Playing With Fire and Smoke

This site contains a collection of techniques for barbecuing, smoking and cooking over fire. The techniques shown here are not the only way or the best way to prepare a certain item. This site is just a starting point and these techniques are a guide to creating your own recipes. Recipes included here come not only from personal experiences, but from many knowledgeable folks kind enough to share their secrets. ~thirdeye~

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Pig Candy - Pig Tails

Here is an old time favorite appetizer or snack everyone enjoys. Pig Candy, as it is known in barbecue circles is nothing more that some thick sliced bacon with seasoned brown sugar or a sugar based rub applied as a topper. When they are cooked flat they resemble jerky or the slices can be knotted and are called Pig Tails.

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Here is all you need:

Thick sliced bacon
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Optional seasonings could be any homemade sugar based rub. Ideally your rub should have no salt. I have mixed both Dizzy Pig Raging River and Jim Goode's Beef Rub with brown sugar with good results.

Set up your cooker for an indirect cook with a grate temp around 300° with a drip pan. Lay strips of bacon on the grate above the drip pan for 20 minutes, turn and rotate bacon as needed, season with the sugar mix, then cook around 20 minutes minutes more.

For making Pig Tails, remove the bacon from the cooker after 20 minutes, tie in a loose overhand knot, season with the sugar mix and return to the cooker to finish.

Monitor doneness after turning for your level of crispness. Don't sample right off of the pit, that sugar will be hot!! Remove to platter for cooling. Don't wait for the strips to be completely crisp before removing, as they will firm up during cooling.

Posted by ~thirdeye~