Pig Candy is a time consuming labor of love to make, but the rewards are well worth it if you've the time to invest.
Today I made it Three Ways, Plain Candy (1.5lbs) , Candy w/Cayenne (1.5lbs) and Chocolate with Nuts/Salt (1lb).
I've made Pig Candy several times before and I think I've finally have it down, these batches had the hard, crunchy, candy glaze that I've been striving for.
My favorite SiL is staying with us through Christmas and she loves the stuff as much as I do, so needing no further excuse it was time to get it in gear.
Warning!
You really need the trays with elevated racks, because this stuff drips a helluva lot of sugar/fat.
And it needs to in order for the bacon to render out quickly and glaze to caramelize properly.
Also, be very careful moving trays, the drippings are molten lava hot, stick to anything and will burn you badly if contacted.
Ingredients
4lbs Bacon, thickest cut you can find
1L Pure Maple Syrup
2lbs Brown Sugar
1C Melting/Dipping Chocolate
1T Sea Salt, coarse
1/2C Pecans, crushed
1T Cayenne, powdered
Dip a slice of bacon in Maple Syrup and let excess run off
Dredge in Brown Sugar, coat the bacon very generously
Lay on rack and smoke at 350°-375° till the bacon is obviously rendered and the candy glaze is well caramelized, approx 45min to 1 hour
Remove and place on cooling rack for glaze to dry, add cayenne or black pepper to taste
When fully cooled you can coat with chocolate and add nuts and/or salt as desired
Now I started this cook at 1100am, and it took about five hours to complete the four batches.
This meant a good lunch was needed to fuel my efforts, so I grilled up some Ribeyes, onions and jalapenos.
Aaaah, the first batch hits the cooling rack and gets dusted with cayenne!
The Plain and Cayenne piled up
The Chocolate with Nuts/Salt
Today I made it Three Ways, Plain Candy (1.5lbs) , Candy w/Cayenne (1.5lbs) and Chocolate with Nuts/Salt (1lb).
I've made Pig Candy several times before and I think I've finally have it down, these batches had the hard, crunchy, candy glaze that I've been striving for.
My favorite SiL is staying with us through Christmas and she loves the stuff as much as I do, so needing no further excuse it was time to get it in gear.
Warning!
You really need the trays with elevated racks, because this stuff drips a helluva lot of sugar/fat.
And it needs to in order for the bacon to render out quickly and glaze to caramelize properly.
Also, be very careful moving trays, the drippings are molten lava hot, stick to anything and will burn you badly if contacted.
Ingredients
4lbs Bacon, thickest cut you can find
1L Pure Maple Syrup
2lbs Brown Sugar
1C Melting/Dipping Chocolate
1T Sea Salt, coarse
1/2C Pecans, crushed
1T Cayenne, powdered
Dip a slice of bacon in Maple Syrup and let excess run off
Dredge in Brown Sugar, coat the bacon very generously
Lay on rack and smoke at 350°-375° till the bacon is obviously rendered and the candy glaze is well caramelized, approx 45min to 1 hour
Remove and place on cooling rack for glaze to dry, add cayenne or black pepper to taste
When fully cooled you can coat with chocolate and add nuts and/or salt as desired
Now I started this cook at 1100am, and it took about five hours to complete the four batches.
This meant a good lunch was needed to fuel my efforts, so I grilled up some Ribeyes, onions and jalapenos.
Aaaah, the first batch hits the cooling rack and gets dusted with cayenne!
The Plain and Cayenne piled up
The Chocolate with Nuts/Salt
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