Candied Bacon Roses - Easy Smoked or Baked Recipe

Watch Me Make It

Candied bacon roses are one of the most fun recipes you can make and it's super-versatile for any different holiday occasion. Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentines Day - it doesn't matter, these will be a favorite and show-stopper every single time.  Bacon flowers are the simple recipe, that's the best fake roses that one could imagine.  Anything that's in a rose shape actually!

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The best part about making candied bacon roses is how simple it is. These are a fun way to take some strips of bacon and a few simple ingredients like maple syrup, and toothpicks and make something really awesome.  

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.  These will be a perfect gift for a bacon lover or anyone really.  

Seasoning to sprinkle on for this recipe:  Queen Bee

Let’s Prep:

The 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 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 this fake flower bouquet is simple, and I'm going to walk you through how to roll them up, it is 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.

To start your bacon spirals, simply start by laying down your single strip of thick-cut bacon on your clean work surface, and roll it up halfway.  Try to keep the roll tight so there's not many, 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.   You should be able to see at this point the bacon "petals" of the candied bacon roses coming to life. 

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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 or flat cooling rack. Make sure the second toothpick, like the first one, is going through as much of the bacon meat as possible, while avoiding the fat. This will make the best bacon fake flowers you'll ever see!

 If you like, you could also put the roses into a muffin tin.  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. If you're going to bake in the oven cook on the middle or bottom grate - not the top cooking grate!  For easy cleanup, place a baking sheet with some foil or parchment paper on it below your wire rack.

This is pretty simple, put them in and set the timer, then check.  Since this recipe calls for thick-cut bacon, it will take longer to cook than 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 of 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.

Variations:

• You can dip the roses in brown sugar if you'd like.  This will give them a crispy sweetness upon eating them.
• These can be given (or eaten) individually, however, you can make a bacon bouquet, or a bacon rose bouquet out of them too.  They are the best fake roses ever!
• If you want to vary the flavor, or perhaps add spice to these bacon roses, you can add some black pepper or chili powder or even some cayenne pepper. 
• You can make the rose stems by using a bamboo skewer and having your favorite little chef (or you) color it green then just slip it in the bottom of your rose.
• If you wanted to take it a step up the fanciness scale, take your edible arrangement, which is way better than a plastic bouquet, and wrap some tissue paper around them once they've cooled.

Check out the full recipe card below at the bottom of this post.

Other Bacon Recipes You'll Love!

• Churro Candied Bacon
• Bacon Wrapped Pickles Recipe
• Pumpkin Spice Candied Bacon
• Apple Pie Candied Bacon
• Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Pickles

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