Coke Soaked Bacon
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 13, 2024 
A 2-ingredient wonder. Coke Soaked Bacon is so tender and uniquely flavored that you’ll make excuses to serve it on everything!
Coca Cola Bacon?
Confession: I love Coke. Like, luuuuurve it!
Although I try to stick to eating my calories, rather than drinking them, on rare occasions, I’ll treat myself to an ice-cold Coca-Cola with a burger and fries.
It only seems right to enjoy them together.
Recently, I was thinking about something I had watched my dad do in the kitchen as a little girl. He used to soak ribs in Coke or Dr. Pepper to tenderize the meat before grilling.
It made me wonder what other pork products might benefit from a long bath in soda. After considering pork chops and ham, I thought I’d give good ol’ bacon a try.
Believe it or not, I discovered magical things happen to bacon strips when they are marinated in Coke for an extended period of time.
Coke and Bacon
Because bacon strips are so fatty, they don’t absorb the Coke, per se. So the bacon doesn’t become ultra sweet as one might think. Instead, the carbonation and sugar break down the bacon, making it limber and easy to bite through once cooked. The Coke also seems to reduce the salt a bit, leaving the bacon with a dusky caramelized flavor.
I found baking the bacon in the oven to be the best cooking method since the bacon is damp… All the grease splatter takes place behind a closed oven door.
The unique caramelized flavor and tender melt-in-your-mouth texture make Coke Soaked Bacon a great addition to sandwiches, wraps, or chopped-up salads because it’s not the least bit tough.
So try putting these two guilty pleasures together. The effect is intriguing to say the least!
How to Make Candied Candy with Coke
Ingredients
- Thick-cut bacon
- Coca-Cola
Instructions
- Separate the bacon strips and pile them in a baking dish. Pour the Coke over the top of the bacon. Cover, refrigerate, and allow the bacon to soak for 2 hours.
- Drain off the liquid in preparation for baking.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lay the bacon strips on the parchment close together (but not overlapping) and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until crisp and caramelized.
Get the Full (Printable) Cola Candied Bacon Recipe Below!
Variations
- Don’t like Coca Cola? Try this recipe with Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, or Root Beer!
- Spice it up by sprinkling each bacon strip with cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, of chili powder before baking.
Coke Bacon Recipe
Instructions
- Separate the bacon strips and pile them in a baking dish. Pour the Coke over the top of the bacon.
- Cover, refrigerate, and allow the bacon to soak for 2 hours. Drain off the liquid in preparation for baking.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lay the bacon strips on the parchment close together (but not overlapping) and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until crisp and caramelized.
this sounds delightful!
Have you ever made it with just regular cut bacon? I would imagine it would be similar but just take less time to cook?
I might just have to experiment,as I have BOTH ingredients on hand and can’t wait til I get to store. 😉
Great!
Oh I so need to try this with root beer