I had the most amazing bacon last Easter at a local restaurant near the south entrance of Yosemite. It was in Bass Lake at Ducey’s on the Lake. It was the best bacon I have ever had! I never thought that I could reproduce it, but I did! You have to try this gluten free candied bacon! It has so much flavor. It’s a special treat.
What Else Inspired This Recipe:
It’s a crazy story how I came to creating this recipe. I have been dieting here and there and told my husband that I was just eating the crumbs from my favorite beef jerky (no affiliation). I told him that crumbs didn’t count. He laughed and said “crumb-brulee”. My eyes bulged out as I thought, “This beef jerky would be awesome on top of some creme brulee! Then I thought, instead, maybe I should try bacon. Better yet, candied bacon! I added pepper and cayenne which does not produce any heat to this recipe.
How This Recipe Differs From Others Online:
I began with a basic candied bacon recipe, but changed a few things about it. Number one, the temperature everyone cooks it at is 350ºF which I believe to be way too low. After much experimentation, I bake bacon at 375ºF. Most recipe call for ground black pepper. It doesn’t produce any heat to this recipe, just flavor. So, I not only used black pepper, but equal amounts of cayenne pepper. Again, it doesn’t produce any heat, just flavor. The heat from the peppers balance out the other ingredients and especially the brown sugar.
Special Acknowledgement goes to the chef at Ducy’s on the Lake. He is very accommodating to my multiple food allergies and brings me my own plate during their buffets such as Easter and Mother’s Day. Who knew that they wash lettuce in lemon juice water? I’m allergic to citrus.
This gluten free candied bacon recipe is the best bacon you'll ever taste! Try it for holidays and special occasions for breakfast, brunch, or as an appetizer.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound thick sliced gluten-free bacon*
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. (6 Tbsp. total) packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon + 2 tsp. (5 teaspoons total) water
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free hickory liquid smoke (Wright's)
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins Original)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne (red) pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lay out the bacon on top of a broiling pan; set aside.
- Once the oven is preheated, bake the bacon for 10 minutes on one side.
- While the bacon is baking, combine the brown sugar, water, vinegar, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
- Turn the slices of bacon over, baste with brown sugar mixture and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Repeat step 4 four more times (an additional 20 minutes.) So, the bacon cooks for a total of 35 minutes, less if using thin bacon.
Tips
*While there are not many thick sliced gluten-free bacon brands, Hormel Black Label makes one. You can also ask your butcher if their sliced bacon is gluten-free. Thinner sliced gluten-free bacon includes Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate which is also dairy-free, and of course, Hormel Black Label Thick. When using thinner sliced bacon, you will need to reduce the baking time by 5 to 10 minutes.