square shot of a white platter of pig candy

5 from 1 vote

You only need 2 ingredients and about 5 minutes of prep for this quick pig candy! It's a perfect sweet-and-salty treat for brunch, appetizers, and even dessert.

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword candied bacon, candied bacon recipe, pig candy, pig candy recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Cooling Time 5

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 288kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

8-10 slices bacon (or as many slices as you can fit on your wire rack without overlapping)
½ cup packed light brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet and spray the rack generously with cooking spray.
Place the brown sugar in a shallow dish. Working with one piece at a time, dredge the bacon in the sugar, pressing to make sure that both sides are evenly coated. Place bacon in a single layer on the wire rack.
Bake until the bacon is crispy, about 20-25 minutes. Let the bacon cool on the wire racks for a few minutes. It will continue to crisp up as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

You can use either regular bacon or thick-cut bacon, depending on your preferred texture. I find that thick-cut bacon has a slightly chewier texture when candied, while regular thinner bacon gets super-crispy.

Line the baking sheet with foil. This makes clean-up really quick and easy -- especially because the bacon grease and sugars can create quite a sticky mess.

Place the bacon on a wire rack to make sure that it gets nice and crispy on all sides. You can flip the bacon halfway through the cooking time to ensure that the bacon is equally crisp on both sides, too.

Adjust the baking time to achieve the level of browning that you prefer. The total time will vary depending on your taste, your oven, and the type of bacon that you use. Some thick-cut slices of bacon may need closer to 30 minutes in the oven.

Let the bacon cool for at least a few minutes before serving. The sugars are very hot when it first comes out of the oven, and you will definitely burn your mouth if you try to eat it immediately. The bacon will continue to firm up and will become even more crispy as it cools.

Nutrition