Candied Bourbon Bacon Bites

To a Kentucky girl with a heart for traditional Kentucky flavors, this recipe for Candied Bourbon Bacon Bites stands out as both special and uncomplicated. In fact it uses only three ingredients most Kentucky cooks are likely to have on hand: bacon, brown sugar and bourbon.

Candied Bourbon Bacon Bites served on a wood tray.

Delicious Bacon

There was a time when I ate bacon almost every day. Growing up we had bacon and eggs for breakfast most mornings. When we weren’t eating strips of bacon we were using the drippings to season beans or to add to potatoes. We also used them to grease and season our cast iron skillets.

I can remember waking up early to the smell of breakfast as Aunt Hen fried thick slices of jowl bacon (she pronounced it so that I always heard it like it was someone’s name, Joel Bacon) for my uncle’s breakfast. She cooked a whole cast iron skillet full of bacon in the morning. That made enough for my uncle to share with Cisco, his German Shepherd. Cisco sat patiently beside my uncle’s chair until he left for work long before the crack of dawn.

As the years passed wisdom finally overcame tradition. In time we learned more about the risks associated with the nitrites in bacon. We also became concerned about the high salt, saturated fat and calorie content that bacon brings to the table. These days I have cut most of the bacon from my weekday menus and save it for special occasions.

Strips of Candied Bourbon Bacon before it is cut into Bites.
Strips of Candied Bourbon Bacon before it is cut into Bites.

Candied Bacon for Special Occasions

This recipe is a good one for such special occasions. Attributed to Paula Dean, I stumbled over it when I previewed The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook a year or so ago. It stood out as both special and uncomplicated.

A Kentucky girl, with a heart for traditional Kentucky flavors, I found this recipe appealing. It is simple to prepare, using only three ingredients most Kentucky cooks are likely to have on hand: bacon, brown sugar and bourbon.

Another plus is that Candied Bourbon Bacon Bites uses a technique for cooking bacon that was new to me, but useful for those times when you need more bacon than one skillet will hold. It cooks the bacon in the oven while you prepare the rest of the meal and, if you line the baking pan with foil, even clean up is a snap.

Candied Bourbon Bacon Bites

Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

10

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

25

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

Both special and uncomplicated, this recipe uses only three ingredients: bourbon, brown sugar, and bacon.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound bacon

  • 2 Tablespoons Kentucky bourbon

  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top of the foil. Arrange the strips of bacon close together in a single layer on top of the rack. Brush the bacon with the bourbon. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bacon.
  • Place the bacon in the oven. Bake until crisp and dark golden brown, approximately 20 – 25 minutes. (This time may vary depending on the thickness of the bacon. My bacon was thick and took longer.)
  • When crisp, remove from oven and transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to cool slightly. Break each strip into several pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

5 Comments

  1. Anonymous – Thanks for your question. You will only need to apply the bourbon and brown sugar to one side of the bacon. Then pop it in the oven and bake until crisp. Enjoy!

  2. do you have to do this to both sides?

  3. bacon is amazing. candied bacon is even better, and adding bourbon to the mix is a great and enticing (and addictive) idea!

  4. I agree with Pam, the only way to cook bacon is in the oven or on the BBQ outside. No mess or splatter, this recipe sounds simply delish, gonna have to try it for sure.

  5. I only bake bacon, it is so easy and no spattered stovetop! I'm going to have to try this version!

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