I know I know I know, I’ve been holding out you folks on the Man Candy recipes. It’s funny how a single basic ingredient, bacon, can literally go viral globally. Ever since introducing the Man Candy series I have lost count on how many millions of hits these recipes have had. These Man Candy recipes have been featured on countless websites, tv shows, blogs, food shows. You’ve tweeted, pinned, stumbled upon, googled and fell in love. Bacon lovers united, held hands (well okay just a single hand as the other was needed to stuff this amazing Man Candy Bacon in your mouth! LOL) and praised me for these things. Men wept in joy, dogs offered up their favorite bones in exchange for a piece and a statue was erected in my honor. Okay so fine, that stuff may not be true but men did weep. LOL
Just look at how damn sexy she is…
So I had been doing a ton of cooking with bourbon lately. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE bourbon with pork and chicken. It mellows and sweetens so beautifully. Now this recipe came about while I was making breakfast for Mr. Fantabulous. See while the man says he doesn’t like bacon (big fat fib there by the way!), he “requires” bacon with this breakfast every Saturday and Sunday morning. As I was cooking his bacon I was cleaning off my counter top. As I was wiping it all down, I picked up the bottle of bourbon (as I made bourbon glazed chicken the night before) and ‘heard’ the bacon sizzle. And just like clockwork, the eye brow got raised (I went into thinking mode), the wheels starting churning and away I went.
This recipe just seemed to create itself. It was as if the ingredients had a pow-wow and said “Okay troops, gather round.. it’s time to party on the bacon boat!” This baked up so amazing that literally I had to make 2 batches that day because we inhaled the first batch. Now to be fair the ‘we’ wasn’t just Mr. Fantabulous and I. We had company pop over and literally as soon as they walked in the door the first comment was “OHHHHHHHHH you have BACON!!!” LOL Yes, bacon is that magical!
Now I’ve made this recipe a ton of times and want an awesome trick with this recipe specifically? Coat one side of the bacon and wrap it around boneless chicken strips and bake! OMG! No seriously, O M G!!! I basted it a couple more times while the chicken baked. The flavor this infused into it was probably some of the best chicken I had ever had! Bacon and bourbon?! Dude, for real! This stuff is legit!
… you’re welcome <curtsey> LOL
Bourbon Brown Sugar Maple Bacon Man Candy IV
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Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon (I prefer thick cut)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 ounces Bourbon
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top.
- Spray the rack with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the brown sugar, bourbon, and maple syrup. Cook, stirring often until the mixture is reduced and because a thick syrup/glaze. ~about 15-30 minutes. Watch the heat so it doesn’t burn. If it starts to reduce too quickly, you should reduce the heat. Keep it warm once it’s reduced.
- Place the pieces of bacon on top of the rack trying not to overlap. Spoon or brush the syrup on top of the bacon. Place in oven and cook for 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the bacon. Spoon or brush the mixture on top of the bacon. Return to the oven and cook for 13 minutes.
- If the bacon is not crispy enough (remember it’ll crisp up as it cools), flip the bacon over, spoon any remaining spice mixture and bake for a few more minutes. OR you can broil for 1 minute each side but watch as this will burn.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool 1 minute on the rack and then using cooking tongs, and remove the bacon from the rack and plate.
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