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Pig CandyAir Fryer Candied Bacon
June 21, 2023 | Laura
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Candied bacon (billionaire bacon) is the perfect balance between savory and sweet. The sugar coated bacon is a delicious and very addicting treat that everybody is sure to love. Pig candy is excellent eaten on its own, stacked on a burger, or put into a Bloody Mary.
Pig Candy, Millionaire Bacon, Billionaire Bacon, Candied Bacon
Whatever you want to call it.. It is delicious! I mean how can you go wrong with sugar coated bacon? It really is the perect balance of sweet and savory.
This candy bacon is great just eaten on its own as an appetizer or a snack. It is also really tasty incorporated into other recipes. Let your imagination run wild! Another great thing about this bacon recipe is that it is quick and simple to make. You only need a handful of ingredients and a little bit of time!
Candied Bacon Recipe: Ingredients
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
✽ Brown Sugar: By using brown sugar, you will get sweetness with a bit of molasses flavor which pairs great with the savory bacon. I used light brown sugar when testing this recipe, but you could also use dark brown sugar to increase the molasses!
✽ Black Pepper: Black pepper bacon is so good and this recipe is no exception. I like to use 2 teaspoons of pepper to counteract the sweetness, but you can decrease or increase the amount to your personal tastes.
✽ Cayenne: I love a sweet heat so I also like to add a bit of cayenne to add a little kick. Cayenne is completely optional in this recipe.
✽ Thick Cut Bacon: When making billionaire bacon, I always choose thick-cut. The thick-cut bacon is going to make the bite just a bit chewy, and I love that. You could also use regular cut or thin cut bacon, but you will need to decrease the cooking time to about 7-9 minutes. I also use plain bacon rather than flavored.
How to Make Candied Bacon in the Air Fryer
➊ In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional).
*For easier cleanup, you can line the bottom of the air fryer basket with foil to catch the grease and sticky sugar.
➋ This recipe is written for 1 pound of thick-cut bacon which is about 12 strips. Lay the thick-cut bacon slices into the air fryer basket in a single a layer.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you will probably need to cook the bacon in batches. You do not want the bacon strips to overlap. Make sure to drain the grease from the air fryer between each batch.
➌ Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of the slices of bacon. Press the sugar down with your fingers so it sticks.
➍ Cook bacon at 380°F for 10-12 minutes or until desired crispiness. Start checking bacon around the 8 minute mark to ensure bacon is not burning.
When done cooking, let bacon sit in air fryer a couple minutes then transfer to a wire rack (cooling rack). You may want to put a paper towel underneath the rack to catch grease and sugar for easier cleanup.
Air-Fryer Candied Bacon Recipe: Questions
✽ Can I use regular cut bacon for candied bacon?
Yes. However, I prefer using thick-cut because you get a bit of chewiness with the crispiness. I think it is the perfect balance of textures.
If you end up choosing to use regular cut you will need to decrease the cooking time. Cook the bacon at 380°F for 7-10 minutes until desired crispiness. Check around the 6 minute mark to ensure the bacon is not burning.
✽ Do you use dark or light brown sugar for candied bacon?
Either one! Using dark brown sugar will give you a little more molasses flavor, but both dark and light brown sugar are delicious.
✽ Can I make this candied bacon less spicy?
To decrease the spice level, reduce or omit the cayenne pepper. You can also reduce the amount of black pepper the recipe calls for as well.
On the other hand, if you want it to be more spicy, consider adding red pepper flakes to the mix!
✽ What do you eat with candied bacon?
Candied bacon is delicious on its own when served as a snack or appetizer. However, it is also delicious when combined with other recipes.
This bacon would be good on/with hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, Bloody Marys, deviled eggs, a charcuterie board, and even vanilla ice cream. Use your imagination. The possibilities for this delicious snack are endless!
✽ How do you store leftover candied bacon?
Store candied bacon in the fridge in a covered airtight container or bag for up to 5 days. You may want to put parchment paper or wax paper in-between the pieces so they do not stick to each other.
