Thick-cut applewood-smoked Vermont bacon glazed with dark amber maple syrup and black pepper, baked or pan-finished until the maple caramelises to a deep mahogany lacquer.

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.

Where to eat Vermont Maple-Glazed Bacon in Burlington

4 editor picks for Vermont Maple-Glazed Bacon in Burlington, ranked by editorial score. All Burlington signature dishes · Vermont Maple-Glazed Bacon across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 435 minEasy

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

  1. 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).
  2. Lay the bacon slices on the rack in a single layer, not touching.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes until the bacon is partially rendered and starting to crisp.
  4. Whisk the maple syrup with the mustard (if using), cracked black pepper, and pinch of cayenne in a small bowl.
  5. Pull the tray out, brush the bacon generously on the top side with the maple-pepper glaze.
  6. 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.
  7. Watch closely in the last 3 minutes; maple burns fast.
  8. 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.

Editor tip. 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.