By Emily Haddad

Ever wake up in the morning and decide that bacon simply isn’t bad enough for you? To remedy that, try this ridiculously tasty recipe that transforms ordinary bacon into a crisp, spicy-sweet taste bud festival. This recipe was inspired by Brazilian Steakhouse Zed451’s legendary Cajun-maple brunch bacon, but takes it a step further by crystallizing the maple sugars directly onto the bacon.
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 20-25 minutes.

Ingredients:
I package thick-cut bacon (butcher cut recommended)
1 cup pure maple syrup
Paprika
Black pepper
Red pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt

Materials:
Cookie pan with edges
Aluminum foil
Basting brush
Preheat the oven to 425 and completely cover the cooking surface of the cookie pan with aluminum foil or the pan will be destroyed. Lay out the bacon with ½“ between each strip. Liberally sprinkle paprika, black pepper and onion powder onto the bacon. Use care when sprinkling the red pepper (it packs a punch) and sprinkle the garlic and salt sparingly. Pat the mixture gently to help adhere it to the bacon. Use the basting brush to dab syrup onto the bacon, taking care not to wipe the dry rub spices off in the process. Flip the bacon and repeat the entire spicing and maple syrup-ing process with the other side.
Bake the bacon for 10 minutes before flipping it over onto the other side. Depending on liking flexible or crisp bacon, bake an additional 10-15 minutes, checking the bacon frequently to prevent sugar burn. The bacon should turn dark reddish brown as the maple sugars caramelize. Let cool for 5 minutes after removing pan from the oven, peel from foil, and enjoy.