Homemade Smoked Maple Bacon

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 2 hrs

Curing and Drying Time: 240 hrs 30 mins

Total: 242 hrs 45 mins

Servings: 10 servings

Homemade smoked maple bacon is easy to prepare. Just remember that bacon is always cured with a sweet and savory mixture of sugar, salt, and pepper. You can use a smoker for the finishing touch. If you want to take your bacon from good to great, use real maple syrup instead of sugar.

Why make bacon at home? You get to decide what goes into it (meat from pastured, organically fed animals) and what does not go into it (nitrites, which are added to most commercial bacon).

Nitrites are sold to the home cook in blends called «curing salt» or «Prague powder.» They preserve the bright pink color of the layers of meat in bacon and similar meats. They also help to eliminate bacteria. They are considered safe to consume in very small amounts, but they are a potential health hazard.

If you opt not to use nitrates, remember that the finished bacon will not keep as long in the refrigerator as bacon made with curing salt. Freeze any that you plan to keep for longer than a week.

Here is the basic method for curing maple-flavored bacon. In addition, the instructions include tips for getting the smoked flavor just right.

Ingredients

2 to 3 pounds pork belly
1/2 cup grade A or B maple syrup
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curing salt, optional
Liquid smoke, for basting

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Rinse the pork belly under cold water.
Pat it dry with paper towels or a clean dishcloth.
Combine the maple syrup, salt, pepper, and curing salt (if using) in a small bowl.
Rub the seasoning mixture into all sides of the pork belly, using your scrupulously cleaned hands. Spend a couple of minutes massaging the seasoning/curing mixture into the meat.
Place the pork belly, along with any leftover curing mixture, into a plastic bag and seal it shut. Store it lengthwise in the refrigerator for 10 to 14 days, turning the bag over occasionally. The bacon should be fully cured at this point, with a firm texture and no soft spots.
Preheat oven to 200 F. Rinse the bacon.
Again pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels or a clean, dry dishtowel.
Place the bacon on a rack over a pan and roast the cured bacon in a 200 F oven until the internal temperature reaches 150 F. This should take about 2 hours.
Remove from oven and baste the cured and roasted bacon with the liquid smoke. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat all sides and allow it to set on the counter to air-dry for 30 minutes.
Store the bacon in a tightly sealed container or bag in the refrigerator for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to a year.

Curing Meat Warning

Curing meat requires specific expertise, and failure to cure meat properly may result in sickness or death. If you have no experience in this area, we advise you to consult an expert to teach you proper techniques and applications.

Recipe Variation

If you don't have kosher salt, you can use another coarse, non-iodized salt in its place.

Variation With Real Smoke

If you have a smoker, or want to make a simple smoker, you can use it to smoke your bacon. Use hickory or applewood shavings for the best flavor.
Skip the oven roasting described above and smoke the cured bacon until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 F, which should take 1 to 2 hours. No liquid smoke is needed with this method.

Tips

Cut the bacon into several pieces and freeze them individually.
After cooking the bacon, make sure to save the bacon drippings to use; there are so many ways to use the bacon fat. Just make sure to let the drippings cool down before putting them in a glass jar and placing in the refrigerator. It can be used for up to a month.

Great Resources on Curing Meat

Since curing meat requires such a specific skill set (otherwise, it can lead to illness or worse), we highly recommend consulting with an expert to teach you proper techniques. We found that the following four publications are super helpful guides and go in-depth about just such processes, procedures, and techniques:

Where can you buy pork belly?

Pork belly can be found in your grocery store or local butcher shop. You can get it in a whole slab or presliced.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories	440
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g	38%
Saturated Fat 11g	53%
Cholesterol 114mg	38%
Sodium 1263mg	55%
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 81mg	6%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 365mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.