Glaze Your Bacon And Open The Door To A World Of Creative Flavors

If you can't get enough of sweet and savory combinations — like when your pancake syrup seeps onto your pile of breakfast bacon — then you'll love the tantalizing taste of glazed bacon. This sweet, salty, and crispy treat, also known as candied or lacquered bacon, is the perfect crowd-pleasing snack or appetizer. Also, candied bacon will forever change how you make BLTs. 

Candied bacon typically consists of bacon coated in brown sugar and chili flakes, the perfect balance of sweet and savory with a hint of spiciness. The coated bacon is usually baked in the oven or air fryer — although it can also be pan-fried or cooked on a flat top — until perfectly caramelized and crispy. Maple syrup and honey are other options for making the sugary sweet glaze, while black pepper can be used instead of red pepper flakes to balance the sweetness without adding too much heat. 

However, the taste combinations don't have to end there. You can create unique flavor profiles for your candied bacon to make it truly stand out from the crowd. One might draw inspiration from Chinese bak kwa, a dried, thinly sliced meat (typically pork) marinated with ingredients like ground pepper, sugar, honey, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Other ingredients like ground ginger, rice wine vinegar, garlic powder, and sesame oil can create a similar flavor profile. Or, give your bacon a honey-mustard flavor by glazing it with a simple combination of honey or Dijon mustard and brown sugar. 

There are plenty of ways that you should be seasoning your bacon for a mouthwatering snack. For a sweet and sour glaze, try combining Thai sweet chili sauce with sugary ingredients like honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Boost the spiciness with some cayenne pepper and chili powder. Create a spicier glaze with siracha and honey or simply use hot honey. 

If you'd rather ditch the spiciness in favor of more sweetness, leave out the hot spices and peppers and try adding warm spices like cinnamon sugar or pumpkin pie spice to the mix. Or, for a rich candied bacon that's perfect as a sundae topping or dipped in a bowl of melted chocolate, try a glaze made from cocoa powder and brown sugar. The smokiness of the bacon complements the slightly bitter chocolate flavor of the cocoa powder, resulting in a truly delectable dessert or snack. 

Besides experimenting with different glazes, get creative with your candied bacon by adding various toppings. Spice up your lacquer by dicing up a jalapeno pepper to sprinkle on top of the sugar or honey coated bacon. The jalapeno adds the perfect amount of heat (for those who enjoy spicy foods) to the sweet glaze. Finely chopped pecans and sesame seeds make perfect crunchy additions for candied bacon. Press the toppings onto the bacon before baking to give them a tasty toasted flavor and help them stick to your snack.