Coca-Cola candied bacon… what’s not to love?! I’ve teamed up with IGA to share this delicious recipe and an exciting sweepstakes. Just in time for tailgating season, IGA is partnering with Coca-Cola to host the IGA & Coca-Cola Tailgating Grill Giveaway! September 13 through October 15, shoppers can enter the sweepstakes to win a new grill valued at $300 by using the hashtag #IGAGrillGiveaway in a post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
The IGA is a really special place for me. My grandparents are from Western Kentucky and the only grocery store in their small town was an IGA. We loved shopping there because they had kid-sized grocery carts and my Mimi let each grandkid push their own cart around the store. Plus they gave out free cookies 😉 My cousins and I called it the “igga” and always asked to go there when we visited our grandparents. After all these years, IGA is still producing great quality products. So much so that they offer a double money back guarantee! The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) was founded in 1926 to bring family-owned, local grocery stores together under the IGA brand. To this day, many IGA stores are run by second, third and even fourth generation local grocers. You can feel good about shopping at an IGA!
Coca-Cola Candied Bacon is a sweet and savory treat you’re going to be obsessed with. It’s an impressive game day snack, holiday treat, or fun way to elevate your bloody mary. The sweetness comes from making a reduction out of Coca-Cola. The soda reduces into a sweet syrup that coats the bacon before baking it in the oven. The combination of the savory salty bacon pairs so well with the sweetness of Coca-Cola, plus you get the slight spice flavor that accents the paprika well. The perfect sugar and spice combo! You could also do a bacon “flight” using different flavors of Coca-Cola, like cherry and vanilla. I learned a trick for the crispiest bacon years ago: put it in the oven cold. There’s something about the oven coming to temperature that helps make the bacon extra crispy. Check out the recipe below!
Coca-Cola Candied Bacon
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb thick cut bacon
- 12oz can Coca-Cola
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
Directions
- Pour Coca-Cola into a saucepan over high heat to reduce to a syrup. Boil for 15-20 minutes, and it will reduce down to about 1/4 cup syrup.
- Add bacon, brown sugar, paprika and Coca-Cola reduction to a large bowl. Toss to combine until bacon is fully coated.
- Wrap a baking sheet in foil and top with a greased wire rack*. Place bacon on rack.
- Add bacon to a cold oven, then preheat to 350. Bake for 20 minutes then check on the bacon. If one side is cooking more than the other rotate pan to cook evenly.
- Bake for 15 more minutes until bacon is candied and crispy. Remove from oven and let rest 10-15 minutes.
*If you don’t have a wire rack you can place bacon directly on a foil covered pan. It will cook a little quicker, so keep an eye on it and take five minutes off cooking time.
Thanks again to IGA for partnering with me on this post. You can feel good about shopping at your locally owned IGA knowing you’re getting great quality at a great price. Check out their offerings here or find an IGA near you here. Check out more recipes with IGA here. And don’t forget to enter the sweepstakes to win a new grill valued at $300 by using the hashtag #IGAGrillGiveaway in a post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
Biscuits & blessings,
Leels
This post is in partnership with IGA. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Lex Eats possible!
