Bacon Bourbon Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

9 strips of bacon
2 1/4 cups of unpopped kernel corn
1 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Vegetable oil
Fleur de sel (sea salt)

Directions:
Fry bacon and set aside.
Put 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
Add 3 kernels to the pot – when they begin to pop, add 3/4 cup of popcorn (you’ll be making three batches), cover and shake pot occasionally, so popcorn doesn’t burn.
Remove pot from heat once popping has slowed, place popcorn in a large bowl.
Repeat for remaining batches.
Heat oven to 250 degrees.
Crumble bacon over finished popcorn.
In a large pot, bring butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup to a boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
Stir in bourbon, vanilla extract, salt and baking soda and mix. Be careful, the mixture tends to take on a life of its own and might over flow.
Pour caramel mixture over bacon and popcorn mixture.
Toss to coat evenly.
Spread mixture over three baking sheets covered in parchment.
Sprinkle each tray liberally with Fleur de sel.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring the mixture every 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool for 1 hour.