Sneakers Bistro and Cafe ★ 4.8
Open since 1980 in downtown Winooski, Sneakers serves brunch on two floors with outdoor seating. Eggs Benedict, chicken-and-waffles, Kahlua French toast,
Order: Lemon Ricotta Waffles or the Cowboy Hash
History
Maple bacon is a Vermont breakfast convention born from the obvious coincidence: the state produces over half of US maple syrup and most farm households kept their own hogs. By the early 20th century smokehouse-bacon producers in northern Vermont (North Country Smokehouse, Vermont Smoke and Cure, Sugarbush Farm) began curing pork bellies with maple sugar instead of cane and finishing them with a maple glaze. The flavour profile became well-known in the 2000s thanks to the maple-bacon-doughnut wave and the Vermont Smoke and Cure pellet-smoker boom. Today every Burlington brunch room runs it: Sneakers Bistro, Misery Loves Co., Penny Cluse Cafe, and Pingala in fully vegan-bacon form.
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g thick-cut applewood or maple-smoked bacon (Vermont Smoke and Cure, North Country Smokehouse, or any quality artisan bacon)
- 80ml Vermont Grade A Dark amber maple syrup (the darker the better for caramelisation)
- 1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
- Pinch of cayenne (optional, for the sweet-heat version)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional, for a slightly tangy glaze)
Method
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 fan). Line a heavy baking sheet with foil and set a wire cooling rack on top; this is the structural step for crisp bacon (the fat drips through, the bacon does not stew).
- Lay the bacon slices on the rack in a single layer, not touching.
- Bake for 15 minutes until the bacon is partially rendered and starting to crisp.
- Whisk the maple syrup with the mustard (if using), cracked black pepper, and pinch of cayenne in a small bowl.
- Pull the tray out, brush the bacon generously on the top side with the maple-pepper glaze.
- Return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes more, then brush again with any remaining glaze and bake a final 3 to 4 minutes until the maple has set to a glossy mahogany lacquer.
- Watch closely in the last 3 minutes; maple burns fast.
- Cool 2 minutes on the rack to set the glaze, finish with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt, and serve immediately. The bacon will continue to crisp as it cools.
Tip from the editors. Use the darkest Vermont maple syrup you can find; Grade A Golden is too delicate. The wire-rack-over-sheet-pan setup is essential for the snap; cooking directly on a flat tray gives chewy bacon. Eat warm; cold maple bacon turns tacky.
Where to eat vermont maple-glazed bacon
Vermont Maple-Glazed Bacon in Burlington
Misery Loves Co. ★ 4.5
Aaron Josinsky and Laura Wade's market-cum-restaurant in Winooski. Lunches, grab-and-go, natural wine and cocktails; daytime only and closes at 19:00.
Signature: Pastrami sandwich, Market plates, Wine flights
Order: The pastrami sandwich and a glass of natural orange wine.
Tip: Daytime only; closes at 19:00. Cold-case market alongside the kitchen.
August First Bakery ★ 4.7
The downtown bakery counter where everyone goes Saturday morning. Maple biscuits, hot sandwiches, locally roasted coffee; laptop-free dining room since 2014.
Order: Maple biscuit with sausage gravy plus a Vermonter sandwich for the table
Onion City Chicken and Oyster ★ 4.5
Sister room to Misery Loves Co.; opened August 2022 at the top of the Winooski rotary in the historic Block Building. Fried chicken and East Coast oysters.
Signature: Fried chicken, Vermont oysters, Hot-honey biscuit
Order: Half-bird fried chicken, half-dozen Vermont oysters and a biscuit.
Tip: Bar walk-in; book the dining room on Resy. Dinner only, and the half-bird fried chicken sells through by 21:00 on weekends.
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