Man Candy Sweet Spicy Candied Bacon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to refrigerate candied bacon? ›

Yet, the alluring crunch and flavor of candied bacon are ephemeral without proper care. The secret to prolonging the life of these golden, sugary strips lies in proper storage. The best practice for storing candied bacon is to keep it in the refrigerator.

If you find that you are running out of time to enjoy your candied bacon even with these storage tips, you can freeze it in order to prolong its life, where it will last for up to six months. When you are ready to enjoy it, you can simply thaw it out in the fridge or warm it up using the oven.

Candied bacon is believed to have first gained popularity in Washington, D.C.'s party circuit. But, as the Thompson speculates, most likely, 'pig candy' was an import to the nation's capital brought from the kitchen of some unknown Southern hostess.

Candied vanilla bacon can be easily baked ahead of time, cooled to room temperature and stored in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Simply reheat in the oven or microwave until hot and crispy.

Candied bacon is perishable, so it should be stored in the refrigerator within 2 hours of making the recipe. You can store the cooked candied bacon in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Candied bacon holds up well in the freezer

When four days just won't cut it, freezing your candied bacon is an effective way to extend its shelf life to three months or longer.

Store the bacon: Candied bacon can be kept in the fridge for a few days and reheats well in a skillet over low heat. I don't think candied bacon is worth freezing, although if you made a huge batch you absolutely could. You could just want to make sure to freeze the strips individually so they didn't stick together.

Meat and other foods with freezer burn might get a grainy texture or look dry and tough. You might find that freezer burn creates weird flavors, as well. This is because oxygen in the nearby air has pulled flavors and colors from your meat's tissue. Water molecules are in a solid state on the surface of your food.

1 The flavor and quality will begin to deteriorate the longer it is in the freezer. If you freeze the entire package, those strips will solidify into a block, making it difficult to use individual pieces. Fortunately, we're sharing the best way to freeze bacon so that you can defrost a few slices as needed.

Slab bacon is whole smoked pork belly before it's sliced into familiar bacon strips. In other words, this is bacon in its natural state. The benefit of slab bacon is that you can slice it how you like: thick, ultra-thin, or somewhere in between.

What is bacon called before it is sliced? ›

An unsliced section of cured pork belly is known as slab bacon. Slab bacon is typically sold with the rind still on, which you can remove yourself before cooking.

If it is not golden brown and fairly crispy, resist the temptation to turn up the oven temperature, and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Check it again. Keep in mind that when you remove the tray and transfer the bacon to a serving platter or individual plates, the bacon will "crisp" up a little more. Be patient!

Bacon should be cooked at 400°F.

Medium-thick bacon slices will need 18 to 20 minutes to reach the perfect level of crispiness. But check the bacon at 10 minutes, and adjust your cooking time to your preferred degree of doneness.

Bacon is typically cured with salt, sugar, and other preservatives, which help to prevent bacteria growth. Heating Bacon will not kill any bacteria, so it's essential to ensure that it is cooked thoroughly before eating it. So avoid heating it more than once.

The general rule of food safety is to not let raw meat or cooked food sit out for more than 2 hours, and that rule applies to uncooked or cooked bacon. It's wise to be careful with uncooked pork products since they can harbor and grow bacterial pathogens like salmonella and trichinosis.

Under USDA guidelines, both raw bacon and cooked bacon products should be refrigerated at 40 or below for the best results. This is recommended because the temperature is low enough to minimize the risk of bacteria growth without causing freezer burn.

Take the bacon home immediately and refrigerate it at 40 °F or below. For shelf-stable, cooked bacon, store the product at 85 °F or below. Refrigerate after opening. Observe the manufacturer's recommended "use-by" date.

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), cooked bacon should be refrigerated and consumed within four to five days, or frozen for longer storage. Leaving cooked bacon out at room temperature for an extended period of time can allow bacteria to grow, increasing the risk of foodborne illness.