Ingredients

6 strips of bacon, reserve bacon fat

¾ cup of unpopped kernels

¼ cup butter

¼ cup bacon fat

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup bourbon

½ tbs vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

3 tbs vegetable oil

Preparation

  1. Fry bacon and set aside. Drain bacon fat and reserve for caramel mixture.
  2. Put three tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
  3. Add three kernels to the pot. When they begin to pop, add the ¾ cup of popcorn, cover and shake pot occasionally, so popcorn doesn’t burn.
  4. Remove pot from heat once popping has slowed, place popcorn in a large bowl.
  5. Heat oven to 250-degrees.
  6. Crumble bacon over finished popcorn.
  7. In a large pot, bring butter, bacon fat, brown sugar, and maple syrup to a boil, stirring constantly.
  8. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes, then remove from heat.
  9. Stir in bourbon, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Warning: This mixture might overflow, so use a pot that is tall enough, just in case.
  10. Pour caramel mixture over bacon and popcorn mixture. Toss to coat evenly.
  11. Spread mixture onto a large baking sheet covered in parchment. Bake for 50-minutes, stirring the popcorn every 15-minutes.
  12. Remove from oven. Cool for one-hour before noshing.