Pig Candy (Peanut Brittle with Bacon) Recipe

By RoketJSquerl

Recipe notes: This batch has been tripled. For the original recipe making 1 batch, use the link in the about tab. Use the best bacon you can, preferably thick cut, if you not are making your own. The first time I made this recipe, I followed it to the letter, which included cooking the bacon and nuts in with the syrup until it got to the candy stage. This seemed to take a very long time. For the second batch, I left out the bacon, nuts and pepper until it got to 285 degrees and then added them followed by the butter and baking soda. It went much faster that time. I’m not sure it’s necessary to butter a silicone baking mat, but I did it anyway and it worked well so I left that part of the recipe as is. In general, I don’t like to use corn syrup but this recipe calls for it, as do most brittle recipes. I believe it helps to prevent the sugar from crystallizing before getting to the right temperature to make candy. If you don’t want the little bit of heat/spice that the red pepper flakes give, leave them out, but they do add a nice contrast to the sweet and salty of the sugar and the bacon. A candy thermometer is a must unless you are experienced in working with sugar candies which can go from too soft, to burnt in an instant.

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 6 oz water
• 3 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 15 oz uncooked thick cut bacon (1 1/2 cup cooked, chopped)
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 7 Tbsp unsalted butter
• Tools: Candy Thermometer and Silpat Silicone Baking Mat
• Use two 11" x 17" sheet pans for this recipe

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the bacon until crisp and drain on a paper towel. Allow to cool and chop into 1/4 inch pieces and set aside. Get all of the other ingredients ready and measured out in advance as once the process starts it moves fast. Butter two 11" x 17" baking sheets or silicone liner, and butter a spatula and set aside. In a heavy bottomed 6 quart pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water and cook over a medium flame until the sugar melts and the liquid begins to simmer. Use a candy thermometer and cook until the mixture gets to around 285 degrees. Stir in the peanuts, bacon and red pepper flakes using a silicone spatula. Cooking the sugar: Continue cooking until the themometer reaches between 300 and 310 degrees. Turn off the flame and remove from the heat. The sugar will just be starting to color here. Working quickly, carefully stir in the butter and baking soda (it will bubble and foam as you mix it in, be careful). Immediately pour the mixture onto both prepared pans and spread it out as thin as possible with the spatula. It will harden as it cools, so work fast. Once cool, break it into pieces and store in an airtight container.