Millionaires Bacon. It’s everything. It’s insanely good. Hard to stop, good. So what is Millionaires Bacon? It’s like candied bacon on steroids. Salty, sweet, spicy, smoky, crunchy, chewy deliciousness. Forget flowers – Tell me you wouldn’t like a bouquet of Millionaires Bacon instead? Serve this as an appetizer or serve at breakfast or brunch. How about with these Overnight Bloody Marys?
Millionaires Bacon
Millionaires Bacon is bacon drenched in brown sugar and lots of spices and baked in the oven until it’s deeply caramelized, so dark it almost looks burnt. It isn’t, though. The sugar is like a rub you’d use for pork shoulder and caramelizes into a bark. It’s kind of like the sweet/salty crust on Momofuku’s Bo Ssam. Take a look at that recipe – if Millionaire’s Bacon intrigues you, you’ll go nuts over that pork roast. You have to break into that caramelized crust and pull the pork which you then serve in wraps. But I digress!
About Millionaires Bacon:
Around the Bay area of San Francisco, Millionaires Bacon is a huge thing, bigger than Avocado Toast, according to this article from the SF Gate. There it starts out with bacon cut a half an inch thick and slowly cooked for hours. I had to make some adjustments and used thick-cut bacon from the store and more recently, made it with just plain old bacon. Gosh, both were so good, literally transformative.
Millionaires Bacon uses an insane amount of sugar & spice, and this is pretty darned spicy, so beware! Update, in November 2019 I altered my recipe; it turns out I was the only one of my friends able to eat it! Now I could have just kept it the same and took a “more for me” attitude, but in the interest of you, dear reader, I dumbed it down just a bit and gave you a range of spicy ingredients so you can choose your own level. Some recipes, though, use 3x the amount of my highest spice level. That just be cray cray, but whatever floats your boat! Use your judgment.
Endless variations of this bacon can be made by varying the spices – and it doesn’t even have to be “hot” at all if you’d rather not. Think of Cajun, Mexican, Indian or Asian flavors. Check my Spice, Herb & Flavor Packet Substitution page for some inspiration. I’d love to try this with Thai Curry flavors. The bottom line is you can add just about anything you’d like into the brown sugar. All your flavor is going to infuse with the brown sugar and that’s going to meld right into the smoky bacon mingling with the natural fat. Millionaire’s Bacon is ridiculous in the best possible way!
These are actually photos showing the process from my Easy Maple Candied Bacon; you make Millionaire’s Bacon the same way except you pack on the spicy brown sugar mix!
Making Millionaires Bacon:
All bacon is different – some’s fattier & thickness varies across brands. You’ll have to keep an eye on your bacon because the time varies with the bacon. My first batch was pretty much charcoal in 20 minutes, my second took almost 40! If you use the same kind of bacon every time, you can write down the time to make it easier next time.
In the meantime, lift a piece or two and look underneath. If it’s looking like cooked bacon & the fat has rendered (looks dry) take the bacon out. Let it sit for a few minutes, then with a thin spatula or tongs, pick up each piece and set it back down. That way it won’t harden on to the rack as it cools and crisps. If you can’t get it off the rack, don’t pry and chip it up. Just put it back in the oven for a minute or two to soften the sugar, then proceed.
Don’t let my helpful hints make you think this is complicated, coz it’s not. It’s super easy and crazy good. I just want to make sure yours is great the first time. So enjoy this. In moderation, lol! And for just a minute or two, feel like a Millionaire! (I served mine with a little home-made mustard based Kalbi sauce. As if it wasn’t hot enough already!)
Home-made Brown Sugar
Saving Money on Millionaires Bacon:
I shop well for bacon and picking it up during Holiday sales for around half the regular price. Bacon is almost always on sale during any holiday. I’ll find it sometimes bundled with other items, maybe eggs and/or hashbrowns. You’ll need to crunch the numbers on sales like that. Sometimes they’re great, other times, not so much. Bacon keeps very well in the freezer and takes up hardly any room so why not stock up at a low?
Brown sugar is one of the items I no longer buy. Why? Well, it’s just a mixture of sugar and molasses and so easy to make Homemade Brown Sugar. It’s so much more cost-effective than buying brown sugar at the store. While we’re talking brown sugar, if your brown sugar is hard, place an apple slice or two or a slice of bread in the bag and leave it overnight. For a quicker save, microwave in five-second intervals, working it with clean fingers until it has softened.
I pick up a lot of my spices in the spring or during holidays known for baking. The name brands often have spring “catalina” sales – that means specials from the manufacturer, often unadvertised, that give you $back coupons to use on your next grocery purchase. Even if you don’t use coupons, it is well worth to check your coupon matching sites. They’ll let you know about specials like these and the best sales prices in your area.
Millionaires Bacon
Millionaire’s Bacon
Millionaire’s Bacon – sweet, salty, smoky spicy deliciousness.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 to 45 minutes
- Yield: about 12 slices 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick cut bacon
- about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2/3rds cup brown sugar (dark preferred)
- 1/2 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 1/2 to 1 heaping teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 to 1 heaping teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
Place a wire rack over a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Add bacon to the rack, placing it closely together so there are no spaces. If your bacon is cut unevenly with a thick and thin end, try turning every other piece around so it fits together. Brush and dab lightly with soy sauce and let bacon sit while you mix the sugar and spices.
In a small bowl, add brown sugar and spices; mix together. Crush with a fork if there are any lumps. Sprinkle heavily on bacon and use your hands to distribute the sugar mixture evenly, gently patting to form a thin layer.
Place in the oven. Turn oven on to 400 degrees F. Bake for 18 to 40 minutes, turning the baking sheet from front to back if it seems to be cooking unevenly. Bake until the brown sugar is melted and starts to look a little dry and a piece of the bacon, when lifted, is rendered and looks cooked on the bottom.
Remove from oven, let sit a minute or two. Using a thin spatula or tongs, lift each piece from the rack and replace, so the sugar won’t harden the bacon on to the rack. Cool to room temperature. The bacon will continue to crisp and harden as it cools. If the bacon has cooled and stuck to the rack, put it in the oven for a minute or two to warm the sugar.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
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I’ll be taking this recipe to Fiesta Friday #207, hosted this week by Lily @ Little Sweet Baker and Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju.com.
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