What do you do on Friday and Saturday nights when you’re home? We love to snuggle up and watch a movie. We make a big bowl of my best homemade bacon, bourbon & caramel popcorn recipe and just enjoy each other’s company.

Best Homemade Bacon Bourbon And Caramel Popcorn Recipe

I had my first taste of this deliciously different appetizer (or snack as you will) when my family visited The Polaris, a very cool rotating restaurant, located at the top of the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chef Rodney Ashley, who is hands down one of the best chefs in the world, had their Benton’s Bacon Popcorn on their menu and our entire table fell in love.

In my best homemade bacon, bourbon and caramel popcorn recipe, I did a pretty heavy pouring of the caramel as we all have a sweet tooth.

I knew the kids would enjoy the mix of sweet and salty and boy did they! Of course they quickly pointed out it was “Not like Chef Rodney’s mom!

Tweaking The Recipe

My family agreed my version of Chef Rodney’s recipe was pretty darn good! The recipe would be good with peanuts or cashews mixed in as well I am going to try that next time! And if you don’t want the alcohol, it is still very tasty without it!

Here is what you need to make your recipe:

Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
1 1/2 quarts popped popcorn
8 teaspoons butter
4 teaspoons bacon fat
5 ounces (10 tablespoons) brown sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon, bourbon flavoring or bourbon honey
1/4 cup caramel syrup
Salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Here is how to make your recipe:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place popped popcorn in a very large bowl. Prepare 2 sheet pans with nonstick spray and line with aluminum foil or silicone baking sheet.

Step 2: Once the bacon has cooked, strain the bacon fat and reserve. Transfer the cooked bacon pieces to paper towels and continue to drain the excess fat.

Step 3: Add bacon to the popcorn. In the pan used to cook bacon, heat until the butter has fully melted. Add the brown sugar, caramel syrup, bourbon, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until sauce thickens.

Step 4: Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Add to popcorn bowl and toss to coat evenly. Divide the mixture evenly between sheet pans and bake, tossing every 15 minutes for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.