A friend gave me some maple sugar. I always wanted to try making bacon with it.
I started with a slab of what Canadians call side pork and Americans call pork belly. I cut the skin off.
I weighed the pork after removing the skin and measured the thickest part.
I used a meat injector to inject 20 ml of maple syrup per kilogram of pork. That works out to 2 tsp per pound. It is easier to inject the maple syrup from the side in a slab of side pork.
I made up a curing rub. For each kilogram of pork use:
I put the slab of bacon on a plate so that any rub that falls off the meat is held on the plate. I rubbed the curing mix into the surface of the pork. I put the pork in a vacuum sealer bag.
I scraped any rub that fell onto the plate into the bag. I sealed the bag but didn't suck the air out.
The pork was 1 1/4 inch thick. I cure for 4 days per inch plus 2 days (1 1/4 times 4 plus 2) 7 days.
I turned and massaged the pork in the bag every day or so.
I took the pork out of the bags and soaked it in cold water for an hour, changing the water once.
I put the pork on a rack and pat it dry with a paper towel. I put the rack in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to get the surface of the meat very dry and tacky.
I preheated my smoker to 180 F and smoked the bacon to an internal temperature of 130 F. I let it cool and then put it in the fridge for 2 days to let the smoke even out.
I sliced the bacon with my rotary slicer.
Of course I fried some up!
The Verdict
This was a really good bacon. It is not a lot different than regular bacon but there is a great smooth sweetness that is more complex than the bacon made with brown sugar. You won’t scream MAPLE but you will like the mellow pleasant notes.
Disco
I started with a slab of what Canadians call side pork and Americans call pork belly. I cut the skin off.
I weighed the pork after removing the skin and measured the thickest part.
I used a meat injector to inject 20 ml of maple syrup per kilogram of pork. That works out to 2 tsp per pound. It is easier to inject the maple syrup from the side in a slab of side pork.
I made up a curing rub. For each kilogram of pork use:
- 2.3 ml (3 grams) of Prague Powder #1
- 25 ml (17 grams) of maple sugar
- 15 ml (19.2 grams) kosher salt
- 1/5 tsp (0.04 oz) of Prague Powder #1
- 2 tsp (0.24 oz) of maple sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp (0.3 oz) kosher salt
I put the slab of bacon on a plate so that any rub that falls off the meat is held on the plate. I rubbed the curing mix into the surface of the pork. I put the pork in a vacuum sealer bag.
I scraped any rub that fell onto the plate into the bag. I sealed the bag but didn't suck the air out.
The pork was 1 1/4 inch thick. I cure for 4 days per inch plus 2 days (1 1/4 times 4 plus 2) 7 days.
I turned and massaged the pork in the bag every day or so.
I took the pork out of the bags and soaked it in cold water for an hour, changing the water once.
I put the pork on a rack and pat it dry with a paper towel. I put the rack in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to get the surface of the meat very dry and tacky.
I preheated my smoker to 180 F and smoked the bacon to an internal temperature of 130 F. I let it cool and then put it in the fridge for 2 days to let the smoke even out.
I sliced the bacon with my rotary slicer.
Of course I fried some up!
The Verdict
This was a really good bacon. It is not a lot different than regular bacon but there is a great smooth sweetness that is more complex than the bacon made with brown sugar. You won’t scream MAPLE but you will like the mellow pleasant notes.
Disco
