This pecan pie recipe is sweet, sticky, and smoky – and it’s made without corn syrup. It has with a bacon and brown sugar shortbread crust, maple syrup, and a secret ingredient that will have tasters fighting over who gets to eat the last slice.
What Makes This Pecan Pie Recipe Unique
Bacon and Brown Sugar Shortbread Crust
In many pie recipes, the crust is an afterthought or something that comes from the freezer section at the grocery store. The bacon and brown sugar shortbread crust on my pecan pie is an exceptional dessert all on its own.
With bacon bits throughout (and a little bit of bacon grease for added flavor), the crust for this pie achieves the trifecta of sweet, salty, and buttery.
It’s a Pecan Pie Without Corn Syrup
Most pecan pies are made with corn syrup. Corn syrup typically provides sweetness, and holds the pie together after baking.
This pie is made with maple syrup! I like throwing maple syrup into any recipes that I can – see my sesame candy!
Putting maple syrup in the pie recipe instead does all of the above and adds a better flavor profile. Let’s face it – nobody gets really excited about the flavor of corn syrup (unless it’s homemade corn syrup).
The Pie Has a Secret Ingredient
Don’t scrunch your face all funny when I tell you that the secret ingredient in my pecan pie recipe is a splash of BBQ sauce. Sweet and smoky BBQ sauce adds a complexity to this pie that will wow tasters and leave them trying to guess why this pie is so good.
You can use your favorite brand or select one that you think would work best.
How to Make Pecan Pie
Make the crust first by mixing together cold butter, bacon grease, brown sugar, flour, oats, and crumbled bacon.
Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie pan (you can find one that I like on my baking tools post) and preheat your oven to 350 F.
Make the filling by bringing maple syrup, BBQ sauce, butter, and milk to a boil in a saucepan.
Once boiling, remove it from the heat and stir in pecans.
Pour the filling over the pie crust and bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is set.
If You Like This Recipe…
Since the bacon and brown sugar shortbread crust is so amazingly good, use it other pies (like my skillet sugar pie).
Make pecan pie bars with a recipe similar to this one and wow even bigger groups since you’ve made a lot of bars.
Take a look at my list of fall cupcakes to come up with more dessert ideas for your table.
Use the pie crust from this recipe and make pecan pie ice cream that uses pie crust!
Pecan Pie
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease cold
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup crumbled crispy bacon
Filling Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce I suggest something thick, sweet, and smoky.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 cups pecans roughly chopped
Instructions
Crust Instructions
- Use your hands to mix all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. You'll know you are done when you can pick up a handful and squeeze it and it will hold its shape.
- Grease a 9" pie pan with non-stick cooking spray and press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Filling Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a small saucepan on medium heat, heat all ingredients except the pecans until they begin to boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the pecans.
- Pour over pie crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is set.
- Cool for an hour on a cooling rack and then refrigerate for at least four hours before slicing.
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