Pig Candy

This is a delicious, easy and absolutely decadent treat!  The most important thing about making this dish is to use a great bacon that isn’t too salty.  Hats off to Wegman’s (again) for carrying wonderful artisan meats in their deli case.  They carry big slabs of Hartmann’s Hickory Smoked Bacon at the deli counter.  Unlike the pre-packaged stuff, the deli folks will custom slice this bacon to any thickness you like.  1/4 inch thick slices are best for this recipe.  I cook the bacon slices on a bakers cooling rack set into a foiled-lined (walled) cookie sheet.  This catches all the rendered fat and makes cleanup a snap!.  An added benefit to this method is that the slices cook flat, so the brown sugar and BBQ spices caramelize on the top and don’t run off.  I promise if you cook your bacon this way you will never fry it in a pan again!  Enjoy

Ingredients:

1/4” thick slices of bacon
Fresh ground black pepper
Dark brown sugar
Rick’s Ragin’ BBQ Rub (or use one of the recipes from my numerous blog posts)

Directions:

Line a walled cookie sheet with foil and place a bakers cooling rack in it.  Lay out the strips of bacon leaving 1/4” between them.  Grind some fresh black pepper (to your taste) onto the slices.  Spread dark brown sugar over the peppered strips until the surface of the slices are completely covered.  Sprinkle lightly with BBQ rub and place in a pre-heated 275 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the brown sugar is bubbling and the edges of the bacon start turning dark.  Cook it longer if you like crisp bacon, but be careful not to burn it.  Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.