This is called Million Dollar Bacon for good reason. Yummy pieces of thick bacon covered in brown sugar, spices, and maple syrup. It’s the perfect mix of sweet, spicy, and salty.
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If you’re out to eat at a restaurant and you see something on the menu called “Million Dollar Bacon” then it’s a must that you should order it, right? Well that’s what happened when hubby and I recently tried a restaurant called First Watch. All of the food was amazing but what really stood out was their take on candied bacon.
It was not only deliciously sweet, it had the perfect hint of spice. I knew at my first bite why it had its name. It truly had me feeling like a million bucks.
Hubby requested that I make it at home so I did. Now I must share it because this delicious bacon should not be a secret.
How to make Million Dollar Bacon
First, move your oven rack to the middle rack and proceed to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a small bowl, combine your brown sugar, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
Next, get a pack of thick cut bacon. You could use regular bacon if that’s all you have on hand but the thick cut gives this bacon a nice crispy yet jerky kind of feel. I strongly recommend it.
Grab some foil paper and lay it on a baking sheet. Lay your bacon on the sheet and cover both sides with the brown sugar mixture.
You want the sugar mixture all over your bacon.
Place your bacon in your preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Open oven and flip bacon pieces and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the bacon is done.
Remove bacon and move to a cooling rack. You may use a paper towel to remove any excess grease on the bacon.
Drizzle bacon with maple syrup.
Serve warm.
Notes on Millionaire Bacon
- To use a rack or not when baking, that’s the question. I’ve tested both ways and preferred to bake it on the baking sheet without a rack. The bacon was able to soak up all that sugary spicy goodness in the oven without it dripping off during baking. You can use a paper towel to dab up any excess grease after baking but before drizzling the maple syrup.
- If you’re not using thick cut bacon, decrease the baking times by about half.
- This bacon can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for a few days.
Looking for more breakfast recipes? Try these out:
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Breakfast Potatoes (Air Fryer Recipe)
- Cheesy Corned Beef Breakfast Casserole
- Egg Bites (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
- Pumpkin Oatmeal (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
- Strawberry Baked Oatmeal
Million Dollar Bacon
Ingredients
- 10 pieces thick cut bacon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Place oven rack on center rack. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine brown sugar, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
- Place foil on a 13×9 baking sheet. Add bacon in a single layer.
- Cover both sides of pieces of bacon with the brown sugar mixture.
- Bake in preheated oven on center rack for 20 minutes, then flip and cook for 15-20 minutes on other side.
- Remove bacon from oven and place on cooling rack to dry.
- Cover bacon with maple syrup
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Notes
- If you prefer, you can bake the bacon on racks in the oven to drain off excess fat while baking. I prefer to bake without a rack and use paper towels after baking to dab up any excess grease.
- Not all thick bacon is created equally. Some bacon is labled as “thick” bacon when it truly isn’t. If using thinner bacon, start checking for doneness after 20 minutes.
Jennifer
Monday 8th of June 2020
Would do again, tasty and easy! Very easy recipe to follow and execute! Almost foolproof, I accidentally added the maple syrup to the brown sugar mix and it still came out good! Crispy, slightly chewy (in a good way) with some heat/sweet/and salty as described! Would definitely make again. As noted, need to keep an eye on the cooking times since not all bacon is the same thickness. Thanks!
patty
Wednesday 22nd of April 2020
this was delish. i didn't add the syrup at the end as i thought it would be sweet enough and it was. next time i'll add more of the peppers for a bit more kick. thanks for the great recipe!
ARC
Saturday 4th of April 2020
Thank you for this! We're still in quaratine and my daughter was begging for First Watch food!
Tanya
Saturday 4th of April 2020
You're so welcome! We love that place too and can't wait to visit again once we can.
Rich D
Tuesday 24th of March 2020
I have been making something similar ever since I had it at First Watch. TBH I did not like their food and felt like it was overpriced ($10 for a pancake??),with a huge exception of this bacon. I have been making it at home with just brown sugar and hot sauce and people go nuts for it. I'm sure that maple syrup will make it even better. There is something about that sticky sweetness when it comes out of the oven!
Tanya
Tuesday 24th of March 2020
I love your addition of hot sauce. I'm trying that next time. But yes, the sweet, salty, and spicy all in one bite is what makes this kind of bacon so amazing.
Maxine
Friday 6th of March 2020
Your recipe sounds perfect. I've had this at First Watch and it's delicious. I'm hosting an Easter brunch and would love to serve this. You mentioned that they can be made ahead and refrigerated. What would be the best way to reheat without overcooking? Thanks!
Tanya
Saturday 7th of March 2020
Hi, a quick zap in the microwave works. About 10-20 seconds.