Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cranberries and Pecans
These Brussels sprouts with bacon, cranberries and smoked, candied pecans are the ultimate Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish! They’re baked in bacon fat till crispy, then mixed with cranberries and candied pecans, spiced with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper!
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 344kcal
Equipment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- tin foil
- frying pan
- mixing spoon
- sharp knife & cutting board
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
For the Candied Pecans
- 1 cup pecans
- 3 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper - or more if you want them spicier
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp. sea salt - or kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. real vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp. water
For the Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Cranberries
- 32 oz. Brussels sprouts - 2 standard packages
- 4 slices bacon
- ¼ cup dry cranberries
- salt and fresh pepper - a nice sprinkle of each
Instructions
For the Candied Pecans
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.
- To a pan, add 3 tbsp. dark brown sugar, ½ tsp. cinnamon, ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp. smoked paprika, ¼ tsp. vanilla extract, ¼ tsp. sea salt and 1 tbsp. water. Mix it all together and turn on a MEDIUM heat.
- Allow sauce to bubble for 1-2 minutes, then add 1 cup pecans. Stir them around until each is thoroughly coated in the sauce.
- Pour pecans onto the parchment in 1 layer. Do your best to spread them out a bit. Refrigerate them for 20 minutes to harden them. Once cooled, pull any that are stuck together apart with your fingers and set them aside. While the pecans refrigerate, make the bacon and Brussels.
For the Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Cranberries
- Line a baking sheet with tin foil, and slice 32 oz. Brussels sprouts in half and place in a mixing bowl.
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F. (204 C.) Fry 4 slices of bacon until crispy and place them on a paper towel to dry. Pour all the fat onto the Brussels sprouts. Liberally sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper, then stir until all are coated.
- Pour Brussels onto the lined baking sheet in one layer. I like to lay the Brussels sprouts face-down to make them crispy on the bottom, but you may not be as picky as I am about how your Brussels bake. Bake for 30 minutes, or until they’re looking crispy.
- Pour them into a mixing bowl. Crush bacon into bits and add them (not too tiny - you want nice bite-size pieces, not bacon dust). Add ¼ cup dry cranberries and candied pecans. Stir and serve.
Notes
To reheat, simply pour everything out onto a foil-lined baking sheet (including the cranberries, pecans, and bacon) and bake at 350 F. (175 C.) for 10 minutes. The bacon won’t burn and the pecans will just become less sticky, but still delicious. If you want to keep the pecans nice and sticky (like I like them), just keep them separate and add them after everything else is reheated.
This recipe will last when refrigerated for 3-4 days. After a day, the pecans will lose a little bit of their pizzaz, however. You may also have to add more salt to liven it up again.
Keep in mind, the pecans are supposed to be a bit sticky, even after they cool. I think they’re more delicious that way. But if you want them to be dry, simply bake them on parchment paper at 350 F. (175 C.) for 5-7 minutes.
You can use more bacon than the recipe requires, but you’ll only want to use about 2-3 tbsp. of bacon fat. I find 4 slices provide a perfect amount, but if you use more bacon, you’ll obviously have more fat, so just be careful measuring out the fat when it’s time to add it to the Brussels.
Nutrition
Serving: 5servings | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 260mg | Potassium: 847mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1560IU | Vitamin C: 155mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 3mg