Things that I’m really good at:
cooking bacon, eating popcorn, writing on graph paper, text messaging, and typing simple equations into my calculator.
Things that I really suck at:
math.
I already have a serious problem with kettle corn.
A few months back I ate only kettle corn for a week straight.
You think I’m kidding. I’m not.
Now I’ve gone and cooked the kettle corn in bacon fat and added crisp bacon bits and maple syrup.
This can’t end well.
It will surely end with one sticky computer.
Oh well.?
Maple Bacon Kettle Corn
4 slices bacon, cooked, fat reserved
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup cooking fat (use the reserved bacon fat and extra olive or vegetable oil to make 1/4 cup of popcorn cooking fat)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt (depending on your taste)
Cook off bacon until brown and crisp. Set aside to cool. Once cool, chop into small bits and toss with maple syrup.
Carefully measure out the hot bacon grease. If you don’t have 1/4 cup of fat, add some vegetable or canola oil to make 1/4 cup of oil for cooking the popcorn.
In a large pan over medium high heat, heat the bacon fat and oil mixture. Add the corn kernels. Sprinkle over the sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and wait for the popping to begin.
Once the popping begins, use two good pot holders the hold together the pan and the lid and shake the pot. Feel free to take the pot off the flame to give it a good shake. Just be careful and then return the pot to the flame. Shake often throughout the popping process. This will help ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn the pan and the popcorn.
Once finished popping remove the lid and salt with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon more salt. Use a large spoon to stir the popcorn. You don’t want the hope sugar to burn you. Pour in the bacon and maple mixture. Toss together and serve.
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Let me start off by being honest …. I have never really figured out the lure of “kettle corn”. Yes, I know, no one really understands that. I always think of it as popcorn, sugar and some butter – what’s the big deal? Well, you just knocked it up a notch, a big fat notch …. bacon, grease and maple syrup!! Now that is something, I would want to shovel into my mouth. Delicious!!! Thank you for a great recipe …. now I need to make it and I probably will not want to share! :)
this snack looks great.
regards
olga.
Trick I use to eat sticky things without ending up with a sticky keyboard: a big soup spoon. I recently decided to drizzle caramel sauce over some popcorn and I used a spoon to shovel the sticky mess down! Yum.
Joy,
I’m so glad I stumbled across your blog- you’re food looks (and I’m sure tastes) amazing. I don’t know how you stay so skinny! What’s your secret? I can barely bake once a week in fear I’ll see the flour and butter on my thighs!
-amanda
dear heavens. what else would be worth eating after this?
K… Making this today but with variations…. Chocolate covered caramel and bacon popcorn. Will let you know how it turns out :o)
*love*
We saw this at work and knew we HAD to make it. Last night it was the feature snack whilst watching the footy. It got rave reviews and, given our team lost, was the highlight of our night!
This is way I love your blog so freaking much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:) Just had to share that.
I’m going to work a little bourbon into this recipe somehow–preferably without starting a fire.
Cheers!
Carol
Looks delicious! I’ve been planning to making a popcorn like this and then MAKE IT INTO POPCORN BALLS – with some maple syrup in the ball-sticky goop.
Gotta question, will you email me the answer?
I’d love to make a GINORAMOUS batch of this for a party my sis is hosting Saturday. I noticed you don’t bake this popcorn like many caramel corn recipes I see. I guess I’m wondering HOW STICKY your recipe really is… I’m hoping you’ll say it’s the kind of caramel-like popcorn that kind of has that crispy crust on the outside. That’s why I was asking about your not using an oven. It’s just my guess but it seems the oven recipes will give me that crunchy effect. The flavor of this sounds AMAZING, and if it’s ooey gooey and sticky, I’ll make it for my man and I to have at home. But if it will travel well and I can do it the night before the party, that’s even better.
Thanks Sug!!
Hi there!
I drooled over this recipe for a week, and tried to make it yesterday. It didn’t go over so well, sadly.
Can I make some suggestions for others?
1) For cooking don’t use bacon grease – use peanut oil, or even unsalted butter instead. Our taste testers found the bacon grease taste to be too strong.
2) We found the salt content to be way too high and we only used about 1 tsp salt total. We even used reduced salt bacon! My advice, use only 1/4 tsp salt when cooking the corn, and taste it before adding more after it’s cooked.
Hope this helps!
Melanie
Say if we wanted to sell this as a fund raiser for the kids on long would this be safe to sell? Or would it need to be made on the spot?
i wouldn’t make this for a fundraiser. i would leave the meat out. you don’t want to chance anything.
We’re having a “snack off” competition at an upcoming family reuinion, and I knew if I searched your site for a few minutes, I’d find just the right snack to bring home the gold. Thanks for thinking outside of the Cracker Jack box.
IMG_5666 belongs in an Adult Image Search on Google. *wipes drool off chin
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