Billionaire Bacon Snoop Dogg Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Candied Bacon

Billionaire Bacon: Snoop Dogg Recipe

Some recipes earn their fame the slow way. This one did it in about 45 minutes.

Billionaire Bacon is spicy, sweet and savory at the same time, and it is the bacon recipe linked to Snoop Dogg and his cookbook From Crook to Cook. Set a platter of it on a brunch table and something funny happens.

People take one strip, then ask who made it, then ask for the recipe. I have watched that exact conversation play out three times now, and it never gets old.

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It also fits into a bigger family of candied bacon recipes that work for breakfast, brunch, tailgating and parties. If you enjoy this one, there are plenty of cousins worth trying: Maple Candied Bacon, Jalapeno Bacon, Cracked Bacon, Honey Bacon, Bourbon Bacon and Million Dollar Bacon.

Here is the practical part. Prep takes about 15 minutes, the oven does the rest in roughly 30 minutes, and the whole thing is done in about 45 minutes. One batch makes 10 slices, which serves 4 people at 2.5 slices each. Around my house it serves two, but that is a different kind of math.

If you are new to candied bacon, this is a friendly place to start. There is no deep fryer, no candy thermometer and no tricky timing. It is brown sugar, pepper and bacon on a rack in a 350 degree F oven.

Why You’ll Go Hog Wild for This Recipe

What makes it so hard to stop eating?

Peppery, spicy, sweet and savory, all in one strip. The brown sugar melts into a glaze, the black pepper keeps it from tasting like dessert, and the crushed red pepper brings a warm little kick at the end. You can dial the seasonings up or down to suit your own taste, which is exactly why I keep making it.

People sometimes call this pig candy, and the name is honest. Serve it at a brunch buffet, a party, a breakfast charcuterie board, a game day appetizer spread, or straight from the pan while you pretend to be tidying the kitchen.

Best of all, you can make Billionaire’s Bacon up to 24 hours in advance and reheat it just before serving. Directions below.

Recipe Inspiration

I tested this one from Snoop Dogg’s cookbook From Crook to Cook, and the original is a very good starting point. A few small adjustments made it work better in my own kitchen, and this version comes from BENSA, a bacon community founded by Eliza Cross, who developed it after testing the original.

The changes are simple:

• Temperature: lowered from 400 degrees F to 350 degrees F. The lower heat cuts down on smoking and gives more control over how the bacon finishes.
• Quantity: raised from 8 strips to 10, because there is plenty of brown sugar coating to go around.
• Heat: the crushed red pepper is doubled.
• Technique: the spicy glaze goes on both sides of the bacon instead of only the top.

None of these changes alter the personality of the recipe. They just make it easier to nail on the first try.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Short list, big payoff. Here is everything you need for one batch of 10 slices.

Both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar work here. Light gives a cleaner sweetness, dark brings a little molasses depth. I use whichever bag is already open.

The red pepper flakes in my jar look seedless, and that matters more than you might think. There is a note about it right below.

A Note About Red Pepper Flakes

I love the flavor of crushed red pepper flakes. What I do not love is biting into a seed. On bacon, those little seeds stand out, and they distract from the texture of the glaze.

So I remove them. Spread the flakes out on a white plate, pick the seeds out with your fingers, and you are left with small dried pieces of pepper that melt into the brown sugar mixture. The white plate is not a styling choice. It simply makes the seeds easy to see against the red flakes.

If sorting seeds sounds like a chore, you have options:

• Buy double cut crushed red pepper, which is nearly seedless.
• Use standard crushed red pepper with the seeds in it, exactly as the original recipe calls for.

Nobody at your table will complain either way. This is a texture preference, not a rule.

Equipment Needed

One warning before you start, because it cost me a pan of bacon once.

You need a baking sheet with a baking rack that fits inside it. Do not grab a cookie cooling rack instead. Cookie cooling racks are not built for high oven temperatures, and mine let me know it in a very unhappy way. Use a rack that is made to go in the oven.

Here is the rest of the short list:

• Aluminum foil to line the pan, which makes cleanup almost painless.
• A small bowl and a fork to combine the glaze ingredients.
• A cooling rack for after baking.
• Paper towels to blot excess grease.
• A serving plate, unless you are eating straight from the pan, which I fully support.

That is it. No special gadgets, no thermometer and no overnight marinade.

