Martha Stewart Brown Sugar-Glazed Bacon

Martha Stewart brown sugar-glazed bacon is an easy oven-baked breakfast side made with bacon, light brown sugar and black pepper, ready in 35 minutes. It's an easy few-ingredient breakfast idea for Sunday brunch, holiday mornings or game day, and it's hands-off because the oven does the work.

Rotate the baking sheets halfway through, because the oven heat is never nicely even and the bacon on the back edges browns faster. Skip it and you end up with some slices burnt while others stay chewy.

Martha bakes the bacon on wire racks set inside parchment-lined baking sheets, so the fat drips away and every slice crisps on both sides. The pepper and brown sugar go on before it bakes, so the glaze melts straight into the bacon and turns salty-sweet.

Martha Stewart Brown Sugar-Glazed Bacon

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Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

190

kcal

The bacon bakes on racks until it turns crisp and deeply browned, with a sticky brown sugar glaze and a peppery bite. A quick pat with paper towels at the end keeps each slice crackly instead of greasy.

Ingredients

• 16 slices (about 1 pound) bacon
  

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
  

• 1/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
  

Directions

• Preheat and prep pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F, then line two 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set a wire rack on top of each sheet so the bacon can crisp up off the pan.
• Arrange the bacon: Lay the 16 slices of bacon in a single layer across the 2 racks. Then sprinkle them evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper and 1/3 cup light brown sugar.
• Bake until crisp: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the bacon is crisp and browned. The sugar bubbles into a glaze as it cooks, so watch the last few minutes.
• Blot and serve: Pat the bacon dry with paper towels as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve it warm, while the glaze is still sticky and the edges are crackly.

Tools for this recipe

• Nordic Ware half sheet pan, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper, Checkered Chef cooling racks. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make brown sugar bacon ahead of time?

Yes, it reheats well, so you can bake it the day before for a busy morning. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Then warm it on a rack in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes to bring back the crunch.

How do I store leftover glazed bacon?

Let it cool completely, then layer it between sheets of paper towel in an airtight container. It keeps in the fridge for about 4 days, though the glaze softens a little the longer it sits.

Do I have to use a wire rack?

A rack gives the crispest result because the fat drips below and air circulates around each slice. Without one, bake the bacon straight on the parchment and flip it once halfway through, and expect it to be a bit chewier.

How can I use brown sugar bacon besides eating it plain?

It works in a breakfast sandwich, next to scrambled eggs, or as a salty-sweet garnish on a bloody Mary. Martha also suggests crumbling it over a frosted caramel cake or cupcake.

What is the most common mistake when baking glazed bacon?

Walking away without rotating the pans is the big one, since oven hot spots burn the sugar on some slices while others stay limp. Also skip the parchment and the sugar welds itself to the pan, which makes cleanup a pain.