Martha Stewart's Homemade Candied Bacon Balances Sweet With Spicy, Using Just 3 Ingredients

Nothing calls everybody to the kitchen like the morning aroma of sizzling bacon. Make it candied bacon, à la Martha Stewart's homemade candied bacon recipe, and just like that, the bar is raised even more.

Stewart keeps it simple. In her recipe, the bacon is baked rather than pan-fried, and prep time is minimal. Unless you're hankering for an umami up-tick that calls for spicy cayenne pepper, or a very specific brand of sweet, like a guest who suggests maple-cinnamon candied bacon, you'll appreciate Stewart's staple candied bacon ingredients. She sticks with the basics for a sweet and spicy rendition: bacon, brown sugar, and pepper.

Preparing Stewart's bacon is easy, too. The bacon strips are laid out side by side on a wire rack that is then set on a baking pan, lined with a sheet of parchment paper. After sprinkling the bacon with brown sugar and pepper, bake time is around half an hour. Aside from rotating the racks halfway through baking, the real culinary skill candied bacon calls for is patience.

For all its promises of nominal ingredients and easy prep, candied bacon gets tricky once it's put in the oven to bake. In the spirit of not too hot (high temps can burn the bacon) and not too cold (lower temps lean toward chewy, rather than crispy bacon), it is important to stick with the recipe's recommended temperature and cook time, but stay vigilant. The thickness between bacon slices can vary, so keep an eagle eye for thinner pieces that need an earlier rescue from the oven. And watch that the sugar doesn't singe the bacon; it's meant to caramelize, but sugar can occasionally burn more quickly than expected. Stewart's wire rack recommendation is a helpful tool for that, making it easier for air to circulate around the bacon during bake time.

Of course, brown sugar is not the only way to marry sweet with savory when it comes to perfecting candied bacon. Bourbon candied bacon recipes call for a dash of bourbon added to the brown sugar (or ditching brown sugar altogether for maple syrup or honey instead). With so few ingredients at play, it's easy to experiment. Just resist the lure to pull the candied bacon out of the oven before it is time. One whiff as it begins to bake, and you'll want to.