It is nearly impossible to make enough of Pecan Crusted Candied Bacon! That’s eating high on the hog! And… the reason for this Special Edition is because our candied bacon has been featured on the podcast and blog of the beautiful, talented Becky Hadeed @thestoriedrecipe! Her photography is ‘cookbook quality’ beautiful! I sent Becky a general recipe of how to make Pecan Crusted Candied Bacon, yet we wanted the recipe tweaked a bit- so, here’s the specific version with a few tips for making –

Pecan Crusted Candied Bacon

Mix together:

• 1 1/3 cups Light Brown Sugar
• 1- 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Black Pepper OR
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper ( Black and Cayenne Pepper are to taste, I like it spicy! And often add both!)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

*Keep this mixture in an airtight container …it makes enough for at least a pound of bacon.

Method:

• Prepare baking pan by lining with heavy duty foil, then lining with heavy duty parchment paper. Don’t skip this step! It is almost impossible to get the drippings off the pan!
• After each batch remove and replace parchment paper. On top of parchment paper foil lined pan, set a baking or metal cooling rack.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For each batch- cut 4 slices of thick bacon in half and arrange the 8 pieces on the baking rack leaving space between the slices. *Thick bacon is commercially sliced and is about 1/8 inch thick.
• On each half slice of bacon, sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar mixture. (don’t overload bacon with topping, it will melt and run off onto the baking sheet and burn.
• Press sugar topping lightly. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, check the bacon …it will always need more time- Bake for 10-15 minutes more checking every few minutes.

• Remove Bacon and leave on rack to cool.
• If properly cooked, the bacon will continue to crisp up slightly as it cools. Depending on the thickness of the bacon, it takes up to a total of 30 minutes for each batch.
• Store Pecan Crusted Candied Bacon in single layers with wax paper or parchment between layers in an airtight container.
• * Variation- add finely chopped walnuts if preferred or omit nuts entirely, though I must say- the pecans make it southern a delicious!

Serve: Alone as an appetizer (small parties…these go lightening fast!), Pecan Crusted Candied Bacon is wonderful crumbled over fruit or green salads. And! For a very special treat, crumble on top of a good vanilla ice cream, if you really want to dress it up– pour a teaspoon of bourbon over ice cream to enhance the vanilla flavor (if you dare! Adults only please) Then, top with a good caramel sauce then sprinkled chopped or crumbled bacon on top!

This Special Edition is an exciting time! It’s our first podcast!  The podcast with Becky of @thestoriedrecipe was a first for me! I mean, really…it’s a scary thing, wondering what your voice will sound like- if the recipes will work and okay, I didn’t want to sound like a redneck! Still. Becky did a great job making the recipes, including Mimi’s Award Winning Pimento Cheese look great! And… her editing skills on the video are amazing too. The episode includes two other wonderful guests and me! Here’s a link to Becky’s blog- The Storied Recipe and the podcast located at the beginning of her post.

I am honored to be Becky’s friend and to have appeared in her podcast, which is available as The Storied Recipe, Episode 4 and also through your podcast app. Follow Becky on Instagram @thestoriedrecipe as she continues to interview guests and discover recipes and the stories that go along with them! The table is where we find common ground. It’s the making of the food for our friends and families, sharing the stories and creating even more memories, especially during the holidays!

Love y’all, Camellia

*All photographs belong to Becky Hadeed and are used with permission – except- the ‘candied bacon on the baking rack’ which is obviously mine!