Maple candied bacon
- Preparation 5 min
- Cooking 18 min
- Servings 4 to 6
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🥓 The legendary gourmet bacon that will make you cry with joy
This recipe was born while I was working on an eggs Benedict recipe for my Tome 3. I tasted the candied bacon I had prepared for the garnish and it was so good that I decided to dedicate a recipe to it alone. So here’s my maple candied bacon, a totally different version from my classic caramelized bacon: thick slices of bacon coated in a signature glaze with maple syrup, soy sauce and Dijon mustard. The result? A completely legendary gourmet bacon with a sweet-salty-umami balance that outclasses all ordinary versions.
🌟 My signature glaze: maple + soy + Dijon
The angle of this recipe is the triple glaze that no one really dares to do. The maple syrup brings the classic Quebec sweetness, the soy sauce (reduced sodium, I insist. Even then it’s salty enough) brings the Japanese umami that balances the sugar, and the Dijon mustard gives a tangy kick that takes the bacon from good to unforgettable. Oven cooking at 375°F (not 400°F) on aluminum foil to caramelize slowly without burning the sweet glaze. THICK bacon required. If you go with cheap bacon, it will fall apart and shrivel up. Go to the butcher shop to get real good thick bacon, it’s a world of difference how good it is.
🥪 Absolutely put everywhere in your recipes
This is the kind of bacon that transforms any ordinary dish into a feast. On eggs Benedict for a legendary brunch, in a salad to amplify the gourmet side, in a ham-egg-mayonnaise-cheese sandwich to cry with joy, or simply served as is for breakfast. Officially we say 1-2 slices per person, but I would eat a whole package. My doctor tells me “what are you doing there, dude?” every time. Seriously, make this recipe and you’ll understand why I absolutely had to release it as a STANDALONE on the site. It’s the brunch or Saturday night with friends accompaniment that steals the show every time.
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🥓 THICK bacon required, NEVER cheap
If you go with thin bacon on sale, it will completely fall apart during cooking, shrivel up and you’ll have crumbs instead of beautiful slices. Go to the butcher shop to get real good thick bacon. It’s a world of difference how good it is. Brand doesn’t matter much, it’s the thickness that counts. Thick center-cut bacon or butcher bacon are your best friends.
📦 Aluminum foil with border, not parchment
Important: use aluminum foil and not parchment paper. Aluminum foil allows you to bring up the sides all around the pan to create a border that retains grease and sugar. Without this border, the caramelized sugar flows under the paper and ends up on the pan. Impossible to clean after. Parchment isn’t rigid enough for that. Be careful not to puncture the aluminum.
🌡️ 375°F, not 400°F
Most recipes tell you 400°F, but the glaze in this recipe is sweet and burns quickly at 400°F. At 375°F (190°C), caramelization happens slowly and you get perfectly golden bacon without risk of charring the glaze. 25°F difference that changes everything.
🥢 REDUCED SODIUM soy sauce, always
With bacon (already salty) and regular soy glaze (very salty), you end up with a final product that’s too salty. Always go with reduced sodium soy for this recipe. Even reduced, it stays salty enough to give umami without overwhelming.
🍯 Quality dark maple syrup
Go with quality dark maple syrup (medium dark or dark robust), not pale or low-grade commercial syrup. Dark syrup brings more caramelized depth and holds better during cooking without burning immediately. It’s your signature Quebec ingredient. Invest in the good stuff.
🌶️ Spicy bonus version
For a spicy version, add ½ tsp red pepper flakes OR chipotle powder to the glaze. The heat balances the sweet and amplifies the gourmet side. Great idea if you’re serving this bacon as garnish on brunch or in a spicy BLT sandwich.
👀 Visual cooking cue: dark but not burnt
Bacon is ready when it’s well browned and glaze is bubbling around the slices. It’s normal if the edge of the pan gets a bit burnt. That’s sugar accumulating melting with bacon fat. Remove when slices are golden-brown but not black.
❄️ Storage 3-4 days in fridge
In an airtight container in the fridge, candied bacon keeps 3-4 days. Reheat in microwave COVERED (otherwise it explodes and splatters everywhere), in oven at 350°F for 3-5 minutes, or in a pan over medium heat 1-2 minutes per side to restore crispness. Avoid leaving at room temperature too long.
❌ Error #1: cooking too long
Bacon burns quickly with sweet glaze. Watch cooking from 15 minutes and remove as soon as it’s well golden without being black. Overcooked = bitter and burnt, just right = perfect sweet-salty with signature crunch.
🥪 The sandwich idea that will make you cry
Imagine a sandwich with ham, egg, mayonnaise, cheese and this bacon inside. It’s completely insane in the head. You can also put it on eggs Benedict for legendary brunch, in a salad to amplify the gourmet side, or simply served as is for breakfast with fried eggs and a toasted bagel.
✅ What to serve with my maple candied bacon?
This bacon is a garnish that transforms anything into a feast. Put it on my Egg and maple bacon croque madame to push brunch to the max, in a Crescent sandwich with maple ham and bacon for the ultimate breakfast, add it to my Bacon and maple Brussel sprouts to amplify the gourmet side, or on my French toast with caramelized pineapple and maple bacon for a legendary Saturday night brunch with friends.
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Ingredients
- 1 package of 375 g thick-cut bacon (preferably from butcher)
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) quality dark maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp (10 ml) Dijon mustard
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Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, bringing up the sides all around to create a border. This protects the pan from grease and sugar that drips during cooking. Be careful not to puncture the aluminum.
- In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce and Dijon mustard until smooth.
- Place thick bacon slices in a single layer on the lined baking sheet, without touching each other.
- Generously brush each bacon slice with the maple glaze.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until bacon is well browned and caramelized, and glaze is bubbling around the slices. Watch the cooking from 15 minutes on. You want dark but not burnt. It’s normal if the edge of the pan gets a bit burnt (sugar accumulates melting with the fat).
- Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes on the pan so bacon becomes crispy. Carefully transfer to paper towels or directly to your serving dish.
My candied bacon is a simpler version with brown sugar or maple syrup alone. This candied bacon pushes the concept further with a signature triple glaze (maple syrup + reduced sodium soy sauce + Dijon mustard) that brings a layer of Japanese umami and French tang. Gourmet chef version for when you want to impress.
Thin bacon completely falls apart during cooking, shrivels into crumbs and you don’t get beautiful candied slices. Thick bacon (center-cut or from butcher) holds its structure, caramelizes better and gives that “gourmet slices” result that makes all the difference. Go to the butcher shop for the best bacon. It’s a world of difference.
Absolutely. Add ½ tsp red pepper flakes OR chipotle powder to the glaze before brushing. The heat balances the sweet and amplifies the gourmet side. Great idea for serving with eggs Benedict, in a spicy BLT sandwich or as brunch garnish.
3 options: microwave COVERED (mandatory otherwise it splatters everywhere) 20-30 seconds, oven at 350°F (180°C) for 3-5 minutes, or pan over medium heat 1-2 minutes per side. This last method best restores the signature crispness.
This bacon is a garnish that transforms anything into a feast. Put it on my egg and maple bacon croque madame for legendary brunch, in a crescent sandwich with maple ham and bacon for the ultimate breakfast, with my bacon and maple brussel sprouts as side dish, or on my french toast with caramelized pineapple and maple bacon for a legendary Saturday night brunch with friends.
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