It’s hard to deny that bacon is great on it’s own, without embellishments. And it’s probably a special kind of heresy to suggest that you can improve on bacon.
But you can. You can.
Because while great ingredients stand on their own, sometimes there is a combination of other ingredients that enhance their flavor and make it shine, or combine into something better than the sum of the parts.
Maple syrup is one of those ingredients that can elevate a food to a whole new level. I’m convinced that fresh ground brown mustard is another. And if you combine both of those with bacon? It’s magic, people. Nothing short of kitchen magic.
Of course, to achieve magic, you can’t start with cheap-ass bacon. You need good bacon. Thick cut bacon. Actual bacon and not fake pressed stuff colored to look like bacon.
Like so.
We don’t always buy thick cut bacon around here. Sometimes, we just like ready made bacon bits to sprinkle on our baked potatoes or throw into our quiches.
But if you want the bacon to stand on its own, it needs to be the good stuff.
And if you’re going to bake your bacon, don’t start with the skinny stuff. It won’t hold up. And it’ll be black and crusty and burnt before you’re done.
Instead, you want the good stuff. And you want to dress up the good stuff in a wash of caramelized maple syrup and spicy brown mustard, baked so that it tastes candy-coated.
This is one of our absolute favorite things around here. It’s delicious on its own, or chopped into a salad, sliced into our favorite deviled eggs {recipe coming soon, I promise!}, or layered into a biscuit with egg as a delicious breakfast sandwich.
Five ingredients. And I won’t promise those five ingredients will change your culinary world, but they definitely changed ours. There’s no going back. It’s candied maple mustard bacon or bust around here!
Try this recipe on for size and see why!
Candied Maple Mustard Bacon
Makes about 10 slices
What You’ll Need:
- 1 lb thick sliced bacon
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1-2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
How to Make It:
1. Preheat your oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Place the slices of bacon on the aluminum foil so that they don’t overlap.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and spicy brown mustard until combined. Brush over the bacon, leaving some for a second brushing. Crack salt and pepper over the bacon to taste.
4. Bake the bacon 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the bacon over with a set of tongs. Drain off the excess grease into a pan or coffee can {it will clog your sink if you drain it straight in}.
5. Brush the back side of the bacon with the syrup and mustard mixture, and season with fresh ground salt and pepper to taste. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp to your liking.
6. Let drain on a baking rack. Serve and enjoy!
Hope your weekend includes a delicious brunch!
