David Burtka’s Crunchy Maple Peppered Bacon

Most cooking instructions for bacon recommend a 375-degree oven, but I like to put mine up to 400 degrees. I’m all about crispy bacon.

Then I ready my handful of ingredients and prep work. I get a cup of maple syrup, and I put foil on the sheet pan (it’s easier to clean that way). The bacon is laid on top of the foil in a single layer — I try to only use Nueske’s bacon…it’s the best. The ultimate. And also one of my rules in life: never skimp on bacon. 

Let it cook for about 10 minutes, until it starts to render. Then I take it out, and with a cooking brush I dab the syrup on the bacon…trust me, it’s really hard to spread, so just go with the dab method. Then I add a bunch of cracked black pepper. Put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes, and then take it out again to flip it. It can be a little sticky and hard to flip at this point because of the maple syrup, but with a pair of tongs and a fork you’ll be fine. I believe in you. Then dab the other side with syrup and add more black pepper, and cook it for another 5 or 10 minutes until it’s nice and crispy.

Usually when you take bacon out of the oven you want to put it on a paper towel to drain, but because with this recipe there’s maple syrup on it, you want to put it on a flat, dry surface in one single layer — do not overlap them, or they will all stick together. When cooled, they will crisp up like candy. ‘Cuz, well…that’s what it is: candied bacon. Delicious, crispy, peppered, candied, maple bacon. Mmmmm.

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