Candied bacon roses are one of the most fun recipes you can make and it’s super-versatile for any different holiday occasion. Mothers’ Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day – it doesn’t mater, these will be a favorite and show-stopper every singe time.

The best part about making candied bacon roses is how simple it is. I turn making them into a family affair at my house, my kids love making these as well. My little guy likes coloring on the skewers to make the “stems” for the candied bacon roses. My oldest likes making the roses themselves by twisting the bacon around.

Seasoning for this recipe: Queen Bee

Let’s Prep:

This beauty of making this candied bacon roses recipe is it’s simplicity. These come out delicious every single time – just don’t burn them! When it’s done you’re left with sweet, smoky and the bacon-y flavor with just a hint of spice that you expect! These really are a home run every time!

How to roll the candied bacon roses:

Prepping these is simple, and I’m going to walk you through how to roll them up, it simple, but it may take you time or two to perfect it, and that’s completely ok! The other thing to know is that like the flowers, each of these will likely look a little different. That’s also completely fine! That just makes them more authentic.

Simply start by laying down your single strip of thick cut bacon on your clean work surface, and roll it up half way. Try to keep the roll tight so there’s not much, if any gaps between your layers.

Next, twist the remaining part of the strip of bacon 3-4 times (this will vary by the length and pliability of your bacon) then wrap that twisted half of the bacon strip around the tightly rolled first half of the strip.

So in other words, roll halfway, twist the rest, then wrap the twisted part around the candied bacon. Then place 2 toothpicks in an “X” fashion to hold them together, and put them on a wire rack. I prefer this cooking method as it makes it really easy to move all of the candied bacon roses at once, it also prevents you from having to fight the grates on your grill to prevent the candied bacon roses from falling over.

Once they’re on your rack, then it’s time to season. I prefer Queen Bee Seasoning It’s a honey based seasoning that perfectly compliments the sweetness of the candied bacon glaze – but also balances out the sweetness with a touch of spice. It’s fantastic.

Let’s Cook:

Once your candied bacon roses are formed, and seasoned, it’s time to get them cooking. Place in your preheated oven or smoker at 400F. This is pretty simple, put them in and set the timer, then check. Since this recipe calls for thick cut bacon, they will take longer to cook then regular or thin cut. The reason I prefer thick cut for this recipe is that they are hearty enough to not lose their shape as they cook. Also this makes the perfect 2 bite snack.

While the bacon is cooking, it’s time to mix up the glaze. You can find the recipe for that below, but it’s really simple. You’re going to put that together and put that in the smoker or oven to combine and then glaze for a couple minutes at the end of the cook. Sooooo delicious!

Let’s Eat:

When the bacon is done cooking, take it off the heat and leave on the counter to rest for 5-10 minutes. Use this time to remove the toothpicks, and if you’ve put in skewers like I demonstrate in my video, now is the time to do that also. This is optional of course, however from a presentation perspective you can’t beat it to make the perfect gift for the special occasion.

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I used Queen Bee honey BBQ seasoning for this recipe.

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