There are a lot of different ways to make bacon but my favorite is smoked bacon candy.
The most common method to make bacon is in a skillet on your stove. Some people like to cook their bacon in the oven, and sometimes people even cook bacon in the microwave (gasp!).
My favorite bacon recipe uses the smoker, and we affectionately call it smoked bacon candy. In my house, it’s just about guaranteed that within ten minutes of this bacon coming off the smoker, the entire batch will be gone.
Choosing the Right Bacon for Smoked Bacon Candy
There are a lot of options for you to choose from when it comes to bacon. For this bacon recipe, it’s important that you pick thick sliced bacon.
The thin stuff will work, but it’s tough to get the timing right. At least for me…
My favorite is bacon from Kurobuta Hogs. There’s a store close to my house that always has it in stock, and you can always order it online. Kurobuta Hogs create the highest quality bacon money can buy!
Ingredients for Smoked Bacon Candy
Before you make the bacon candy, give the bacon a bath.
In a large mixing bowl combine a half cup of brown sugar and a half cup of maple syrup.
Mix it thoroughly until you have a thick sugary paste. Open your pack of bacon and using a pair of tongs put each bacon slice into your bowl, one by one. Once all of the bacon is in the bowl, toss the pieces in the mixture until all of them have a sticky coating of brown sugar and maple syrup.
Cooking Smoked Bacon Candy on Your Smoker
After you’ve coated all of the bacon pieces, let them rest in the bowl while you get your smoker going. For this smoked bacon candy recipe, I like to cook at 225 degrees.
When your smoker is up to temp bring the bowl out to the smoker and put each piece of bacon on the grill grate. Be sure to give each piece some good spacing.
The bacon will shrink as it cooks, but it won’t cook evenly if you have pieces overlapping or touching one another.
After an hour at 225 degrees, you’ll want to flip each piece of bacon. You’ll notice some good grill marks on the side that was down.
The fat in the bacon is slowly rendering, and by flipping the bacon it will cook a little more evenly. If you really want to get crazy, you can brush some more maple syrup on the bacon slices after you flip them.
The Bacon Flip
Check on the bacon thirty minutes after the flip. Some of your pieces may look like they are close to done, and if that’s the case I’d recommend pulling those pieces off the smoker to taste test them.
This bacon won’t crisp up the same way that bacon does in a skillet, but I promise you the flavor is out of this world.
Continue checking on the bacon every ten minutes, and when the bacon starts to take on a darker color, and it’s somewhat firm when you pick it up with tongs, it’s time to pull it off the smoker. Put the bacon on a rack to let it cool a few minutes, and then dig in.
Smoked Bacon Candy is the tastiest bacon recipe I’ve tried. Do you cook your bacon a different way on your smoker? I’d love to hear what you would do differently.
Bacon Candy
Ingredients
- 1 lb Thick Cut Bacon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the brown sugar and maple syrup. Mix it thoroughly until you have a thick sugary paste.
- Open your pack of bacon and using a pair of tongs put each piece into your bowl, one by one. Once all of the bacon is in the bowl, toss the pieces in the mixture until all of them have a sticky coating of brown sugar and maple syrup.
- Set your smoker to cook at 225 degrees. I like using Oak Pellets, but Cherry or Apple are good for this recipe too.
- When your smoker is up to temp place each piece of bacon on the grill grate. Be sure to give each piece some good spacing. The bacon will shrink as it cooks, but it won’t cook evenly if you have pieces overlapping or touching one another.
- After an hour at 225 degrees flip each piece of bacon. The fat in the bacon is slowly rendering, and by flipping the bacon it will cook a little more evenly. If you really want to get crazy, you can brush some more maple syrup on the bacon slices after you flip them.
- Check on the bacon thirty minutes after the flip to check on the progress. Some of your pieces may look like they are close to done, and if that’s the case I’d recommend pulling those pieces off the smoker to taste test them. This bacon won’t crisp up the same way that bacon does in a skillet, but I promise you the flavor is out of this world.
- Continue checking on the bacon every ten minutes, and when the bacon starts to take on a darker color, and it’s somewhat firm when you pick it up with tongs, it’s time to pull it off the smoker. Put the bacon on a rack to let it cool a few minutes, and then dig in.
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more bacon ideas? Check out my post on a bacon wrapped smoked fatty.
Maybe pork isn't your thing and you're looking for something a little more wild? We've got you covered with the BEST way to cook goose... goose bacon!
I like to spice the bacon up a bit . After the brown sugar I apply a layer both sides with a pork rub and then apply a small amount of cayenne pepper on one side . Sweet / salty / spicy. Umm good.
That's a great idea 🙂 Thanks, Tom.
Two tablespoons of honey is a different layer of sweet.
Hey Nick - the only thing I'd add to your recipe is to sprinkle some sweet rub (many recipes, of course!) on each side of the bacon after coating in the sugar/syrup mix, then put it on the smoker - gives it a whole other level of awesomeness!
Can I use dark corn syrup instead of maple syrup? Don’t care for maple flavor at all!