This million dollar bacon is sweet, smoky, spicy, and irresistibly caramelized, with crispy edges and a sticky brown sugar glaze in every bite!
Sticky maple glaze, smoky bacon, caramelized brown sugar, and a playful spark of cayenne make this million dollar bacon taste worthy of its extravagant name!
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon, approximately 10 to 12 slices
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or ⅛ teaspoon for mild heat
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- Nonstick cooking spray, for wire rack
Servings: 6
Yield: Approximately 12 thick bacon strips
How to Make Million Dollar Bacon
Heat your oven to 375°F and position one rack in its center. Line a large rimmed baking sheet completely with foil, including sides if possible, because melted sugar and bacon grease form a stubborn partnership once baked.
Place an oven-safe wire rack over foil and coat it lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Don’t skip this step, because caramelized sugar can glue finished bacon to an ungreased rack with impressive commitment.
Arrange bacon strips across prepared rack in one layer, leaving a little space between them so hot air can circulate. If a few slices are extremely long, place them at a slight angle rather than folding their ends.
Overlapping strips will cook unevenly and create soft patches where you wanted crisp caramelization.
Combine dark brown sugar, cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, cayenne, smoked paprika, and ginger in a small bowl. Break up any firm sugar clumps with your fingertips or back of a spoon.
Mixture should look evenly speckled, with pepper and spices distributed throughout rather than gathered in one alarmingly spicy corner.
Brush bacon very lightly with half of your maple syrup, using just enough to make its surface tacky. Sprinkle half of brown sugar mixture over strips and press it gently against bacon with back of a spoon.
You want an even sandy layer rather than large piles. Heavy mounds of sugar may burn before bacon finishes cooking.
Carefully turn every strip with tongs, brush second side with remaining maple syrup, and distribute remaining sugar mixture over it. Press coating down gently so it stays attached when pan moves.
Some sugar will fall onto foil below, which is perfectly fine and considerably better than finding it on your oven floor next Tuesday.
Bake bacon on center rack for 18 minutes without opening oven door. During this stage, fat begins to render, brown sugar dissolves, and kitchen starts smelling like brunch has hired an excellent publicist.
Avoid turning bacon too early because glaze will still be loose and may slide away from each strip.
At 18 minutes, carefully pull pan forward and inspect bacon. Its coating should be bubbling, edges should be starting to darken, and strips will have shrunk slightly.
Turn each piece using tongs, moving quickly but gently because hot sugar can cause a painful burn.
If one side of your oven runs hotter, rotate baking sheet 180 degrees before returning it to center rack.
Continue baking for 10 to 17 minutes, checking every 3 minutes once you reach 28 minutes total. Exact timing depends on bacon thickness and how crisp you prefer it.
It is ready when edges are mahogany brown, glaze has small active bubbles, and fatty sections look rendered rather than pale or rubbery.
Do not wait until bacon feels completely crisp inside oven, since molten sugar remains soft while hot and firms noticeably during cooling.
Place a clean sheet of parchment paper on your counter. Remove bacon from oven and let it rest on rack for only 1 minute, just long enough for glaze to stop bubbling furiously.
Transfer strips to parchment with tongs, keeping them separate, then cool for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Don’t leave bacon on its baking rack until fully cool or sugar may harden around metal bars and make removal needlessly dramatic.
Serve bacon warm, once caramel coating has set but meaty centers remain tender. If glaze still looks wet after cooling, give it another 2 minutes.
Resist tasting it straight from oven! Hot maple sugar looks friendly but behaves like lava!!
Serving Suggestions
Serve million dollar bacon with:
- Fluffy scrambled eggs and buttered sourdough toast
- Belgian waffles, pancakes, or French toast
- Biscuits and peppered sausage gravy
- A vegetable frittata or spinach quiche
- Avocado toast with a runny fried egg
- Breakfast potatoes and fresh fruit
- Deviled eggs at a brunch gathering
- Burgers with sharp cheddar and pickles
- Maple bacon breakfast sandwiches
- Bloody Marys as an edible garnish
You can also cut cooled strips into small pieces and scatter them over baked sweet potatoes, chopped salads, roasted Brussels sprouts, or creamy mac and cheese.
For an easy appetizer, serve half-strips upright in a small glass and let everyone help themselves.
Sweet maple caramel cracks gently before giving way to smoky, peppery bacon, which is precisely why million dollar bacon tends to vanish long before pancakes reach table!
Hungry for more feel-good meals? Explore these 21 Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Recipes for a nourishing start and 10 Anti-Inflammatory Dinner Recipes for delicious evenings that make healthy eating easy!
