Best Process for Maple/Brown Sugar Bacon ??


 
Hey guys...Been doing my own bacon for a few years now based on Bob's thread, thanks BOB!!!
Im looking for the best way to get maple and brown sugar flavor into my next batch. Wife and little ones love it but I struggle with best vehicle to deliver the maple flavor.
I saw that McCormick had some maple flavor and thought about adding that in free liquid form to the cure. I also thought about trying to inject the belly with it.
Then there's pure maple syrup but that's a rather pricey proposition.
What are your expert opinions on this?
 
How did you end up curing the bacon? I used Bob's method too and in one batch I poured maple syrup in the bag with meat (about a TBS per pound) and cured it for about 10 or 12 days. After the cure, I rinsed the bacon and I massaged the bacon with more maple syrup and let it dry in the fridge for 2 days. It was very sticky, perfect for holding pepper. I cold smoked it with maple pellets for a few hours then cooked/smoked it with a few chunks of maple and hickory. It turned out great.
 
I have always followed Bob's recipe/process as far as bag dry curing. Just looking for a way to get some noticeable maple flavor into my bacon. I've got a cured belly ready to go. Gonna wash tonight and rub with love and syrup!
 
I'm a little late to this party.

Try maple sugar with the cure process and press some on right before smoking.
You also could add a little maple syrup to the cure mix.
Amazon has an 8 oz bag for $8.45
 
I'm a little late to this party.

Try maple sugar with the cure process and press some on right before smoking.
You also could add a little maple syrup to the cure mix.
Amazon has an 8 oz bag for $8.45


I second that. I've done it with maple syrup added to the bag during curing (pure maple syrup, not the flavored corn syrup stuff), rinse and coat liberally with maple sugar before smoking. Tastes great!
 
I'm also kinda late to this, but maple bacon is my typical bacon. My cure consists of pink salt, sea salt, maple sugar and maple syrup. When I mic all these together I obviously end up with a slurry because of the syrup. I rub it over the belly, place the belly in a bag and cure for 7-10 days, flipping it over every other day. I'm sure curing longer than 7-10 days would be fine; I've just never tried it. When it's ready to go, I'll wash all the cure off and pat dry and let it sit in the fridge, uncovered, overnight and smoke it the next day. When I smoke it, I use maple chunks as my smoke wood.
 

 

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