How to Make Pig Candy
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Want to know how to make Pig Candy? This Copycat Ruby Slipper Pig Candy recipe will show you the way – and it is heavenly!!! I mean – I didn’t realize bacon could get better – but when you slather it with brown sugar – it sure does!
What You Will ❤️ About Pig Candy
- Decadent! It’s got the sweetness of candy and the meatiness of bacon. It’s so delicious!
- Vacation Food! It’s like bringing your vacation home! It’s my favorite of the appetizers at Ruby Slipper in Gulf Shores, AL!
- Easy! This recipe is so simple to make and only needs 3 ingredients. It’s a delicious snack or side dish for breakfast or brunch.
Ingredients to make Pig Candy
Well you can sure guess that there’s bacon and brown sugar – but the third ingredient might surprise you!
- Bacon – I recommend using thick cut bacon for this – you need the extra meatiness to hold up to the brown sugar mixture.
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Bacon Grease – Yup – you make candied bacon with bacon grease. You can use either bacon grease you save or you can buy a handy product called Bacon Up which is “clarified” bacon grease.
- OPTIONAL: If you like a little zing – you could add a bit of cayenne pepper
How do you make Candied Bacon?
Pig Candy is full of flavor and pretty easy to make – let me walk you through how to do it:
- Start your bacon in the oven – place your bacon slices on a foil lined baking sheet with a wire rack so the grease can drip down. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 f degrees (this is for thick cut bacon)
- You can also line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After the bacon has been in for 10 minutes, heat your bacon grease on the stove in a small sauce pan until it melts
- Slowly add the brown sugar and whisk it into the melted grease. Mixture should be smooth. (see middle photo above)
- Once timer is up, remove bacon from oven and spoon mixture onto bacon strips. Lay it on thick if you want a heavily candied bacon – don’t sprinkle it on – make it thick! (No need to flip your bacon when you use the wire rack.)
- Put bacon back in oven for 10-15 more minutes
- Don’t let the bacon cook until it’s “crispy” unless you REALLY like it crispy. It will crisp up as it rests.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Regular bacon takes about 20 minutes – so 10 minutes – then top with brown sugar mixture – then 10 minutes more.
You can purchase Bacon Up from the links mentioned. You could also use regular canola/vegetable oil, butter or lard. We recommend the bacon grease as that’s the way they do it at the Ruby Slipper – but any of these will work.
Or – you can use the grease from the first half of the bacon cooking in the oven. When you take it out of the oven – pour that grease into a sauce pan and mix in your brown sugar. There might not be quite enough – but you can always add a little extra canola or vegetable oil. (I would not use olive oil.)
We wouldn’t recommend it – it’s not going to sit on top of the bacon and get crispy like the brown sugar/bacon grease mixture will.
Either is fine – I actually used a mixture of both because I was low on both!
Yes! Making this pig candy recipe on the Traeger smoker/grill is just as easy and delicious!
Store leftovers in an airtight container (I like these glass ones) or in a plastic zipper bag in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 250º for 4 minutes or in the oven at 350º for 8-10 minutes.
What to serve with Pig Candy
How to Use Pig Candy
This doesn’t have to just be a breakfast food! Here are some great dishes you could add candied bacon to for an even more decadent dish!
Favorite Bacon Recipes
- Smoked Candied Bacon (yes – make this same recipe on the smoker!)
- Grilled Bacon
- Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Favorite Gulf Shores Copycat Recipes
Copycat Ruby Slipper Pig Candy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb thick cut bacon note: cooking times are for THICK CUT
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Bacon Up bacon grease (or your own bacon grease)
Instructions
- Lay raw bacon on a lined sheet pan on a cooking rack and place in preheated 400 degree oven1 lb thick cut bacon
- Cook bacon for 15 minutes If you don’t have Bacon Up or bacon grease – you can use the bacon grease after the first 15 minutes of cooking for the above steps
- After 10 min in the oven, add bacon grease to a medium sauce pan and heat on medium high1/2 cup Bacon Up bacon grease
- Heat grease for 2 min or until melted and warm – then add 1/2 cup brown sugar1 cup brown sugar
- Whisk to combine then add rest of brown sugar and whisk until all sugar has melted and mixture is smooth
- Remove bacon from oven and spoon brown sugar mixture over bacon. If you want a thick layer of "candy" – lay it on thick! If you just want a touch – use a pastry brush.
- Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the candy is set
- Remove from oven and remove cooling rack from cookie sheet to cool more quickly. Bacon will set up and become less bendy as it rests for a few minutes
