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My favorite snack food of all time? Candied Bacon. Easy Choice.  It’s always sweet and savory mixed together.  That’s exactly what you get with this pumpkin spice candied bacon recipe.  It has all of the flavors that you’d expect when thinking about candied bacon.

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Smoky bacon, sweet brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar, or dark brown sugar), and a classic mix of other fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  This can be served as a snack or finger food before a party, or made to be crumbled over a salad or used to garnish Bloody Marys.  Let’s get to it!

Let's Prep:

To get started with this candied bacon recipe, let’s gather all of the ingredients that we’re going to need for this cook to make it way easier.  For this candied bacon recipe, the majority of ingredients are the items used to combine for the pumpkin spice glaze to form into the perfect combination of flavors.  

Get that ready to be made nice and easily by measuring out the ingredients beforehand to make it quicker to be mixed and added to your thick-cut bacon.  Speaking of thick cut bacon, that’s my favorite cut for this type of candied bacon recipe.  You get a good bite of meat without the risk of it being too crispy and putting off undesired flavors.  Trust me, this is perfect!

As mentioned above, the ingredients to be mixed together in a small bowl to make the pumpkin spice glaze, each one of the plays an important role in the flavors of this recipe.  The brown sugar and pure maple syrup add a balanced sweetness for example to this bacon candy.  

Meanwhile the ginger and ground cloves balance the umami flavors of this recipe.  All of these come together to build that beautiful candied coating that makes this so delicious.

In order to finish prepping, we need to preheat our smoker to 325F.  I love using the smoker for this because it gives it one more layer of flavor, however if you don’t have a smoker, you can definitely cook this in the oven as well.  Same time and temperature, minus the smoky flavor.

Finally, I like to use a wire rack on top of an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.  This provides the best of both worlds where air can circulate all around the bacon to cook it evenly, and also makes for easy clean up by just throwing our the used aluminum foil that was on the bottom of the pan when done.

Lay the bacon strips down on the wire rack next to each other in a single layer, lay them closely, but make sure the bacon slices aren’t overlapping at all.  That will cause them to not cook correctly and the part underneath the overlap will be raw.

Let's Cook:

Delicious candied bacon ahead!

Now that the bacon for the candied bacon is on the wire rack, and we’re up to temp on the smoker, it’s time to mix up the glaze and brush it on the bacon.  Using a kitchen brush, brush on the glaze to the bacon taking care to make sure it’s all covered.

It’s ok to lay down a thick layer on the candied bacon - this is the step that makes it candied bacon after all! When it heats up some of it is going to run off anyway.  Brush it on to make sure that it’s all coated evenly, this will be important to the cooking process.

One note on this, you can coat on the bottom side if you’d like.  In my experience however, I’d found that heat and gravity work together to quickly make all of the glaze fall off and drip and burn on the tray.  My advice is to just do one side.

Pop the baking pan into the oven or smoker, and let the magic happen. Depending on the thickness of your bacon, it’ll take about 50-60 minutes to cook. Keep an eye on it during the last 10 minutes to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn. You want the bacon to be dark amber and crispy, with just the right amount of caramelization, but definitely not charred.

For those using a smoker, you’ll get an added layer of that rich, smoky flavor. If you prefer an oven, no worries—you can still achieve the same delicious result. Just be sure to place the candied bacon on the center of the oven rack, so it cooks evenly. 

Let's Eat:

Once your pumpkin spice candied bacon is done cooking, let it cool for about 10 minutes. This allows the caramelized sugar to set, making the candied bacon easier to handle and enhancing the crispy edges. Trust me, waiting those 10 minutes is crucial—no one wants a mouthful of hot sugar!

Once you’ve let it cool down, place your pumpkin spice candied bacon out to serve as quickly as you can.  (Or eat it yourself).  If you have any leftovers, store in an airtight container for later.  This is perfect though to make ahead of time and reheat if you’re taking it to a party or tailgate.

This isn’t just party food though.  Use it to garnish Bloody Mary’s, chop and crumble over pancakes or french toast, or combine it with your favorite spicy dish to balance out flavors.  You get the sweetness from the maple syrup and brown sugar that pairs well with almost everything!

Tips: 

In order to make sure you get crispy candied bacon (or any crispy bacon for that matter), when you lay them down on the wire rack, make sure they are not overlapping at all.  This will cause the bottom piece to be raw, even after cooking.

You can add a bit of heat to this dish as well by adding in some cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes, or even black pepper to the brown sugar mixture.  You could also sprinkle on top after cooking if you’d like.

I highly recommend using real maple syrup for this.  Pancake syrup would be passable in an emergency, but go with real so you get that great flavor of good maple syrup.

I do not recommend cooking these in an air fryer - the sugar could drip and burn and create a real mess for you.

Keep an eye on this - especially toward the end as the bacon cooks quicker.  For best results check every 5-7 minutes after minute 45.

For easier handling and easier cleanup, line your baking pan with aluminum foil and use an oven-proof rack. This allows the fat to drip off while the bacon crisps up on top.

If you're feeling adventurous, try using this recipe for Billionaire Bacon Twists, which is another variation of pig candy. Sometime also known as Millionaire’s bacon typically includes a little more heat, sometimes with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or dijon mustard for that balance of sweet and spicy. It’s a tasty treat that’s sure to impress anyone.

If you're using thick-cut bacon, this recipe works best, but you can also use regular bacon if you prefer. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time slightly and keep an eye on it to avoid burning the sugar.

Final Thoughts

Making pumpkin spice candied bacon is a perfect way to bring the flavors of fall to your kitchen and tailgate - but I encourage you to make these year-round.  It doesn’t matter when you serve it this candied bacon is going to be a hit.

The simple ingredients come together to create something truly special, and it’s an easy recipe that doesn’t take much time or effort. Give it a try, and I guarantee it’ll become one of your go-to recipes for fall. 

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Check out some of my other bacon recipes

• Churro Candied Bacon: The Ultimate Sweet & Savory Treat
• Spicy Candied Bacon Crackers – Perfect Easy Snack
• Apple Pie Candied Bacon
• Spicy Candied Bacon
• Appetizers
• Snoop Dogg’s Billionaire Bacon Twists – Candy Bacon Recipe

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