Best Maple Smoked Bacon Recipes

SMOKED MAPLE SYRUP BACON

Steps:

• Pour water, sodium nitrate, curing salt, coarse salt, brown sugar, and maple syrup into a large kettle. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until everything is well dissolved. Pour brine into a 5 gallon plastic bucket and cool to room temperature, 6 to 8 hours.
• Leaving the skin on the pork belly, cut against the grain into 4 to 6 slabs so they fit inside the bucket, and inside your smoker. Place into the bucket of brine, and weigh down with a glass or ceramic dish to keep the pork submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days, rearranging the pork in the brine daily.
• On smoking day, remove pork from the brine and rinse well under cold running water, rubbing to remove all external brine. Pat pieces dry and place onto smoker racks. Allow pork pieces to stand, preferably underneath a fan, until the surface of the meat becomes somewhat dried and notably glossy, 1 to 3 hours depending on air circulation.
• Smoke pork belly slabs using wood of your choice at a temperature of 90 to 110 degrees F (32 to 43 degrees C) for 8 to 12 hours. Remove rind before slicing.

MAPLE-ROASTED TURKEY WITH SAGE, SMOKED BACON, AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack.
• Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper.
• In a saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the sage butter, add the onions, cook and stir for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Remove from heat. Put the cornbread in a large mixing bowl and scrape the sauteed onion mixture on top. Add the egg, heavy cream, and just enough chicken stock to moisten the stuffing without making it soggy (about 1/2 cup.) Toss well to combine, season with salt and pepper.
• Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and legs, and slip pieces of the sage butter underneath; massaging it in as you go. Fill the bird with the cornbread stuffing without packing too tightly; cook the remaining stuffing separately in a buttered baking dish. Truss the turkey; place it on a rack in a large roasting pan, and put into the oven.
• Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes. The turkey should take about 3 hours to cook (i.e. 15 to 20 minutes per pound.) If the legs or breast brown too quickly, cover with foil. About 2 hours into cooking, shingle the strips of bacon oven the turkey breast to cover; continue to roast and baste for another hour or so. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F (the thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat.
• Skim off the excess fat from the pan drippings with a spoon and place the roasting pan over 2 burners set on medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. Whisk the flour into the drippings, stirring as it thickens to prevent lumps. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes and then strain to remove any particles. Serve the gravy with the maple-roasted turkey and cornbread stuffing.

MAPLE-ROASTED TURKEY W/ SAGE, SMOKED BACON, AND CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and legs, and slip pieces of the sage butter underneath; massaging it in as you go. Fill the bird with the cornbread stuffing without packing too tightly; cook the remaining stuffing separately in a buttered baking dish. Truss the turkey; place it on a rack in a large roasting pan, and put into the oven. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes. The turkey should take about 3 hours to cook (i.e. 15 to 20 minutes per pound.) If the legs or breast brown too quickly, cover with foil. About 2 hours into cooking, shingle the strips of bacon oven the turkey breast to cover; continue to roast and baste for another hour or so. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F (the thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat. Skim off the excess fat from the pan drippings with a spoon and place the roasting pan over 2 burners set on medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. Whisk the flour into the drippings, stirring as it thickens to prevent lumps. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes and then strain to remove any particles. Serve the gravy with the maple-roasted turkey and cornbread stuffing.

MAPLE-ROASTED TURKEY W/ SAGE, SMOKED BACON & CORNBREAD STUFFING

Steps:

• Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the sage butter, add the onions, cook and stir for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Remove from heat. Put the cornbread in a large mixing bowl and scrape the sauteed onion mixture on top. Add the egg, heavy cream, and just enough chicken stock to moisten the stuffing without making it soggy (about 1/2 cup.) Toss well to combine, season with salt and pepper.

TANGY MAPLE BAKED BEANS WITH APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, add the bacon and canola oil, turn the heat to medium-high and cook the bacon until it starts to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the red onions and green pepper, season with salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, barbeque sauce, maple syrup, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the beans, about 45 minutes. Remove the lid and cook uncovered until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the flavors have developed, about 15 minutes. Just before serving, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

HICKORY SMOKED MAPLE-GLAZED BACON-WRAPPED LOIN

Steps:

