Heavenly Maple Pepper Bacon in the Oven

Chick-fil-A introduced their maple pepper bacon sandwich recipe a while back. Some people love it, some people don’t and some are in between. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, know that you can recreate that same sweet, salty, and savory experience at home by making your own maple pepper bacon! Detailed instructions with quantities and ingredients are in the recipe card down below!

The Recipe

Now you have the recipe to make a homemade sandwich that can compete with Chick-Fil-A. You can also easily pair this recipe with cheesy scrambled eggs and/or apple pie pancakes! Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients.

Ingredients

Bacon is not the only ingredient, but it is definitely the main attraction of this dish. Let’s take a look at the other ingredients:

• Turkey Bacon – Even though turkey is used for this recipe, feel free to use any type of bacon you have on hand. When using another meat, you may need to modify a few steps to achieve desired results.
• Maple Syrup – It’s best to use pure maple syrup for the best results. Many pancake syrups are not actually pure maple syrup. To confirm if maple syrup is pure, look on the back of the packaging and ensure that the only ingredient is pure maple syrup.
• Black Pepper – If you really want the pepper taste to be prominent, it is mandatory to use fresh ground pepper! The extra elbow grease required (if you’re not using an electric pepper grinder) is very much worth it in the end.

With a bit of tweaking, other types can be used in it’s place. Before we get into that, let’s clearly define bacon.

What Is Bacon?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines bacon as “cured belly of a swine (hog) carcass.” If other parts of the carcass is used, the product’s name must identify the portions where the bacon comes from.

How It’s Made

The carcass of the hog is cured with salt and nitrite. Then they are heat processed, which can take days if done traditionally, but as little as 6 hours when done in mass production using a large convection ovens. It is smoked using natural smoke obtained by smoldering wood chips or by spraying with liquid smoke extract. Lastly, it must be chilled down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit before it is sliced. This is how pork bacon is made in America. Other countries processes for their version may differ.

Read below to learn about the other types of bacon!

Types of Bacon

Now that we know what bacon is and how it is made, we can explore types of bacon. There several types of bacon out there! Some are even practically identical to each other. Read below about each one and see how many you’ve tried!

American (Streaky)

Traditionally made entirely from pork belly. It is always smoked, Typically eaten for breakfast as a side dish, but can be used in other dishes as an additional ingredient and a topping.

Beef

Similar to pork bacon, this type is made entirely from cow belly. It can also be used the same way as the pork version.

British (Rashers)

This type differs from American bacon in a few ways. It is cut from the loin of the pig with a little bit of the belly attached, and is much meatier. Because of the cut, it makes it more leaner than the American style. Additionally, it is not always smoked. Many British people enjoys them for breakfast. A very common dish is a “butty” or a sandwich made with rasher, thick white bread and butter. Irish bacon is essentially the same as British.

Canadian (Rashers)

Just like the British version, Canadian bacon is cut from the loin of the pig and, however, no belly is attached. Rashers is also another name for it. If you ever had Hawaiian pizza, you have sampled this without even knowing it! It can almost be mistaken for ham. However, ham comes from the hind legs of the pig, has a higher sodium content, and is softer. This same meat rolled in cornmeal is peameal bacon, which is found mainly in Ontario, Canada.

Cottage

This come from the shoulder of a pig, near the head. It gives it a stronger flavor and darker color. Typically, it is used in pasta dishes, soups, sandwiches and roasts.

Duck

This style comes from the breast of a duck and is often smoked and cured for flavor. You can use it the same way you use pork. Since it is made from duck breast, it can be eaten medium rare.

Guanciale

Guanciale is made from the piece of meat that lies in between the pig’s throat and cheek. This cured non-smoked version originated in Italy. It can be eaten plain or thinly sliced on warm bread. This is used in many traditional Italian dishes and is often mistaken for pancetta.

Lap yuk

This Chinese form is cured pork belly made by marinating pork belly in a dry brine, then dehydrating it. Many traditional Chinese dished use it and it can also be eaten on it’s own.

Lardon

Lardon, or also spelled lardoon, is a small strip or cube of fatty pork fat. Though not normally smoked, they are cured with salt. French cuisine uses it for larding and to flavor savory foods.

Pancetta

Pancetta is an Italian specialty that is the cut of the pork belly that is not smoked, but is salted. It can be eaten cooked or uncooked unlike the American version. Sliced pancetta is best for dishes such as sandwiches while cubed pancetta is best for cooking.

Polish (Boczek)

This version is made from the pork belly that is cured and smoked. A common traditional way of seasoning this variation is the gypsy style, which includes garlic, paprika, and black pepper. It can be eaten cold, fried or baked. Boczek pairs well with sandwiches, scrambled eggs, potatoes and hearty polish dishes.

Pork Jowl

The American version of guanciale is similarly made from a pig’s cheek and is cured and smoked. In the Southern United States, it is known as hog jowl, joe bacon or joe meat. Pork jowl is a staple of soul food. It is used as a seasoning for beans, black eyed peas or cooked with leafy green vegetables.

Turkey

Of all the bacon here, turkey is the most processed and lowest in fat content. It is made from chopped up and processed white and dark turkey meat. Ground or chopped breast meat is used to create the white part and ground or cut pieces is used to create the dark part of the bacon. It is served the same way pork bacon is.

There are so many different bacon’s to choose from. Once you’ve tried this recipe and read about the different types of bacon, comment your thoughts down below and let’s have a discussion!