How to make candied bacon crispy?

Bake on a wire rack so the heat circulates, and let it cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Do I need thick-cut bacon?

No — regular streaky bacon works best for crispy strips, though thick-cut gives a chewier bite.

Can I use maple syrup instead of sugar?

Yes! However I still use brown sugar in my maple syrup candied bacon variation

Candied bacon recipe

Name: Candied bacon recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 10 - 12 slices smoked streaky bacon; ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar; 1 tsp cracked black pepper; 1 tsp regular paprika

Ingredients

Units Scale

10 - 12 slices smoked streaky bacon
1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp regular paprika

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Instructions

Preheat oven
Heat your oven to 190°C/375°F (fan-forced).
Prepare the tray
Line a large oven tray with foil (this makes cleaning easier). Place a wire rack or roasting rack over the tray – this allows the fat to drip through and keeps the bacon crisp.
Note: If you don’t have a roasting rack, set a oven safe wire cooling rack inside your oven tray. Just make sure the gaps aren’t too wide so the bacon doesn’t slip through.
Mix the coating
In a shallow dish, combine the brown sugar, black pepper and paprika. Spread the mixture out evenly across the base of the dish.
Coat the bacon
Press each slice of bacon into the sugar mixture, turning to coat both sides thoroughly. Shake off any excess. Place the coated bacon on the rack in a single layer, ensuring it’s well supported and won’t fall through.
Bake
Bake for 15–18 minutes until the bacon is caramelised, glossy and deep golden.
Tip: Start checking at 12 minutes. The sugar can caramelise very quickly in the last few minutes, so watch closely to avoid burning.
Cool
Remove from the oven and leave the bacon on the rack for 5–10 minutes to crisp as the sugar hardens.
Serve
Enjoy straight away, or crumble over salads, soups, burgers or even desserts for a sweet-salty crunch.

Notes

Timing is a bit of trial and error.
Too short and the bacon won’t be crunchy, too long and the sugar may burn. Sugar burns very easily once it darkens, so keep a close eye.
Don’t wait for it to crisp in the oven.
The bacon firms up and gets properly crunchy only once it has cooled completely. Judge by the colour rather than texture while hot – it should look dark golden brown, not pale or blackened.
If it’s underdone.
If you take it out and it’s not crisping to your liking, you can put it back in for another minute or two. But if the sugar burns, there’s no fixing it – burnt sugar will overpower the flavour.
Thickness matters.
Thin-cut bacon will cook faster, while thick-cut slices may need an extra minute or two.
Even cooking.
Make sure the bacon slices don’t overlap on the rack, otherwise they’ll steam rather than caramelise.
Sticky drips.
Any sugar that melts off will pool on the foil underneath – let it cool before discarding, as hot caramel can burn.

Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 22
Category: Snacks
Method: Oven-baked
Cuisine: American