Smoked Bacon Candy (aka. Pig Candy or Candied Bacon)
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Smoked bacon candy doesn't need a lot of introduction and there's not a better marriage of foods than what happens when you combine sweet maple syrup, Jeff's original rub and bacon. Add the smoke factor and this might just knock you off your feet. I just made 4 lbs of this at home and my crew wiped it out quick!
Wanna watch this process on video? HERE IT IS
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Marinate Time: 8 hours (optional)
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Smoker Temp: 225°F (107°C)
- Meat Finish Temp: n/a
- Recommended Wood: Apple or Maple
- 1+ lbs of bacon, thick sliced
- Jeff's original rub
- Real maple syrup
- Brown sugar (dark is best in my opinion)
- Plastic lidded container for marinating.
Peel the bacon apart
Layer it into a lidded container and drizzle maple syrup and Jeff's original rub between each layer.
I spread the syrup out with a brush before sprinkling on the rub.
Once all of the bacon is layered into the container with maple syrup and my original rub , cover it and place it in the fridge overnight to marinate.
To smoke the bacon and turn it into bacon candy, lay it on a Bradley rack, cooling rack or onto Weber grill pans. Be sure to leave a little space between each piece to allow the smoke easy access and to make sure they don't stick together.
Sprinkle more of my original rub and brown sugar onto the bacon just before it goes into the smoker
Prepare your smoker for cooking at about 225°F (107°C) using indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up.
I used a mix of apple and maple, you can mix them like I did or use either one. If you don't have one of these, you can use any good smoke wood and it will be perfectly fine.
Once the smoker is ready, place the bacon into the smoker and let it smoke away for about 1 hour over indirect heat.
At the end of an hour, take it out of the smoker and flip the bacon pieces over to the other side. Once again, make sure the pieces do not touch.
Brush on more maple syrup.
Sprinkle more brown sugar
Smoke for an additional hour
Remove the smoked bacon candy from the metal racks onto parchment paper to cool for about 30 minutes before eating it.
If you're like me, waiting is difficult to do and the number of cooled pieces is less than the number of pieces that actually came out of the smoker ;-)
Not sure how that happens!
I recommend breaking the bacon up into 3rds or halves and let the frenzy begin!
I like to break it up into pieces and stick them down vertically into a short jar or container for serving.
Do I have to marinate the bacon?
No.. this is something I do to get more of the rub and maple flavor into the bacon but it is completely optional. You can easily brush on maple syrup and sprinkle with original rub and brown sugar right before it goes into the smoker.
Does the leftover cooked bacon have to be refrigerated?
Yes. According to food safety experts, cooked bacon must be refrigerated to keep it safe but if you like bacon as much as I do, there won't be no leftovers.
Can you use thin cut bacon instead?
Yes you can but, in my humble opinion, the ratio of meat to brown sugar, rub and maple syrup is all wrong with thin bacon. The thick bacon makes a bigger statement and allows the other ingredients to be a compliment.
Is bacon candy crispy or chewy?
Bacon candy is definitely not crispy but it should not be “wimpy”. It will be bendable when you remove it from the smoker but after it sits and cools, it should firm up quite a bit.
Smoked Bacon Candy (Pig Candy)
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon (thick sliced)
- ¼ cup Jeff's original rub
- 8 ounces Real maple syrup
- 1 cup Brown sugar (dark is best in my opinion)
Instructions
Season the Bacon
- Peel the bacon apart. Layer it into a lidded container and drizzle maple syrup and rub between each layer. Note: Spread the syrup out with a brush before sprinkling on the rub.
- Once all of the bacon is layered into the container with maple syrup and rub, cover it and place it in the fridge overnight to marinate.
- To smoke the bacon and turn it into bacon candy, lay it on a jerky rack or onto bradley racks. Be sure to leave a little space between each piece to allow the smoke easy access and to make sure they don’t stick together.
- Sprinkle more rub and brown sugar onto the bacon just before it's time to cook.
- Prepare your smoker for cooking at about 225°F (107°C) using indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up.
- Once the smoker is ready, place the bacon into the smoker and let it smoke away for about 1 hour.
- At the end of one hour, take it out of the smoker and flip the bacon pieces over to the other side. Once again, make sure the pieces do not touch. Brush on more maple syrup and brown sugar.
- Smoke for an additional hour.
- Remove from the smoker and place it on parchment paper right away. Let it cool for about 30 minutes before eating it for best results.
- Break the bacon up into 3rds or halves and let the frenzy begin!
Says remove parchment paper. Where is it put on in the recipe?
Jerry, I have edited the instructions and the recipe card to make this more clear.
In essence, it should read “remove the bacon candy from the smoker grate and place it on parchment paper”.
Just smoked two slices of 3/8″ bacon cut into 1 1/2″ pieces. Everything else was per recipe. Turned out very tasty. Should they have been crispy?
They are usually not crispy when they first come out but they do get more firm once they sit for about 30 minutes. The candied bacon does not get crisp like it does when it’s fried or baked though.
Can I smoke for 1 hour, then turn off and come back in a few hours to cook again
Heather, I’ve never tried this but I assume it would work fine to put some smoke on it for an hour and then finish it up later. If it’s going to be more than an hour or two before you finish cooking it, you’ll want to refrigerate it between cooking sessions.
