Spicy Sweet Oven Bacon, with brown sugar and spices, cooked perfectly crisp and delicious in the oven. So easy with no mess or splatter!
If you crave bacon as much as we do, you are going to LOVE this Spicy Sweet Oven Bacon recipe! We ditched the frying pan and have been cooking our bacon in the oven for what seems like forever. Adding more scrumptious flavor to what we already consider a perfect food is the next logical step for serious bacon lovers.
At a wedding reception a few years back the servers were walking around carrying trays of bacon. Yes, silver trays of the most AMAZING crispy spiced bacon. What was this…slices of bacon as an appetizer? It was genius. I recreated it at home with just a touch more sweetness and I’m loving sharing it with you.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients to make Spicy Sweet Oven Bacon
- Bacon – we love thick cut bacon for this recipe, but regular cut works just as well.
- Brown Sugar – both light and dark brown sugar are fine!
- Paprika – adds sweet flavor. Use smoked paprika for more delicious smokiness.
- Black Pepper – earthy, pungent taste with a little heat.
- Cayenne – for spicy heat. Cayenne’s flavor intensifies as it cooks so use a light hand with the cayenne!
It’s all about the spice mix for this recipe. Place the spices in a small bowl and stir until completely combined. No one wants to bite into a mouthful of cayenne! Set the bowl aside for now.
Lay out the bacon on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Spray the rack with cooking spray. (If you don’t have the pan and rack setup, you can easily use a large broiler pan.)
Pop the bacon in your preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes. The bacon should be starting to sizzle at this point. Use tongs to turn the bacon over and sprinkle each slice with the spice mix. Transfer the pan back to the oven and cook the bacon for another 10 minutes or so until it’s as crispy as you like it.
Let the bacon sit in the pan for 2 – 3 minutes to firm up before removing. Serve this sweet and smoky deliciousness warm or at room temperature.
If by some chance there are leftovers, store the bacon wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
What to serve with Spicy Sweet Oven Bacon
- Oven Strawberry French Toast
- Cheesy Egg Sandwich with Smoked Scallion Sauce
- Blackberry Cream French Toast
- Coconut Almond Bread Pudding
- Blueberry Streusel French Toast
Spicy Sweet Oven Bacon
Ingredients
- 12 slices thick cut bacon 1 pound
- 1/3 cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line sheet pan with foil. Fit with a wire rack. Large broiler pan can be used instead.
- Stir together brown sugar, paprika, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
- Lay bacon strips in single layer across wire rack. Bacon slices can be slightly touching.
- Place rack in the oven and bake until starting to sizzle, about 10 minutes. Turn bacon over, then sprinkle each slice with brown sugar mixture. Continue baking until sugar is caramelized and cooked until crispness desired, about 10 additional minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve bacon warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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