Bacon Pretzel Fury

Wedding invitations are in the mail and the RSVPs are already starting to come back, which feels fast but also apparently people really like a wedding with a good food reputation and word has gotten around that there will be pierogi. My Aunt Teresa sent her RSVP back within forty-eight hours with a note that said "finally" underlined three times, which is Aunt Teresa's way of saying she's delighted.

This week I got serious about the bachelor party and landed on the brewpub and bowling option, as I always knew I would. Kevin eventually came around when I pointed out that we could do a full tour of three Milwaukee brewpubs in one afternoon, which is not a thing you can do in Chicago or the UP. Milwaukee is a good beer city and I don't take that for granted. Set the date for early December. Keeping it local. Megan's bachelorette party is also in December — her friends are doing a wine bar crawl, which tracks perfectly.

Cooking this week: I've been trying to nail a kapusniak — sauerkraut and pork soup — that comes close to what Linda makes. Not exactly the same, because Linda's version has some mystery ingredient she's never told anyone and I suspect she's going to take it to the grave. But close. Mine has smoked pork hock, a bay leaf, caraway, good sauerkraut from the Polish deli on Kinnickinnic. It's good. It's not Linda's. I think I'm okay with that. Some things are supposed to belong to one person.

Called Linda every day this week as usual. She's been getting back into her garden — she had to skip most of this past spring because of the treatment, so this fall she's been making up for it, planting bulbs for next year. She sounds happy. She sounds like herself. I'm not taking any of those phone calls for granted.

My birthday is next week. Twenty-seven. Megan has something planned that she won't tell me. I have strong suspicions it involves a restaurant reservation and probably a cake, which is all I want.

With the bachelor party date locked in and three Milwaukee brewpubs on the itinerary, I figured the least I could do was start practicing the vibe at home. The kapusniak is still the soul of my kitchen this season—that’s Linda’s territory and I’m honoring it—but for the party energy I’ve been leaning into something louder and snackable. This Bacon Pretzel Fury is exactly the kind of thing that belongs in front of a lane of bowling pins with a pint in your other hand, and I’m not even a little sorry about it.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 bag (16 oz) mini pretzel twists
8 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Make the seasoning mix. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt until fully combined.
Coat the pretzels. Add the mini pretzel twists to the bowl and toss until every piece is evenly coated in the butter and spice mixture.
Add the bacon. Fold in the crumbled bacon, distributing it throughout the pretzel mix.
Bake. Spread the mixture in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12–15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the pretzels are lightly toasted and the coating is set.
Cool and season. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes—the coating will crisp up as it cools. Taste and add a pinch more sea salt if needed before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bacon Pretzel Fury — The Brewpub Spirit I’m Bringing Home