The Cut Of Bacon Alton Brown Uses For The Best Candied Bacon

When Alton Brown wants a swine-flavored sweet, he reaches for uncured bacon. According to his website, Brown says the way uncured bacon is cut — somewhere between "standard" and "thick-cut" — it straddles the line so that the sugar's caramelization and the bacon's crisping times line up perfectly. While there are a lot of ways to cook candied bacon without burning the sugar, baking uncured bacon in the oven is Brown's tried and true method.

If you're looking to replicate Brown's sugar trick for ridiculously crunchy bacon, look for packaging that says "sodium nitrate free." "Cured" bacon uses sodium nitrate and is too thin for his recipe. Also, avoid packaging saying "thick-cut" unless you want your candied bacon to have a bit more chew to it.

It's important to know that "uncured" bacon is, in fact, cured. It just sources the nitrates for its curing process from high-nitrate vegetables like beets and celery rather than artificially creating them. It's labeled "uncured" because naturally sourced nitrates do not meet USDA classifications of nitrates despite similar chemical structures and fulfilling the same role as artificially created nitrates. Uncured bacon is by no means healthier than cured bacon.

Brown's recipe includes red pepper flakes, black pepper, and muscovado sugar, which is a processed sugar that creates molasses which becomes part of the flavor profile, but his recipe leaves ample room for experimentation. If you want less heat, try substituting chili flakes with cinnamon or a touch of maple syrup for a richer, more complex flavor. If you want to up the heat, consider dripping Sriracha or other hot sauces over the bacon for the last five minutes of its cooking time.

Candied bacon is wonderful for a quick snack, but its uses go beyond a standalone sweet treat. As a topping, candied bacon makes for a delightfully unique addition to vanilla ice cream, cupcakes, and red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. Brown's candied bacon recipe has substantial flavor, so it's best used as a topping for recipes that don't already have significant amounts of spice or a unique ingredient as the main flavor.

As a more substantial ingredient, stuff your pancakes with candied bacon for a decadent breakfast twist. If you get your sugar craving around lunchtime, try throwing it in a grilled cheese with a soft cheese like goat or gouda on grilled Hawaiian rolls. If you want to combine your dinner with your dessert, you can sprinkle candied bacon over a salad or even pair it with a blue cheese and caramelized onions burger.

How you use your candied bacon is up to your taste buds and any tweaks you may have made to Brown's original recipe. Keep in mind that your bacon will be fully cooked and perfectly crunchy already, so add it to fully cooked dishes rather than try to cook it alongside raw ingredients.

You can make candied bacon ahead of time and store it for up to one week in a sealed container in the fridge. Be sure that the bacon has had ample time to cool before storing to prevent dripping grease and melted sugar all over your container.