Makes 12 sliders
1 Recipe Candied Bacon (below)
2 Maui Onions, sliced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ Cup Dry Red Wine
3 Roma Tomatoes, sliced medium thickness
4 Crispy Leaves of Romaine Lettuce, torn into 3 pieces
1 Pack King Hawaiian Rolls or Martin’s Potato Rolls, buttered and lightly griddled until golden
Mayo to taste
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place oil and onions in pan and gently sweat out, stirring only occasionally, letting the sugars develop. If necessary, deglaze with the red wine a couple times. Cook until a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To build the sandwich, place a layer of the caramelized onions on the buttered and griddle bun, 2 halved pieces of pig candy then the tomatoes (season with a bit of salt) one leaf of lettuce, a nice schmear of the mayo on the top bun ONLY. Close and serve!
Candied Bacon
12-14 slices of medium cut applewood smoked bacon (not thick cut, but not paper thin)
2 cups light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 275. Place brown sugar in a pie dish. Gently press each slice of bacon into sugar until coated (there can be patches of uncoated bacon, does not need to be 100% coated). Work quickly as the brown sugar can compromise the moisture of the bacon and impede caramelization.
Place coated bacon on a vegetable oil sprayed wire-racked, full sheet pan. Bake until super crispy and golden, rotating sheet pan midway through. About 50-60 minutes depending on oven and thickness of bacon. Remove from sheet to prohibit sticking and let cool on a new surface.