Apparently, Pig Candy has been around for quite a while, but we just learned about it. You can find many recipes on the web as well as in printed form, such as in Jill Conner Browne's cookbook, The Sweet Potatoe Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook and Financial Planner. You don't need us to tell you how to make Pig Candy, but we thought we'd show you a quick and easy way to make it on a large Big Green Egg so you can enjoy that sugary, fatty, porky goodness!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 9-10 strips of thick sliced bacon

Equipment:

• 10" x 15" Hefty EZ Foil Cookie Sheet
• 12" x 16" Disposable Grill Topper

Preparation Directions:

The first thing you need to do is prepare the pan for cooking the bacon. The grid topper we found at Wal*Mart for 96 cents. The Hefty cookie pan was bought at a local supermarket for about $2.50 for a pack of two. The size of the cookie pan is vital. This is the largest size pan that will fit in a large Big Green Egg.

The 12"x16" grill topper from Wal*Mart

The Hefty 10"x15" cookie pan

Next you need to bend the sides of the grill topper so that it will sit down in the cookie pan. About 1" down each side is enough to allow you to sit the grill topper in the cookie pan. Put the bent sides down so that the grill topper is elevated above the pan. This will allow all the grease to drip into the pan:

Bend about 1" of the sides of the grid topper

Now the grid topper will fit down in the cookie pan.

Mix the cayenne pepper with the brown sugar. Lay the bacon out on the grill topper, making sure that the bacon doesn't hang over the edges. Then sprinkle about 1/2 of the sugar/pepper mixture uniformly over the bacon.

Get the thickest sliced bacon you can find. We bought this at Sam's Club.

Lay out a single layer of bacon slices on the grill topper, making sure not to let the slices overhang the edge.

Sprinkle one half of the sugar/pepper mixture uniformly over the bacon.

Cooking Directions:

Stabilize your egg at 350 degrees, dome temperature. You can place your choice of smoking chunks on the fire if you like, but since chances are the bacon is smoked to begin with, you probably don't need to add any more smoke flavor. Place the cookie pan/grid topper in the Egg on a raised grate. Notice how the pan just barely fits! Cook like this for about 20 minutes. Then turn the bacon over and sprinkle the rest of the sugar/pepper mixture uniformly over the bacon. Cook another 20 minutes, or until the bacon looks crispy to your liking.

Place the pan on a raised grid. Note how it just fits!

This is the bacon after 20 minutes on each side.

The lovely sugary, fatty, porky finished product!

Special Instructions:

When you remove the bacon from the grill topper, it will still be a bit limp. It will crispen up as it cools.

Do NOT place the finished bacon on paper towels to drain. The hot melted sugar will stick to the paper towels. Cook the bacon long enough to render the fat and then take it off the grill and place on a bare plate.

You may wish to cut the pieces into halves or thirds if you are serving this as an appetizer/finger food.

This stuff goes really FAST! So 9-10 slices won't get you very far. You could put a second grid over the first grid using some wooden spacers so that you could have a second pan of bacon going at the same time.

Don't tell the wife (yes, the wife who....), but Scooby the Wonder Dog really really likes this stuff.