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Smoked Candied Bacon

Sep 9, 2023 · 7 Comments

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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…

Candied bacon close up

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!

Looking for the best bacon? Click the image to order

Ingredients for Smoked Bacon Candy

Candied Bacon Ingredients

Before you make the bacon candy, give the bacon a bath.

Maple syrup and brown sugar mixed for candied bacon.

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.

Bacon being mixed with syrup and brown sugar in bowl.

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.

Candied bacon in smoker.

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.

Candied bacon smoking

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.

Candied Bacon after cooked

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.

Slice of candied bacon in hand.

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.

Candied bacon slices in holder.
Candied bacon slices in holder.
Print Pin
4.39 from 44 votes

Smoked Candied Bacon

There are a lot of different ways to make bacon. The most common method 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 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.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes
Servings 4
Calories 220kcal
Author Nick

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.
    Maple syrup and brown sugar mixed for candied bacon.
  • 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.
    Bacon being mixed with syrup and brown sugar in bowl.
  • 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.
    Candied bacon in smoker.
  • 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.
    Candied bacon smoking
  • 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.

Video

Notes

This 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tom Wolhar says

    November 17, 2018 at 5:51 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Nick says

      November 17, 2018 at 7:39 am

      That's a great idea 🙂 Thanks, Tom.

      Reply
      • Mark says

        November 26, 2020 at 12:26 pm

        Two tablespoons of honey is a different layer of sweet.

        Reply
  2. Don Tankersley says

    September 25, 2020 at 6:11 pm

    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!

    Reply
  3. Sue says

    February 05, 2021 at 8:00 pm

    Can I use dark corn syrup instead of maple syrup? Don’t care for maple flavor at all!

    Reply

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Smoked Meat Sunday

I've been barbecuing for 25 years and Smoked Meat Sunday is a collection of my experience and recipes.

Beyond the smoker, I love to travel, learn about new cuisines, and incorporation those traditions into my cooking.

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