I don’t like my pancake syrup to touch my bacon or sausage or ham.
But …
add brown sugar, chopped pecans, and a touch of heat to the syrup, slather it on the bacon, and roast it in the oven? Then I will allow syrup to touch my bacon.
We found this recipe a couple of years ago and assigned it to Stud Muffin’s brother to bring to a Men’s Supper Club event. It was the hit of the dinner.
He’s made it several times now. Stud Muffin has made it. It’s always a hit. Especially with the men, who, interestingly enough, won’t usually try it until they’re told that it’s bacon. Men. Such scaredy cats.
There are several recipes out there, but we’ve always used Ina Garten’s and it’s delicious!
We also keep it in the oven a few extra minutes and often finish it with a minute under the broiler, just to be sure the bacon is fully cooked.
Ingredients
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup chopped or whole pecans
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 pound thick-sliced applewood-smoked bacon (regular bacon works too, but the thick-sliced is best)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning) and place a wire baking rack on top.
Combine the brown sugar and pecans in a food processor and process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and pulse to combine. Add the maple syrup and pulse again to moisten the crumbs.
Cut each bacon slice in half crosswise and line up the pieces on the baking rack without touching. With a small spoon, evenly spread the pecan mixture on top of each piece of bacon, using all of the mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is very browned but not burnt. If it’s underbaked, the bacon won’t crisp as it cools.
While it’s hot, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside to cool. Serve at room temperature.
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Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/caramelized-bacon0.html?oc=linkback
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