Spiced Bacon Twists

I rarely spend much time on preparing bacon, as it usually evaporates into thin air every time I serve it.   Bacon is a heavenly addition to breakfast however, so I have been looking for new ways to prepare it to make it a little more "special".  This was surprisingly easy and really delicious.  

You may have success by simply twisting your bacon by hand and arranging it on wire racks.  My bacon was a little too "floppy" to make that work however.  I tried wrapping my bacon strips around wooden dowels (about 1/2" to 3/4" in diameter) that I found at a craft store.  Worked very well! 

It's a good idea to line your baking pan with foil - as the brown sugar/spice mixture makes a huge mess after baking that long in the oven.  I also found that once the bacon cooks long enough to "set" in the curly position - I could remove the dowels and let it finish baking completely.  This allows the interior of the twists to bake to perfection.  

We loved this recipe - it's almost like candy.  To simplify it even more (for those people who don't like their bacon adulterated with other flavors!) - you could totally eliminate the spice rub.  

Spiced Bacon Twists (adapted from tasteofhome.com)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of Cayenne pepper (optional)
10-12 center-cut bacon strips (I used thick cut, adjust times for thinner bacon slices)

Combine brown sugar and spices with fingers.  

Arrange bacon on flat surface, strips touching each other.

Rub sugar/spice mixture into bacon with fingers until absorbed.

Wrap bacon strips around dowels as shown.

Arrange on wire rack set in a 9" x 13" baking pan lined in foil.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes (for thinner slices) or up to 1 hour (for thick-cut bacon).

Bacon should be firm and hold it's shape. 

Remove from dowels if desired, then bake longer for crispier bacon.

May be pre-cooked & refrigerated - warming in oven before serving.