Pig Candy Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the brown sugar in a pie dish. Gently press each slice of bacon into the sugar until coated (there can be small patches of uncoated bacon). Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and spray with cooking spray. Arrange the bacon on the rack. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the bacon is super crisp and golden, 30 to 50 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bacon). Remove the rack from the pan and let the bacon cool on the rack.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the vegetable oil and onions in the pan and gently cook, stirring only occasionally to let the sugars develop, until the onions are a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. If necessary, deglaze the pan with red wine a couple of times. Season with the vinegar, salt and pepper and set aside.
• Combine the mayonnaise, barbecue rub and hot sauce in a small bowl to make an aioli.
• Build the sandwiches: Season the tomato slices with salt; cut the bacon slices in half. On each toasted bun, place a layer of caramelized onions, followed by about 6 half slices of bacon, a tomato slice, a romaine leaf and a nice schmear of the aioli on the bun top only. Close and serve with extra aioli on the side.

Steps:

• Make the Pig Candy: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Set a rack on a rimmed baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Place the brown sugar in a pie dish. Gently press each slice of bacon into the brown sugar until coated (it?s OK if there are patches of uncoated bacon).
• Immediately arrange the bacon on the prepared rack and bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until super crispy and golden, 50 to 60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon. Transfer the bacon to a piece of parchment paper and let cool.
• Make the popcorn mix: Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside. Put the plain popcorn in a large bowl. Bring the granulated sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cook, without stirring, until light amber, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a very low simmer and gently swirl the pot until the mixture is dark amber, 2 to 3 more minutes.
• Take the pan o the heat and add the butter. Let the caramel bubble, stirring until the butter is fully combined. Add the salt and baking soda and stir until uniform. Pour over the plain popcorn and mix well, then spread on the prepared baking sheet and let cool completely.
• Combine the caramel corn and cheddar popcorn in a large bowl; crumble the Pig Candy on top.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Place 2 cups light brown sugar in a pie dish. Gently press 12 to 14 slices of applewood-smoked bacon (not thick-cut) into the sugar until mostly coated. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and spray with cooking spray. Arrange the bacon on the rack. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the bacon is super crisp and golden, 30 to 50 minutes, depending on the thickness. Let cool on the rack.