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Thick slabs of bacon lacquered with molasses-rich brown sugar and sharp cracked pepper, baked until the fat renders completely and the edges turn to shattering, sweet-savory glass. This is breakfast worth waking up for.
Bacon has been the backbone of American breakfasts since before we were a nation. Colonial farmwives cured their own bellies in the smokehouse, slicing thick rashers to fuel a morning's labor. What we've done here is honor that tradition while adding a simple glaze that transforms good bacon into something extraordinary.
The oven is your friend for this preparation. I know the romance of bacon sizzling in a cast iron skillet, popping and spattering while you hover with tongs. But baking produces more consistent results with less mess. The heat surrounds each slice evenly. The fat renders slowly. And that brown sugar melts into a lacquer that no stovetop can replicate.
Dark brown sugar matters here. It contains more molasses than its pale cousin, bringing depth and a faint bitterness that balances the pork's richness. The black pepper should be cracked coarse, not ground fine. You want to bite into those fragments, feel the heat bloom across your tongue between the sweetness. This is bacon with intention.
Make this for a summer cookout when you've got a crowd to feed. The oven does the work while you're outside tending the grill or setting the table. It holds well in a warm oven, stays crisp for twenty minutes, and disappears within five once people discover it.
Quantity
2 pounds (about 16 slices)
Quantity
3/4 cup
packed
Quantity
2 tablespoons
coarsely cracked
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| thick-cut bacon | 2 pounds (about 16 slices) |
| dark brown sugarpacked | 3/4 cup |
| black peppercoarsely cracked | 2 tablespoons |
| cayenne pepper (optional) | 1/2 teaspoon |
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat to 375°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with heavy-duty aluminum foil, then set a wire cooling rack inside each one. The foil catches the rendered fat and caramelized sugar for easy cleanup. The rack elevates the bacon so heat circulates beneath each slice, rendering the fat evenly and preventing the bottom from turning soggy.
In a shallow bowl, combine the dark brown sugar and cracked black pepper with your fingers, breaking up any sugar clumps. Add the cayenne if you want heat that builds slowly beneath the sweetness. The mixture should be loose and slightly sandy. You'll press this into both sides of each bacon slice, so keep it within easy reach of your workspace.
Lay the bacon slices flat on a cutting board or clean work surface. Take each slice and press it firmly into the sugar mixture, coating one side generously. Flip and repeat. Don't be timid. You want a thick layer that will melt and caramelize into a crackling glaze. Arrange the coated slices on the prepared racks in a single layer. The slices can touch slightly at the edges since they'll shrink as the fat renders.
Slide the pans into the oven, one on each rack. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking for another 12 to 15 minutes. Watch closely during the final five minutes. The sugar goes from perfectly caramelized to burnt in a narrow window. You're looking for deep mahogany color, bubbling sugar that's just beginning to darken at the edges, and bacon fat that's fully rendered and translucent rather than white.
Remove the pans from the oven and let the bacon rest on the racks for five minutes. The sugar will set into a glossy, crackling shell. Don't touch it yet. Molten sugar burns worse than hot oil. Transfer to a serving platter using tongs. The bacon should release cleanly from the wire rack. Any stubborn spots will yield if you wait another minute. Serve while still warm, when the glaze shatters between your teeth and the fat melts on your tongue.
1 serving (about 90g)
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