Things we know: beer is good and bacon is good. When you combine them to make beer candied bacon, these two things are even better. Once you make this recipe, you're going to want it all the time. It's a must for brunch, but it's also a great party appetizer. You can break the bacon into small pieces and use them as a garnish on cupcakes, cocktails and savory dishes. Honestly, we won't blame you if you can't even wait for this snack to cool and eat it standing over the oven.
You'll need one package of high quality bacon. It can be thick cut or regular, whatever you like best. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating up, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay out the bacon strips. Bake the bacon for five minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and flip the bacon over, then pop that pan back in the oven and bake for another five minutes.
While the bacon is cooking, make the beer syrup. Whisk together 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of dark beer in a small bowl. Because you want your beer candied bacon to have a deep sweet and savory flavor, we recommend using a stout beer, something with a chocolate and coffee finish. Let the foam on the beer mixture settle. When the bacon has cooked for 10 minutes, take the pan out of the oven and brush the thin syrup over each bacon strip. Use it all, so your bacon gets every bit of sweet beer flavor. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. If you like super crispy beer candied bacon, repeat process for the last two steps, with more beer syrup and baking until the bacon is your preferred texture.
