Southern Pork Jowl Bacon

Air Fryer Method

1. Mix together the brown sugar, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Cut the jowl strips in half if needed to better fit in the air fryer.
3. Then lay the jowls out on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
4. Generously drizzle the maple syrup over the jowl strips.
5. Next, spread a generous amount of the brown sugar seasoning on the jowls.
6. Transfer the jowls to your air fryer basket or air fryer tray. 
7. Air fry at 350 degrees F for 8-9 minutes (8 minutes for soft jowls and 9 minutes for crunchy jowls).
8. Place the cooked pork jowls on a paper towel-lined plate or baking sheet to cool for about 5 minutes. The jowls will continue to get crispy as they cool.
9. Repeat the above steps until all the jowls are air-fried, as it’s not likely that it will all fit in the air fryer in one batch.

Baking Method

Follow above steps 1-5. Bake the jowls for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F, flipping halfway through. Watch the jowls closer near the end to ensure that the sugar doesn’t burn. 

Frying Method

Follow above steps 1-5. Fry the jowls at medium heat for 10-15 minutes, flipping them as they cook.

Pro Tips:

• Depending on the size of your air fryer basket or tray, you may need more than one round of air frying to cook all the bacon.
• After the cooking time has finished, you can air fry in 1-minute increments until you’re satisfied with the crunchiness. 
• You can crumble jowl bacon with crispy skin to make bacon bits!
• Be sure to let the slices fully cool. This will allow the caramelized sugar to harden.