Spicy Candied Cowboy Bacon

Method

1. 01

   Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Completely cover a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place a wire baking rack on top. Lay the thick-cut bacon strips across the rack; it is fine if they slightly overlap as they will shrink during cooking.

   

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2. 02

   Bake the bacon in the upper center of the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the pan, flip each strip over, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes to render out the initial fat before glazing.

   

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3. 03

   While the bacon performs its initial bake, whisk together the packed brown sugar, barbecue sauce, rice vinegar, black pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl to create the glaze.

   

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4. 04

   Remove the bacon from the oven. If strips are curling, use kitchen shears to make small snips to relieve tension. Brush the top side generously with glaze and bake for 7 minutes. Flip, glaze the second side, and bake for another 7 minutes.

   

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5. 05

   Flip the bacon again (without adding new glaze) and bake for 10 minutes to allow the existing coating to caramelize. Flip once more, rearranging any faster-cooking edge pieces to the center if needed, then brush with more glaze and bake for another 10 minutes.

   

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6. 06

   Apply one more layer of glaze to act as 'glue' and arrange the sliced jalapeño and Fresno chili rings over the bacon. Bake for 10 minutes, apply a final glaze over the peppers, and bake for a final 7 minutes until the peppers are tender and the bacon is fully rendered and browned.

   

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7. 07

   Remove the bacon from the oven and immediately transfer the strips to parchment paper to prevent sticking as they cool. Let the bacon cool completely to room temperature to achieve the proper candy texture, then cut in half to serve.

   

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