# Maple Sugar Bacon



## disco (Dec 29, 2018)

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:


2.3 ml (3 grams) of Prague Powder #1
25 ml (17 grams) of maple sugar
15 ml (19.2 grams) kosher salt
If you are an American and not in step with the rest of the world, that is, for each pound of pork :


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 calculated the amount of each ingredient needed and mixed them together.






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


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## maplenut (Dec 29, 2018)

What could be better than maple syrup and bacon! Maple syrup IN bacon!
Looks good.


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## disco (Dec 29, 2018)

maplenut said:


> What could be better than maple syrup and bacon! Maple syrup IN bacon!
> Looks good.


Har! You left on the maple sugar in the cure!


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## dcecil (Dec 29, 2018)

Looks fantastic Disco, cant wait to attempt some bacon.  I will definitely save this post for when I do.  Big LIke


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## SonnyE (Dec 29, 2018)

disco said:


> If you are an American and not in step with the rest of the world, that is, for each pound of pork :



All right, Mr. Smarty Pants, some of us are bilingual. We can swing both ways, once we discover you actually measure in Milliliters instead of Teaspoons. LOL!
I got a pound of Maple Sugar from Vermont and use it in some of my dabbling.
Har!

(My Disco Bacon is in it's first round of Smoking today. ;):rolleyes:o_O How you like them apples? Tain't Back, tain't Canadian, it's *Disco* *Bacon*!)


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## disco (Dec 29, 2018)

OK. I admit I'm wrong about Americans! However, Vermont maple sugar? Obviously, Canadian is superior. Just saying!

As for Disco Bacon, I am truly honoured! However, please don't hang it from the ceiling with a light shining on it as you dance to old music under it!


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## disco (Dec 29, 2018)

dcecil said:


> Looks fantastic Disco, cant wait to attempt some bacon.  I will definitely save this post for when I do.  Big LIke


Thanks. However, you will find that there is a risk to making bacon. It is highly addictive. You might not be able to stop. Just saying.


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## SonnyE (Dec 29, 2018)

And....
I'll have you know, I have a slab of side bacon (Pork Belly, Sow Belly) in my freezer waiting for me to decide to cure it.
What better than to make some of Disco's Maple Side Bacon with it? I Love Bacon, and I love Maple Surple!
I even have the organic Maple Surple on hand for my itchy injector fingers.
All I'm lacking is the ml measuring spoons. Oh Darn!
I'll have to make do with the Kings Thumb and inferior American Maple Sugar.
Probably not as good, but I'll have to try harder. LOL!
It HAS to be better than Farmer John or Hormel bacon.

Besides, When my Disco Back Bacon is done very soon, I need a new Bacon Quest.

My Bacon Makin Chamber


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## disco (Dec 30, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> And....
> I'll have you know, I have a slab of side bacon (Pork Belly, Sow Belly) in my freezer waiting for me to decide to cure it.
> What better than to make some of Disco's Maple Side Bacon with it? I Love Bacon, and I love Maple Surple!
> I even have the organic Maple Surple on hand for my itchy injector fingers.
> ...



Har! That won't be a problem. So much bacon, so little time!


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## smokerjim (Dec 30, 2018)

looks great, cant beat maple syrup, I make my own every year,


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## gmc2003 (Dec 31, 2018)

That bacon looks mighty good. Nicely job making it and explaining how to make Disco.




disco said:


> OK. I admit I'm wrong about Americans! However, Vermont maple sugar? Obviously, Canadian is superior. Just saying!



Them's fighting words in my state. The Gauntlet has been dropped. :)

Point for sure
or
Point a coup sur
Chris


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## disco (Dec 31, 2018)

smokerjim said:


> looks great, cant beat maple syrup, I make my own every year,



Wow. That is a lot of work but I bet it is worth it! Thanks for the kind words.



gmc2003 said:


> That bacon looks mighty good. Nicely job making it and explaining how to make Disco.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Har! OK, we're on. We'll meet halfway and I'll use Canadian Maple Syrup and you us Vermont and we'll have a cook off! Merci por le point!


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## SonnyE (Dec 31, 2018)

Sounds like a squirtgun fight with injectors. Maple surple is the ammo.


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## disco (Dec 31, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> Sounds like a squirtgun fight with injectors. Maple surple is the ammo.



I tried Maple Syrup Wrestling once but I couldn't stick to it.


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## GaryHibbert (Dec 31, 2018)

That looks really good Disco.
I'm not a big fan of maple syrup on anything but waffles.  But if the maple is not predominant in your bacon, then it sounds like a great idea.
I'm afraid I have to admit I'm Old School and dont own any metric spoons--teaspoon all the way.
POINT
Gary


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## Miss Piggy (Dec 31, 2018)

After I made bacon for the first time, we have trouble going back to commercial, even if it's from the butcher's from our own pigs. I love using maple sugar. Yours looks delicious.


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## disco (Dec 31, 2018)

GaryHibbert said:


> That looks really good Disco.
> I'm not a big fan of maple syrup on anything but waffles.  But if the maple is not predominant in your bacon, then it sounds like a great idea.
> I'm afraid I have to admit I'm Old School and dont own any metric spoons--teaspoon all the way.
> POINT
> Gary



Well, I can tell there is maple if I think about it but mostly, it is just a smoother sweet than brown sugar. Definitely not like what they call "maple" in commercial bacon.

We will keep trying to bring you into the metric world!

Thanks for the point!



Miss Piggy said:


> After I made bacon for the first time, we have trouble going back to commercial, even if it's from the butcher's from our own pigs. I love using maple sugar. Yours looks delicious.



Well, I used to get some decent bacon from butchers in southern Alberta but there is no way it can measure up to my own. That makes sense though. I have tweaked mine to my tastes.

So, thanks for the kind words, I totally agree home made is better!

However, I don't have my own pigs and I am very jealous!


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## Marianne Kehr (Jan 6, 2019)

Hi, 
Was wondering can I use light brown sugar instead because I don't have Maple sugar ?


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## Miss Piggy (Jan 6, 2019)

Marianne Kehr said:


> Hi,
> Was wondering can I use light brown sugar instead because I don't have Maple sugar ?


You sure can.


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## disco (Jan 6, 2019)

Sure! It should turn out fine! I usually use brown sugar. A friend just gave me the maple sugar and it had to be tried!


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## disco (Jan 6, 2019)

Marianne Kehr said:


> Hi,
> Was wondering can I use light brown sugar instead because I don't have Maple sugar ?


Brown sugar is fine but it is sweeter than maple sugar. Use about 1/3 less.


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 6, 2019)

Sorry late with reply Dico but for sure that is some great looking bacon and I could go for the maple flavor in it.

Warren


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## disco (Jan 6, 2019)

No problem! Thanks for the kind words, Warren!


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