Gooey Peanut Brittle - or candy chemistry

[technogypsy]

My son and I tried making a bacon-chipolte peanut brittle yesterday and it great tasting, just gooey-er (is that a word?) than I like. I took it to 300 F making the candy part. How do I make it crispier?

I figure it can be three things: 1) the fat from the half pound of bacon, the maximum temperature reached, or the fact we cooled it in the frig, as quick cooling increases the ratio of amorphous to crystalline in may cases. I don't know if that is true of candy thro. Any ideas before I make the next batch?

Kevin

[Lisa Shock]

Sounds like a combination of factors.

The fridge isn't a problem so much because of the quick cooldown, it's a problem because it's very humid in there and sugar is hygroscopic. If you want to cool sugar down more quickly it's better to set the pan in/on an ice bath. But, in the case of a brittle, I'd only do that with the finished sheets of brittle.

You might need to take the sugar up higher to get a good true caramelization. Was it rich, dark brown? It's hard to say because of small differences in altitude and types of sugar, but I like to get closer to 310.

Did you pre-cook the bacon and get rid of as much fat as possible?

[technogypsy]

Hi Lisa

Thanks for the advice.

I cooked the heck out of the bacon so it was crispy and only cut up the meaty parts.

I wondered about the hydroscopic nature of sugar, but based on work in my day job thought the crash cooling would cause more troubles as the sugar won't harden as well unless crystalline. I forgot how much water it sucks up as I work under N2 normally Thanks. I can use a ice bath next time and see.

This is what it looks like. The chipolte powder darkens it but it did appear caramel colored before I added it.

Kevin

[Lisa Shock]

I just looked at your recipe. It looks fairly standard in terms of ratios, except that it is missing water as an ingredient. And, I always start with raw peanuts and add them after the temp gets to 250°, that way they cook in the sugar and impart more flavor. (and there' no chance of them being rancid)

I'd start with a cup of water in the pan, and have a squirt bottle or brush and water available to wash down the sides as it cooks. A straight melt, like the recipe offers, is a lot more difficult to control than a melt with water. Try looking around at regular peanut brittle recipes and you'll see that the water is pretty standard. (and the washdown is always necessary) It's even in the peanut brittle in the CIA's newest pastry text. The lack of water may have been your problem all along.

As for the bacon, I am thinking that what you might wish to do is, place the bacon in the pan you're going to pour into, and just pour the sugar/nut mix over it. That way, the fat isn't part of the boiled sugar at all.

One more tip. Try scattering kosher salt over the top of the brittle as if it were a giant pretzel. This is optional but tasty.

[technogypsy]

Lisa

Thanks. Will do.

Kevin

[Lisa Shock]

Let us know how it turns out!

Happy Baking!

[PopsicleToze]

Where do you live? Humidity is a big culprit in candy-making. I needed to make fudge yesterday morning, but the humidity was at about 80% so I postponed the fudge. And I make tons of peanut brittle. The only time it was ever sticky was when I tried to make it on a humid day.

Rhonda