If you try this, let me know how it turns out.
caught my smoker on fire i do not recommend
Niko, I’m not sure what your process is but I’ve never caught my smoker on fire making bacon candy. It’s a regular item at my house.
Try using a pan with a rack so you can control where the grease goes. You can also place a water pan or drip pan on a lower grate if your smoker has multiple grates.
I’ve made this before and it’s awesome. If you can resist let it sit in fridge after done for a day or two and it gets even better! GettIng ready to fire up smoker to make sum
Hi Jeff,
When I had my pig butchered I did not have anything cured since I am on a low sodium diet. Should I do anything else to the recipe?
Made a pound and a half and have had it straight off the smoker to mixed with fried corn and am putting a few pieces in with some baked beans (awesome). Very versatile and can even be put in a healthy spinach salad.
Your printed instructions suggest that we flip the bacon pieces over after one hour of cooking. I did not see you do that in the video. Is this a necessary step or can we just pull it out as it is after an hour, add a little more maple syrup and brown sugar, then return it to the smoker for another hour?
You can do it either way.. I sometimes flip them to get more brown sugar and maple syrup onto the bacon but sometimes I just prefer to leave them alone.
A coincidence this candied bacon appeared this morning! Being “home bound” here in IL due to Covid-19, we made plans to catch up on smoking. Managed a COSTCO trip last week to pick up BB ribs and thick sliced bacon. Smoked 9 racks of ribs yesterday, and we’ll fire up our Camp Chef within the hour for making 6# of candied bacon. The maple/brown sugar recipe is the best. Thank you Jeff, and you all stay safe too!
I have done this three times. Once for my father in laws funeral, once for fun, and now I’m doing 4 pounds on two separate smokers for a group of cops. Is there irony here? Maybe, however I back the blue! Also feeding them 30lbs of pulled pork. Let’s just say I’ll be smoking meat for about 24 hours.
If I’m going to make this to give away as gifts for Christmas, how long can it stay in the fridge?
Brandon, according to the USDA, cooked bacon is good for 4-5 days in the fridge after it’s been cooked. It can also be stored in the freezer for a month or longer. Source: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/98dfaf58-75f3-4535-a0fa-589ca077cc76/Bacon_and_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
These were great as an appetizer with a whiskey sour. I did smoke them at a bit higher temp (250) for the same amount of time and they came out just right. Stuck them in the fridge until our dinner party and let them sit at room temp before serving.
Why can’t I buy the product on line if I live in Canada? I’m sure that you have a lot of Canadian fans.
Reid, we just started producing and selling the bottled products late last year and it will take us a little time to get all of the kinks worked out and get through the red tape of selling them outside of the USA. Hope to get this done soon. Thank you for your feedback!
Well, this was quick and easy but nobody likes it. Way too sweet is what I am hearing.
Hi Phil. Most of us in Aus dont have thermometers with degF but degC. Any chance you can add degC in brackets.
what if you purchase bacon that is “maple flavored” already? can you still add more maple? will it make a difference?
As long as you like maple flavor, it’s not a problem at all. In my opinion, the maple is not overpowering even if you use the maple bacon.
Where can I get your rubs in the UK
Ian, Right now I only offer the recipes/formulas for my rubs and sauce so folks can enjoy it at home. We are working on bottling the stuff though and should have that very soon. I am not sure how quickly we’ll get stuff overseas but I’ll keep everyone updated as it happens.
You can always find someone and have them buy and shop it for you. Just an option until they can go international.
a little maple syrup goes a long way, so be careful
How long can bacon candy be safely refrigerated after smoking.
I’ve made many time, but this time I have to make it about a week
ahead of time.
Greg Gignac
Way to sweet. The brown sugar thickens up and holds the syrup, so the thickness of sweet is almost as thick as the bacon itself. I have a sweet tooth, but this was overkill.
It’s hard to find thick bacon sometimes, I just fold the slices in two. Works great
I just made up batch of texas rub and used on bacon I hope this was the right one….tastes yummmy
Oh, and by the way, I had big chunks of brown sugar/rub, roll off, and onto the smoker tray. So I give away those as smoked brown sugar. It gets compliments too
This is so good… I work in a hospital, and I’m going around giving away samples. So far we have had 3 strokes and 2 heart attacks. I have done 2 batches, after the 1st one, I had orders for 3.5 pounds in the 2nd one. I can sell enough to pay for mine!!
But I get nothing but “THAT’S INCREDIBLE” AWESOME, and similar compliments
Thanks for posting this
Jeff, I tried this as soon as you posted the receipe and it was awesome!!! Everyone loved it so much it was requested to be an appetizer at Thanksgiving today. Second batch is in the smoker now. Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving holiday!
jeff.
I have been using your recipes and your rub for quite some time.
But you pig candy recipe is going to put me in the poor house.
It is without doubt the best treat I have ever smoked.
Everyone agreed. Five stars.
Thanks again,
Greg
EXCELLENT idea and recipe! Jeff, you continue to produce some of my favorite cooking recipes. Bacon candy, who wudda thought?! Great results with Daily’s applewood bacon. Thanks!
Tried putting bacon on smoker thought I would add extra rub bad idea took excess off turned out excellent
This was soooo good!!! My daughter is my cooking partner in the house and we decided to make this last night along with some salted caramels. Both were very good, but this was the star.
We are thinking of next time instead of salted caramel, using some of the bacon as the vehicle for salt.
Bacon candy caramels…..Hmmmmm