The big cook has started Butt, Bacon Candy, Brisket, Chicken on my Rec Tec

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Looks like you've got everything under control! I would love to have a piece of the bacon candy. How did you do it? Oh, and looks like we're kinda neighbors.
 
 
Looks like you've got everything under control! I would love to have a piece of the bacon candy. How did you do it? Oh, and looks like we're kinda neighbors.
It came from the monthly new letter  Her a copy of it
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Marinate Time: 8 hours (optional)
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Smoker Temp: 225°F
  • Meat Finish Temp: n/a
  • Recommended Wood: Apple or Maple
What You'll Need
  • 1+ lbs of bacon, thick sliced
  • Jeff's rub  (purchase recipes here)
  • Real maple syrup
  • Brown sugar (dark is best in my opinion)
  • Plastic lidded container for marinating.
[h2]~ Get the Recipes for Jeff's Rub  and Sauce ~[/h2]
recipe-ad-rub.jpg
What makes this bacon candy so good is the balance of sweet brown sugar with the spicy aspects of my rub.. both work perfectly together to make the best pig candy you ever ate!

I promise you'll love my dry rub/seasoning recipe and my barbecue sauce recipe or you don't pay!

Reasons to buy: Support the newsletter and the website | Own "the recipes" | Get the email newsletter 100% AD FREE from now on | Includes the Texas style rub recipe

Click Here to Order Recipes

Season the Bacon

Peel the bacon apart

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Layer it into a lidded container and drizzle maple syrup and rub between each layer.

I spread the syrup out with a brush before sprinkling on the rub.

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Marinate the Bacon Overnight

Once all of the bacon is layered into the container with maple syrup and rub, cover it and place it in the fridge overnight to marinate.

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Prepare the Bacon for Smoking

To smoke the bacon and turn it into bacon candy, lay it on a jerky rack or onto bradley racks. Be sure to leave a little space between each piece to allow the smoke easy access and to make sure they don't stick together.

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Sprinkle more rub and brown sugar onto the bacon just before it goes into the smoker

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Get the Smoker Ready

Prepare your smoker for cooking at about 225°F with indirect heat.

Let the smoker heat up to 225 °F before placing the bacon in the smoker.

If you need further help with your smoker, try one of these links:
Smoke the Bacon Candy

Place the bacon into the smoker and let it smoke away for about 1 hour over indirect heat.

At the end of an hour, take it out of the smoker and flip the bacon pieces over to the other side. Once again, make sure the pieces do not touch.

Brush on more maple syrup.

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Sprinkle more brown sugar

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Smoke for an additional hour

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Let it cool for about 30-60 minutes before eating it for best results. If you are like me, this is difficult to do and the number of cooled pieces is less than the number of pieces that actually came out of the smoker;-)

Serve it Or Hide it For Later.. Your Choice!

I recommend breaking the bacon up into 3rds or halves and let the frenzy begin!

Questions

Do I have to marinate the bacon?

No.. this is something I do to get more of the rub and maple flavor into the bacon but it is completely optional. You can easily brush on maple syrup and sprinkle with rub and brown sugar right before it goes into the smoker.

Does the cooked bacon have to be refrigerated?

Yes. According to food safety experts, cooked bacon must be refrigerated to keep it safe but if you like bacon as much as I do, that is never a problem.

Can you use thin cut bacon instead?

Yes you can but, in my humble opinion, the ratio of meat to brown sugar, rub and maple syrup is all wrong with thin bacon. The thick bacon makes a bigger statement and allows the other ingredients to be a compliment.

Is bacon candy crispy or chewy?

Bacon candy is definitely not crispy but it should not be "wimpy". It will be bendable when you remove it from the smoker but after it sits and cools, it should firm up quite a bit.
[h2]Order Jeff's Rub  Recipe and Sauce Recipe[/h2]
 
Sorry for the late report.  The dinner on Thursday was excellent.  I was unable to get pictures as soon as we set out the food there was a line of people waiting to eat.  Everyone one love the dinner.  I had also made a Christmas dinner for Sugar Creek Marina.  They do so much for our area during the year.  I guess the biggest compliment I got was when I was told that this was the start of a new yearly traditions.  The brisket was as good as it get.  O yes some people tried to put order in for the bacon candy and I told them I cook only because I love too and not a job.  
 
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