I have never been all that excited about pumpkin-spice anything this time of year until someone recently sent me a recipe for pumpkin-spice candied bacon. That is a trend that I can stand firmly behind!
The recipe made me think ahead to next week and Halloween which is celebrated by adults as much as children. This year, my candy is going to be these Pumpkin Spice Candied Bacon Stix that I am kind of obsessed with. They are a real treat with a trick to making them!
I love bacon swizzle sticks—and I love candied bacon swizzle sticks even more! The first time that I ever had a bacon swizzle stick was for breakfast at The Inn at Irish Hollow. The owners, Bill Barrick and Tony Kemp run a luxurious cozy getaway in Galena, Illinois, and this extends to the sumptuous breakfasts. Since then, I have tried to recreate them many times with less than 50% success. It’s not the flavor that stumped me, it was how to keep the bacon from unraveling as it cooks. Starting with room temperature bacon so it sticks to itself helps but they still unravel quite a bit.
When I saw the recipe from Coleman Natural Foods for pumpkin-spice candied bacon, I thought, gee-why didn’t I think of that?! The combination of the smoky bacon, rich pork flavor, warm autumn spice and caramelized brown sugar is a match made in heaven! Add a touch of cayenne for balance and it’s even better.
But I didn’t want to stop at candied bacon, it was time to perfect my bacon stix. The thing about bacon swizzle sticks is that the bacon needs to be meaty but thin-cut. Thick-cut bacon won’t work in this recipe. The bacon from Coleman is just the right cut for this recipe. The family business has been around since 1875 and is committed to making all-natural meat products. The bacon is made from pork raised in the USA with no antibiotics or added hormones, and smoked with hickory or applewood and no added nitrates or nitrites.
I was lamenting my unraveling problem with my friend and co-author, Anthony Underwood, and he gave me a brilliant idea. He reminded me that when you make friendship bracelets, a.k.a. macrame, you have to tack it down so it doesn’t come loose. One thing led to another and I realized that I could thread the top and bottom of the twisted bacon pieces with a wooden skewer and bake them like a raft. The skewers would prevent them from unraveling.
I made a batch to test my theory and they came out perfectly. The only issue was a little bit of southern humidity which made them sway a little but I thought it gave them a spooky worm-like character which is fitting as next week is Halloween.
The recipe is very simple and straightforward. You mix brown sugar and pumpkin spice. I make my own pumpkin spice because it’s easy to do and I already have the four spices—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves—in my pantry.
You dredge the bacon in the sugar-spice mixture and twist the bacon slices by holding each end with your respective thumb and forefinger and twist until the whole piece is twisted. I used a loaf pan instead of a bowl to dredge the bacon because bacon is long and skinny.
Next you thread the bottom and top of each swizzle stick with a skewer so that they lay flat like a raft. Pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes a side and you are mere minutes away from your very special treat!
When they are still warm, you transfer them to a clean sheet pan fitted with clean parchment paper. As you can imagine, the original pan is messy with bacon dripping and hot molten sugar. Don’t skip this step! You must transfer them to a clean sheet because the sugar is like superglue as it cools. And, while they are still warm, snip the ends off so that you have even straight edges. But don’t throw the skewers away until you nibble off the candied bits left on them—cook’s treat!
Pumpkin-Spice Candied Bacon Stix
This recipe is adapted from Coleman Natural Foods who introduced me to the idea of adding pumpkin spice to candied bacon. It is a natural fit and I am not sure why it hadn’t occurred to me before. I took their idea and turned it into bacon swizzle sticks which I think are the best treat of all. Make them as an adult Halloween surprise or anytime you want to up your bacon game. And, if you really want to show off for the adults, add a pinch of cayenne to the sugar-spice mixture for a little heat!
1 package Coleman Natural bacon, applewood or hickory
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, store-bought or homemade
Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. In a rectangular loaf pan, mix the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, (and cayenne if using) until well combined. Dredge each bacon slice and, if necessary, use your fingers to spread it evenly to the edge of each slice.
3. Tightly twist the bacon by holding the ends with a thumb and forefinger on each hand and twist until the whole piece is “twisted.” Lay flat on the parchment paper. Continue with the remaining pieces of bacon and sugar mixture.
4. When all the pieces have been twisted, thread a long wooden skewer through the top and the bottom of the bacon twists. Each group of bacon will resemble a raft. Place on the parchment paper making sure that they do not touch.
5. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until brown and bubbling.
6. Remove pan from the oven and using tongs, carefully flip each “raft” of bacon over. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is dark and well done.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the rack for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to clean sheet pan lined with parchment.
8.While the bacon is still warm, use kitchen scissors to cut the ends as close to the wooden skewer as possible so you have individual swizzle sticks of bacon and the ends are even. As the bacon continues to cool, it will become crisp.
9. Serve the bacon once it has cooled to room temperature. If you need to store it, place it in a covered dish and refrigerate for up to three days. You can warm it up in a low (250-300F) oven on a sheet pan fitted with parchment.
Note: It’s important to cook the bacon thoroughly or it won’t crisp up. Also, don’t be tempted to taste it when it first comes out of the oven. The melted sugar is HOT!
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