• 1. BRINE Take all of your brine ingredients and bring to a boil on the stove, stirring to mix well. Turn off heat and let cool. When completely cooled pour into a plastic bowl with lid and submerge tenderloin. Let these tenderloins soak overnight.
• 2. BACON PREP Put maple syrup in a small bowl, add about 2 tsp or more of cracked pepper. Mix together well. Separate your strips of bacon and set aside.
• 3. PORK LOIN Remove loin from brine - DO NOT throw out the brine if you are cooking in the smoker; set aside. Pat loin dry with paper towel Season loin with garlic powder, onion powder, and cracked pepper. ***Most smaller loins come with 2 loins in a package - if you have 2 loins put them together as one before wrapping with bacon, placing tapered end of one loin on thicker end of second loin. Skip folding tapered end step.***
• 4. WRAPPING THE LOIN WITH BACON **Before you begin to wrap the loin with bacon, know that you need to dip each piece of bacon in the maple syrup before wrapping around loin.** Take the tapered end of the pork loin and fold it over, hold it together while, with your free hand, take a piece of bacon, dip it in maple syrup and tightly wrap bacon around loin slightly stretching bacon as you wrap. Overlap your bacon and wrap tightly so you have no loose ends or sagging bacon pieces - this ensures you won't have to use toothpicks to keep the bacon in place. Continue wrapping the entire loin. At the end of the last piece of bacon, tuck the end under a piece of bacon that has been tightly wrapped. If you have any leftover maple syrup, drizzle over loin. Sprinkle bacon wrapped loins with a little more pepper.
• 5. COOKING: SMOKER The brine that you set aside... in your smoker, if you have a drip/steam pan, instead of using water fill it 1-inch from the top with the brine. If your smoker doesn't have a steam/dip pan, you can use a foil pan and place it on a bottom rack. Place the loins in the smoker and smoke at 200 - 220 degrees until the meat reaches 150 degrees (for safety - I cook to 145), remove, wrap in foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
• 6. COOKING: BBQ GRILL Grill using indirect heat method, gently moving tenderloin around to evenly brown. Cook to internal temp of 150, remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• 7. COOKING: OVEN Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap loin with bacon, without dipping in maple syrup. In a roasting pan with roasting rack, place loin on rack. Roast until you reach an internal temp of 140 (about 1hr 15 min). Baste/drizzle with maple syrup, return to oven and cook until internal temp reaches 150 (about 10 more minutes). Remove from oven, let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

MAPLE-ROASTED TURKEY WITH SAGE BUTTER AND SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack. Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper. Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and legs, and slip pieces of the sage butter underneath; massaging it in as you go. Truss the turkey; place it on a rack in a large roasting pan, and put into the oven. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes. The turkey should take about 3 hours to cook (i.e. 15 to 20 minutes per pound.) If the legs or breast brown too quickly, cover with foil. About 2 hours into cooking, shingle the strips of bacon oven the turkey breast to cover; continue to roast and baste for another hour or so. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F (the thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat. Skim off all but about 1/4 cup fat from the pan drippings with a spoon and place the roasting pan over 2 burners set on medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. Whisk the flour into the drippings, stirring as it thickens to prevent lumps. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes and then strain to remove any particles. Serve the gravy with the maple-roasted turkey.

TANGY MAPLE BAKED BEANS WITH APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, add the bacon and canola oil, turn the heat to medium-high and cook the bacon until it starts to crisp, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the red onions and green pepper, season with salt and pepper and saute over medium-high heat until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, barbecue sauce, maple syrup, vinegar and mustard. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the beans, about 45 minutes. Remove the lid and cook uncovered until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the flavors have developed, about 15 minutes. Just before serving, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON AND MAPLE CALICO BEANS

Steps:

• 1. Empty baked beans into slow cooker.
• 2. Open all the rest of the beans into a colander and rinse with cool water, then add them to the slow cooker.
• 3. Dice bacon and cook until almost crisp, but not quite. Remove from pan to a separate plate and drain off most of fat.
• 4. While the bacon is cooking mix the last 6 ingredients in a bowl.
• 5. Add onions to bacon fat and saute until soft but not browned.
• 6. Add the brown sugar mix, the bacon and the onions to the slow cooker and stir well to combine all.
• 7. Slow cook on high for 4 hours or medium for 6. You can also make this in the oven 350 degrees for about 1 hour, stir a few times while cooking.

MAPLE SMOKED BACON

Steps:

• Ingredients 3/4 pound thick-cut smoked bacon (16 slices) 1 to 2 tablespoons good maple syrup Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon in 1 layer on the baking rack. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon begins to brown. Remove the pan carefully from the oven; there will be hot grease in the pan! Brush the bacon slices with maple syrup and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the bacon is a warm golden brown. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and serve warm.