Bourbon+Bacon=A Tasty Treat

Recently, I needed an item for a bake sale at work. I was tired of making the same old thing: cookies, brownies, etc. I wanted something out of the norm, something delicious … something with bacon.

I've seen recipes similar to this one before, but always talked myself out of making them. It seemed too complicated, too precise, too sticky. This time, however, I made the mistake of mentioning to co-workers that I was thinking about trying something new. Once I told them what it was (Bacon Bourbon Popcorn), it was all over. I was committed.

Honestly, this was not as tricky as I thought it might be. I popped my corn using the stovetop method. (HINT: scoop out as many of the unpopped kernels as possible once the popcorn has cooled off. It's so much easier that after they're swimming in caramel sauce.) Also, I opted to cook the bacon in the oven. I've been cooking it this way for a while, and it's the best way to cook large amounts at a time and drain off all the grease in one fail swoop. We use Alton Brown's method.

My final tip, and I cannot recommend this one enough, is to buy disposable roasting pans. Partly I did this to avoid having to clean potentially caramel-coated pans, but also, I could buy a disposable pan that was larger than my largest baking pan for $1. Money well spent, I guarantee, to not have kernels spill out of the pan every time you try to stir them up.
I have to admit, I was pretty proud of the final result. You can taste the bourbon without it overpowering everything, and the bacon adds that delightful salty quality I love. Mike also gave it his seal of approval, and I had to keep my eye on him so he wouldn't eat it all before I could get it bagged up. (No worries, he got his own bag to keep at home.

Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn
5 quarts popped popcorn
½ to 1 pound thick-cut bacon, cooked until almost crispy and chopped 
1 cup (2 sticks) butter 
2 cups brown sugar 
½ cup maple syrup or light corn syrup 
1 teaspoon sea salt 
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 ounces bourbon (cheap is fine)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup and sea salt and cook until boiling at the edges, stirring frequently. Lower the heat slightly and let boil until the caramel is 250 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add the baking soda and bourbon. Once fully incorporated, stir in the bacon.
Divide the popcorn into two very lightly greased roasting pans and coat with the caramel. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes to coat all the popcorn in the coating.


Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter, stirring occasionally to keep the popcorn from clumping together.
See the bacon-y goodness.

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