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DIY Beer Candied Bacon

Lee Heidel
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I’d be hard pressed to name something I enjoy consuming more than beer.

With so many diverse beer flavor profiles readily available, it’s easy to pair any occasion with a different brew and never tire of it.

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Hypothetically, if I were to enjoy a flavor more than a solid brew, it would be bacon.

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High quality bacon, expertly prepared, is salty, sweet and smoky with the most satisfying crunch around the edges and a soft pull of the fat against your teeth. A light coating of rich grease is the metaphoric icing on top of the cake.

So why not put the two amazing sensory experiences that beer and bacon provide together into a delicious (if not exactly healthy) dessert-worthy snack? Here’s my do-it-yourself recipe for beer-candied bacon.

Related Post: Eat Bacon Around the Clock

Ingredients

  • ½ Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 lb. Thick-cut Bacon
  • 1 Bottle of Can of Dark Beer
  • Black Pepper (just a pinch)

Beer Note:

In many beer recipes, you may be tempted to buy a lower-quality, inexpensive beer for your cooking experiments. However, in this case, you will have a good bit left over to consume, so buy a good beer that you enjoy drinking. I recommend cooking this recipe seasonally with the currently available Yeti Imperial Stout variant from Great Divide Brewing Co.

Bacon Note: 

Try to avoid the mealy factory-farmed bacon and help responsible local farmers like these guys when buying your bacon. Happy pigs make for tastier bacon.

Directions:

Pour two ounces of beer into the brown sugar and whisk into a syrup-like consistency. Sprinkle in a bit of pepper. Enjoy drinking the remaining ten ounces of beer.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the strips of bacon on the foil and bake for ten minutes. Drain the grease, flip the bacon, and then return to the oven for another ten minutes until the bacon slightly begins to crisp. Drain again if necessary.

Brush the beer and sugar glaze onto the bacon and keep baking until the sugar starts to caramelize. Flip and repeat with the other side. Continue this process until both sides of the bacon have received two coats of syrup and the bacon turns into a deep red color with dark, crispy artifacts of caramelization on the surface.

Move the beer-candied bacon to a cooling rack where they will harden into stiff, sugary planks. Serve with beer (of course).

Vegetarian Option: For the vegetarians out there, you may be tempted to try this with veggie bacon. Let me save you the trouble and report that it turns out like maple syrup coated cardboard. In this specific case, beer and “bacon” are two tastes best separated.

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Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
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