You can also store candied bacon in the freezer in a sealable freezer bag for up 6 months. Remember the sooner you eat it, the better it will be. Again, you may want to wrap each bacon strip individually in aluminum foil so they do not stick together or get freezer burn. Allow candied bacon to thaw in fridge overnight before serving/reheating.
✽ To Reheat Candied Bacon:
Candied bacon is still tasty leftover, but it may not be as crispy when reheated.
Reheat leftover candied bacon from fridge (or thawed in fridge overnight if previously frozen) in the air fryer at 380°F for 4-5 minutes. Keep an eye on the bacon to make sure it doesn't burn. Let sit in air fryer for a few minutes before enjoying.
Looking for more snack recipes?
→ Check out all of my favorite appetizer recipes!
How I Created the Air Fryer Candied Bacon Recipe
During the creation of this recipe, I tried many different combination of ingredients. Here I'll talk a little about how I came up with the final recipe.
✽ I knew that brown sugar needed to be a apart of this recipe in order to give the bacon sweetness and flavor. The question was how much brown sugar did the bacon need. I tried different quantities of brown sugar ranging from 1/4 cup to 1 cup.
I found that anything above 1/2 cup of brown sugar was too much sugar and not because it made the bacon too sweet. It was too much because all the sugar was not able to stay on the bacon strip and ran off when heated. So the bacon that had more sugar added actually was less sweet. Plus, that bacon also had less pepper because it ran off with the sugar.
✽ I really wanted to add a bit more savory to this recipe in the form of Worcestershire sauce, but it just didn't work out. The flavor was there, but the texture was not. The Worcestershire sauce simply did not allow the bacon to crisp up enough.
✽ I also tried a version that included both maple syrup and brown sugar. Just like the Worcestershire, the maple syrup also preventing the bacon from getting as crispy as I like. Plus, I did not feel like the maple syrup added enough flavor for it to be included in the recipe.
✽ For the black pepper, I began my testing with two teaspoons which I ended up keeping. I actually could have added a bit more for my personal tastes but did not want to over do it. The cayenne was a later addition to the recipe that my husband suggested. His taste buds usually do not steer me wrong. The sweet heat was delicious!
✽ Finally, the thick-cut bacon was a must for me. The thicker bacon had more flavor and better texture.
Air Fryer Candied Bacon
By Laura | Laura The Gastronaut
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 12 Strips of Bacon
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Candied bacon (billionaire bacon) is the perfect balance between savory and sweet. The sugar coated bacon is a delicious and very addicting treat that everybody is sure to love. Pig candy is excellent eaten on its own, stacked on a burger, or put into a Bloody Mary.
*Some of these ingredient links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• 1 pound thick-cut bacon
Instructions
➊ In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, if using, together.
➋ Lay bacon strips in air fryer in a single layer. Do not overlap bacon. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the bacon in batches.
➌ Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top of the bacon, and press down with your fingers so it sticks.
➍ Cook bacon at 380°F for 10-12 minutes or until desired crispiness. Begin to check on bacon around the 8 minute mark to ensure it is not burning. When done cooking, let bacon sit in air fryer for a couple of minutes then transer to a wire rack to cool.
➎ If needing to cook bacon in batches, repeat process with the rest of bacon. Drain the bacon grease from the air fryer in between each batch.
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✽ Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing on Instagram. Tag @laurathegastronaut and hashtag it #laurathegastronaut.
Category: Pork, Appetizers & Snacks Cuisine: American
Keywords: air fryer pig candy recipe, air fryer bacon recipes, air fryer millionaire's bacon, candied bacon air fryer recipe, air fryer recipes
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Bon appétit!
June 21, 2023 by Laura Ehlers
*This Air Fryer Candied Bacon blog post and recipe may contain some Amazon affiliate links. These link to products that I personally use and recommend. If you purchase anything using my links, it will not cost you anything. It will though give laurathegastronaut.com some financial support which helps me keep this blog running. Thank you for reading my blogs and your continued support.