It’s easy to customise your bacon to create fun and delicious flavors, from choc dipped to chili glazed.
Bacon is one of the most beloved meat products, and with good reason. It’s salty, crispy and packed with smokey flavor. We love wrapping it around things, siding it up to breakfast dishes and even using it as swizzle sticks in bloody marys. And just when you thought you couldn’t love bacon any more, now you can also hack it to create a variety of flavored bacons. It’s super easy, too.
If you’re looking for a way to make your own homemade bacon from scratch, you probably want to check out this recipe here. I’m sharing five different flavor hacks to make your own custom recipes using store bought bacon. Your creativity doesn’t have to stop at my recipes – you can use different hot sauces, sugar combos or dark instead of milk chocolate.
How to make your own customized flavored bacon:
All the bacon is cooked in the same method – a hot oven until it’s rendered. The hot/savory flavors can be applied before cooking, but sweet flavors will generally need to be applied midway through the cook so that the bacon renders, but the topping doesn’t burn. I line a sheet pan with foil for easy cleanup, then place a rack on top – this way the air can move all around the bacon to cook it faster and more evenly. If you want to add a double layer of smoke, these recipes can also be cooked in a pellet grill instead of an oven.
Smokey Black Pepper Bacon
- 8 oz thick cut bacon
- 1/2 tablespoon coarse black pepper
- Preheat an oven to 375f. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up, then place a rack on top. Layer the bacon onto the rack, then sprinkle the top with a generous amount of black pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the bacon is crisp and rendered.
Apple Jelly Glazed Bacon
- 8 oz regular cut bacon
- 1/4 cup of apple jelly
- Preheat an oven to 375f. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up, then place a rack on top. Hold one end of the bacon steady in one hand then twist the other end to create a bacon spiral. Lay this onto the rack then place into the oven to cook for 25 minutes (or until nearly cooked). Melt the jelly on the stove or microwave, then brush across the top of the bacon twists, and bake a further 5 minutes, then apply one more layer and bake 3-5 minutes again. The bacon should be mostly rendered before applying the glaze so that it’s crispy but will not burn with the jelly.
Hot Honey Bacon
- 8 oz regular cut bacon
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder
- Preheat an oven to 375f. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up, then place a rack on top. Layer the bacon onto the rack then place into the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes (or until nearly fully cooked). Combine the honey with the chile powders, then brush over the top of the bacon. Cook a further 3-5 minutes to caramelize the honey, keeping a close eye to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Spicy Sriracha Bacon
- 8 oz regular cut bacon
- 3 tablespoons sriracha sauce
- Preheat an oven to 375f. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up, then place a rack on top. Layer the bacon onto the rack then brush the sriracha sauce on top of each slice. Place into the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes until the edges start to darken and the bacon is rendered.
Choc Dipped Bacon
- 8 oz thick cut bacon
- 4 oz milk chocolate flavored candy melts
- 1 oz white chocolate flavored candy melts (optional)
- Preheat an oven to 375f. Line a sheet pan with foil for easy clean up, then place a rack on top. Layer the bacon onto the rack then place into the oven to cook for 30-35 minutes or until rendered and completely cooked. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Melt the milk chocolate melts in the microwave, then gently dip the end of the bacon into the chocolate to coat it, then lay onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to set. If desired, melt the white chocolate melts then use a spoon to flick the white chocolate over the milk chocolate dipped section to create a contrast garnish.
- (NOTE: you can use your favorite chocolate instead of candy melts, but the melts are designed to harden with a shiny finish, whereas melted chocolate chips do not always set firm).
