Pig Candy

Smoked Pig Candy is a BBQ favorite of mine. This recipe can be used as an appetizer, side dish, dessert, or a midnight snack. It is easy to cook, hard to mess up, and tastes FANTASTIC! You can cook this on a smoker, gas grill or even in the oven. I show how to cook this two ways - one directly on the smoker grate and one in a pan made from heavy duty foil. Bacon renders a lot of fat as it cooks and the grease dripping on an open flame is a recipe for disaster and will cause a fire in your grill. Even on an indirect smoker, the pooled grease can catch fire so I would recommend cooking in the foil pan the first few times unless you really want to keep a close eye on it.

The ingredients are really basic:

Thick Cut Bacon - cheap thin cut bacon also works fine but doesn't seem to hold its' shape as well.
Granulated Onion / Onion Powder
Smoked Chipotle Powder
Brown Sugar (Lots of it)


Lay the bacon out on a cutting board or flat surface and sprinkled the onion powder and the smoked chipotle powder on lightly. I don't measure for this recipe so it may take you a few times to perfect the amount to your liking.

Heavily shake the brown sugar on - don't be shy!

Below you can see the bacon cooking directly on the grate. Be careful of flare ups and the grease catching on fire! You should constantly tend the grill when using this method. I find that cooking directly on the grate cooks a little faster and makes the bacon crisper.

Pictured below is the bacon cooking in a pan made out of heavy duty foil. Make the foil pan big enough so the bacon is only 2 layers thick. Turn the bacon in the pan often so the brown sugar crystallizes evenly.

After the bacon is cooked most of the way - stretch it out flat and finish cooking it until it is crisp.

Here's the finished Pig Candy as a side dish to a close relative - Smoked Sausage!

Happy eating!

Appetizers / Sides

Appetizers and Sides!

Normally you would use these recipes for a snack before the main meal but most of these are great for party snacks, tailgating, or the main course itself - but any of these are great for appetizers!




Atomic Buffalo Turds (ABT's) - Don't let the name fool you!  Once you make this tasty snack - it will be at the top of the request list!










Atomic Shrimp Boats - a twist on the ABT - for seafood lovers!











Armadillo Eggs - ABT hidden in the middle of a chorizo layer of goodness!








Smoked Brie and Figs - even the girls like this one!








MOINK Balls! - One of the best snacks in the world!







Pig Candy!  You won't believe your taste buds!







POINK Balls!  And you thought MOINK Balls were great!









Smoked Potato Chips - a million ways to make this one!










Shillelagh Sticks - Classic Irish snack!






Scotch Eggs - no booze but plenty of fun!









Stuffed Jewel Peppers - a huge crowd pleaser for all ages!

Smoked Salmon Bites - one of the tastiest treats known to man!

Ham & Cheese Roll Ups! - A Farmer John Challenge Snack.

808 State Fatty - The bacon explosion from Hawaii!








Farmer John Ham and Pea Pasta Salad - an easy recipe that makes the most of your left overs!

Smoked Stuffed Dates!

Stuffed Smoked Portobello Mushrooms