Maple Cayenne Bacon Recipes

MAPLE-CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy foil. Place a baking rack over the lined sheet tray and arrange the bacon slices across the rack next to each other, not overlapping.
• In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup and mustard. Generously spoon over the top of the bacon, and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Turn the bacon over and baste with syrup mixture. Bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until the bacon has reached desired crispiness.
• Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle hot bacon with a scant pinch of finely ground black pepper. Let the bacon rest on the rack for 5 minutes.

MAPLE CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Wrap a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, add the maple syrup, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
• Add the bacon to the bowl and toss gently with your hands. Make sure that all of the slices are evenly coated.
• Place the bacon in a single layer onto the wire rack.
• Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes. The bacon will be a bit brown, but will most likely need to bake for another 10-15 minutes. It should look slightly dark (not burnt) and crispy. If you take it out too soon, the texture will be chewy. Be patient!
• Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the rack. Don't let them sit too long or else they will stick.
• Once cool enough to handle, you can break the bacon into chards (you'll have about 32 pieces). Alternatively, you can leave them whole.
• Serve at room temperature.

SPICY MAPLE BACON PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place bacon on a rack over a cookie sheet and cook until crispy, about 15 minutes. Reserve bacon fat. The recipe calls for 8 tablespoons of butter (fat) - replace as much of butter as you have bacon fat. Once bacon is done, drain on paper towels and chop into bits.
• Place the sugar and maple syrup in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until sugar begins to melt. Lower the heat to medium-high and keep stirring just until the sugar is melted. Stop stirring and watch for it to turn a medium caramel color. About 10 minutes total.
• Stir in peanuts, and then bacon fat and butter. Then add Old Bay, cayenne and dry mustard. Allow peanuts to cook for about two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the bacon.
• Turn the mixture out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and spread it evenly to the desired thickness with a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula. Sprinkle salt on top, while brittle is still warm.
• Allow to cool completely--at least one hour--then break the brittle into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature. If your brittle isn't brittle enough to break into pieces, pop it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, until it hardens enough to snap easily.

EASY TEMPEH BACON

Steps:

• Slice the tempeh in half widthwise (so you have 2 even squares), then thinly slice each square in thirds so you have six very thin squares (it's easiest to do this by placing the tempeh flat on your cutting board and holding the knife horizontally for an even cut). Then slice each square into three rectangular strips. You should have ~18 pieces of tempeh (as the original recipe is written).
• In a shallow bowl, rimmed plate, or baking dish, whisk together the oil, tamari, maple syrup, salt, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne (optional). Taste and adjust flavor as needed. It should be quite salty, smoky, a little spicy, and plenty sweet (even a little too sweet, as it needs to balance the bitterness of the tempeh).
• Add the tempeh and toss to coat (using a pastry brush is helpful for fully coating). Marinate for 10-15 minutes, flipping once for even flavor dispersion.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Transfer tempeh (reserving excess marinade for brushing) to the parchment-lined baking sheet and arrange in a single layer.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, flip, and brush generously with reserved marinade. Bake for 8-10 minutes more, or until browned and slightly crispy.
• Enjoy immediately or store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 350°F (176°C) oven or on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH MAPLE AND CAYENNE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss brussels sprouts with olive oil; season with salt. Roast until brussels sprouts are browned in spots and tender when pierced with a knife, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine syrup and cayenne pepper. Drizzle brussels sprouts with maple syrup mixture, stir to coat, and roast 1 minute.

MAPLE-PEPPER BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange the bacon on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the fat starts rendering, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and blot the bacon with paper towels on both sides.
• Combine the brown sugar, maple syrup and cayenne in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring, until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Brush the bacon with half the syrup mixture and sprinkle with half the ground peppercorns. Bake until the bacon browns around the edges, about 15 minutes. Flip and blot the other side with paper towels, then brush with the remaining syrup mixture (reheat in the microwave, if necessary); sprinkle with the remaining peppercorns. Continue baking until the bacon browns and the sugar melts, 15 to 20 more minutes. Let cool slightly.

MAPLE-CAYENNE BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix cayenne and maple syrup in a mixing bowl. Place bacon in a single layer on parchment and brush bacon with syrup. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked but not crisp.