It has been far, far too long since I’ve posted a recipe here. I’m sorry, and I’m going to make it up to you, starting today. I just hope you like bacon.

Unlike the entire Internet, I am actually not head-over-heels for bacon. I know, I’m a weirdo. It’s cool. But, as you might imagine, Toby and his friend Dan are bacon superfans. So, when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it for them for our mini Sunday football brunch.

The thing about this recipe is that it is so incredibly easy it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s barely even a recipe. But it’s really good, and will make bacon-lovers worship you.

I’ve seen it called different things, including “pig candy,” which seems kind of gross and somewhat disturbing, and “man candy,” which makes me think more of something like this:

So, we’ll just call it candied bacon. Or bacon candy. Either way. Just try it soon.

Candied bacon [Adapted from The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Cookbook (And Financial Planner)]
-Bacon (I used 10 strips, but they were a little smooshed on the rack and a bit too much for two men who were also eating a lot of other bacon-filled food items)
-Brown sugar (dark brown is preferred, the amount will depend on the amount of bacon you use)

Preheat the oven to 350F and place a metal baking rack on a rimmed cookie sheet (the rim is very important). If you don’t have a baking rack, that’s fine, but you may want to drain the fat and/or flip the bacon halfway through the cooking process.

Put some strips of bacon in a bowl. Pour some brown sugar on top. You probably need about a tablespoon per bacon strip, but you don’t need to measure out the brown sugar. Just pour some in there — you can always add more.

Use your fingers to rub the brown sugar all over the bacon. You want to try to totally coat the bacon in the sugar. Once the bacon is coated, lay the strips out on the metal rack (or directly on the pan, if you’re not using a rack).

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the bacon looks done. Keep in mind that the bacon will firm up a bit after you remove it from the oven, so you should try to take it out before it gets totally firm. (Also, if you take it out too early, like I did, you can always put it back in for a few minutes and no harm will befall you… although your family and friends may revolt if you make them wait too long to eat it.)

Allow to cool for a minute, then cut in half and serve.