My dark metal pan browns the edges a touch faster, so I start watching a few minutes early when I use it. Lighter pans tend to be a little more forgiving.

Step by Step Instructions

This is a simple bake, and the whole process comes down to six steps.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top it with a baking rack. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, crushed red pepper flakes and ground black pepper.
3. Use a dinner plate or a cutting board to sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over both sides of each strip of thick cut bacon, pressing gently so it adheres.
4. Arrange the coated bacon slices on the prepared baking pan.
5. Cook until the bacon is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Start checking after 20 minutes so the bacon does not overcook.
6. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, blot the excess bacon grease with paper towels, then serve. Makes 10 slices.

One small habit that helps: work over a plate so the sugar that falls off does not end up all over your countertop, and use your fingers to press the coating in. The bacon should look patchy, not buried.

The other thing I would add from experience is patience. The glaze looks wet and loose when the pan comes out, and it firms up as it cools. Give it the full 10 minutes.

Recipe Variations

This bacon comes out fairly spicy as written. Three easy ways to change it:

• Milder: leave out the crushed red pepper flakes entirely.
• Hotter: stir 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper into the brown sugar mixture.
• Smokier: mix 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika into the brown sugar mixture for a subtle smoky note.

I keep the cayenne version for football weekends and the paprika version for brunch, where a little smoke plays nicely with eggs and coffee.

Pro Recipe Tips

Should you babysit the oven? Not really, but check the bacon about halfway through. If some strips, usually the outer ones, are browning faster than the rest, move them around with a fork.

Why does the bacon look underdone? It probably is not. As it cools, the bacon firms up and the glaze hardens into that candied shell everyone loves. Leave it undisturbed on the pan for about 10 minutes.

How do you deal with the grease? Most of it drips onto the pan below. Once the bacon has cooled on the rack, blot it lightly with paper towels to lift off anything left on the surface.

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover Billionaire Bacon is a rare event, but it does happen, and it keeps beautifully.

Store it on a plate covered airtight with plastic wrap or Press N Seal, and it stays good for up to 2 days. Eat it cold straight from the fridge, which is honestly one of my favorite ways, or reheat it on a baking sheet lined with foil in a 350 degree F oven for about 7 minutes.

This is also why the recipe is a brunch favorite. Make the bacon up to 24 hours ahead, tuck it in the fridge, and reheat it right before everyone sits down. No last minute scramble and no splattered stovetop.

More Fun Ways to Enjoy Bacon

If this recipe has you hooked, here are a few more ways to keep bacon in the rotation:

• Bacon Butter, a creamy, flavorful spread that turns toast, biscuits or a grilled steak into something memorable.
• Bacon Jerky, an easy low carb snack for road trips and lunch boxes.
• Bacon Salt, which adds bacon flavor to popcorn, steaks, baked potatoes and just about anything else you sprinkle it on.

A full printable recipe is available if you want everything on one page, and there is a Billionaire Bacon web story for a quick visual walk through.

Nutrition per serving of 2.5 slices, straight from the source:

One honest note: all nutritional information on this site is an approximation and should be used as a general guideline only. It is not calculated by a certified nutritionist.

Questions about the recipe? Ask away. I answer every one, usually with too much detail.

FAQs

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Billionaire Bacon: Snoop Dogg Recipe Some recipes earn their fame the slow way. This one did it in about 45 minutes.

• Total Time: 45 min
• Yield: 10 slices 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 strips thick-sliced bacon

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Instructions

1-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and top it with a baking rack. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
2-In a small bowl, combine the brown: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper.
3-Use a dinner plate or cutting board: Use a dinner plate or cutting board to sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over both sides of each bacon strip, pressing to adhere.
4-Arrange the coated bacon slices on the: Arrange the coated bacon slices on the prepared baking pan.
5-Cook until the bacon is golden brown,: Cook until the bacon is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Start checking after 20 minutes to make sure bacon doesn’t overcook.
6-Cool on the pan for 10 minutes,: Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, and blot excess bacon grease with paper towels. Serve and enjoy! Makes 10 slices.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2.5 slices
• Calories: 326
• Sugar: 17.6
• Sodium: 1102
• Fat: 19.9
• Saturated Fat: 6.5
• Carbohydrates: 18.5
• Fiber: 0
• Protein: 17.6
• Cholesterol: 52