These nuts—sweet and salty with a touch of heat, and with bits of pig candy—tend to be a real crowd-pleaser. At one barbecue contest, numerous competition cooks gnawed a batch of smoked pig candy bacon nuts down to nothing but the aluminum tray! This dish is great for parties, and is a nice holiday gift idea.
YIELD: 6–8 SERVINGS • COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES
1½ lb (680 g) thick-cut bacon
2 cups (473 ml) water
1¼ cups (240 g) turbinado sugar
1 lb (454 g) cashews, roasted and unsalted
10 oz (284 g) walnuts
10 oz (284 g) pecans
10 oz (284 g) almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Prepare your grill for direct grilling and heat to 400 to 450°F (204 to 230°C). A 22-inch (56-cm) Discada plow disc grill fits perfectly in a Weber Kettle. A cast-iron skillet that is 12 inches (30 cm) or bigger will also work just fine, but you will have to cook in two batches. Place the pan on the cooking grate.
Cut the bacon into ¾-inch (2-cm) pieces. Heat the pan on the grill and partially cook the bacon pieces until they start to crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes. You want to leave some of the fat not rendered (it will render more in the next step, adding bacon salty goodness to the nuts). Drain and set aside.
This step will go really fast! Place the pan back on the grill and get it really hot (400°F [204°C]). Add the water, sugar, nuts and bacon. Stir continuously, constantly scraping the bottom of the pan and turning the nuts (they will burn if not constantly moving). Continue to stir until all the water evaporates and the sugar starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
Once the sugar has caramelized and the nuts are glazed and shiny, there should be very little sugar at the bottom of the pan. Remove the nuts from the heat and dust with the cinnamon, allspice and cayenne pepper (if you add spices too soon, they will burn). Mix well and pour the nuts onto a sheet pan. Spread the nuts out, let them cool for 5 minutes and enjoy.