Homemade Bacon: Maple, Pepper, and Brown Sugar
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Making your own sweet, smoky bacon is one of those backyard projects that feels fancy until you do it once. This Homemade Bacon: Maple, Pepper, and Brown Sugar situation starts with a pork belly, a properly measured cure, a little patience, and a smoker doing what it does best.
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Watch How to Make It
I love the balance here – brown sugar brings that deep caramel sweetness, real maple syrup adds a warm woodsy note, and fresh cracked pepper keeps every bite from getting too candy-like. The result is bacon with a rosy smoked edge, rich pork flavor, and enough personality to make store-bought packages feel a little sad.
Give yourself a week for the cure, then a relaxed afternoon around the smoker. It is not hard work, but it is rewarding work – the kind where your kitchen smells incredible and everyone suddenly has a reason to wander outside and check on you.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
The biggest win with homemade bacon is control. I can slice it thick for breakfast, shave it thin for BLTs, leave the pepper bold, or brush on just enough maple syrup to get that glossy sweet finish without turning it into breakfast candy.
Curing the pork belly for the full seven days gives the salt, sugar, and curing salt time to work all the way through the meat. That means consistent flavor from edge to center and a firmer texture that slices cleanly after chilling.
Then there is the smoke. Cherry and apple wood both give this bacon a mild, sweet aroma that supports the maple and brown sugar instead of covering them up. It is bacon that tastes like pork first, smoke second, and sweetness right where it belongs.
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Ingredients & Tools You'll Need
Start with one whole pork belly, cut in half for easier handling. Skin removed is optional, but I usually prefer it off because it makes slicing and cooking the finished bacon easier. Look for a belly with visible layers of creamy white fat and plenty of pink meat – that balance is where the good stuff lives.
For the cure, I use kosher salt, brown sugar, and pink curing salt – Prague Powder number one – measured exactly according to the pork belly weight and the curing salt manufacturer's directions. This is not the place to eyeball anything. Pink curing salt is essential for safely curing bacon, but using more than directed is not better.
The flavor crew is simple and flexible – maple syrup, fresh cracked black pepper, vanilla extract, or any seasonings you like. For this batch, I keep the maple and pepper front and center because they play beautifully with brown sugar and smoke.
You will also need a kitchen scale, mixing bowl, large zip-top bags or a non-reactive container, paper towels, a smoker, an instant-read thermometer, and a sharp slicing knife. A wire rack set over a sheet pan is handy too, especially for chilling and drying the belly before it goes on the smoker.
How To Make It
This is a cure, rinse, season, smoke, chill, and slice kind of cook. Nothing is rushed, and that is exactly why it comes out so good. The refrigerator does most of the heavy lifting during the week, while the smoker finishes the job with color, aroma, and that unmistakable bacon flavor.
Keep everything clean, cold, and organized. I like to cut the pork belly in half right at the start so each piece is easier to coat, bag, turn, smoke, and slice. Less wrestling with a giant slippery slab is always a good day in my book.
Preparation
Cut the pork belly in half, then weigh the pieces so you can measure the pink curing salt correctly according to its label. In a bowl, combine the kosher salt, brown sugar, and the required amount of curing salt. Mix it well so the curing salt is distributed evenly through the larger ingredients.
Rub the cure generously over every surface of both pork belly pieces. Get the edges and corners too, because those spots are easy to miss. The brown sugar will begin to look damp as it pulls moisture from the meat – totally normal, and actually a good sign.
Slide the cured pork belly into large zip-top bags or a non-reactive container, then refrigerate it for five to seven days. Turn the pieces over once a day so the liquid cure redistributes and every side gets equal attention. I go the full seven days because the flavor is deeper and the bacon slices with a better, meatier bite.
This is where most recipes go wrong: they rush from the cure straight into the smoker with a wet surface, but I rinse, dry, and let the pork belly air-dry uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator until the outside feels slightly tacky. That thin tacky layer helps the smoke cling evenly, giving you better color and a more balanced smoke flavor without needing heavier wood.
After curing, rinse the pork belly under cool running water to remove excess cure, then pat it completely dry with paper towels. Brush on maple syrup if you want maple bacon, and press fresh cracked black pepper onto the surface for a peppered crust. A tiny touch of vanilla extract can be fun too, but go easy – you want a background note, not French toast pork belly.
Cooking
Preheat your smoker to under 200 degrees F. I like the 180 to 190 degree F range because it gives the pork belly time to take on smoke without rendering out all that beautiful fat too fast. Cherry and apple wood are my picks here – mild, fruity, and perfect with maple and brown sugar.
Set the pork belly on the grate with space around each piece for airflow. As it smokes, the surface will darken from pale pink to a rich mahogany color, the pepper will look toasted, and the maple will turn shiny instead of wet. You should smell sweet smoke and warm brown sugar, not harsh billowy smoke that makes your eyes water.
Smoke for roughly three to four hours, but let internal temperature make the final call. Pull the bacon when the thickest part reaches 150 degrees F. At that point it should feel firm but not hard when gently pressed, with a bronzed exterior and fat that looks soft and translucent around the edges.
Let the smoked pork belly cool completely before slicing. Then chill it in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight, because cold bacon slices much cleaner. Trust me, trying to slice warm bacon is like trying to cut butter with a shovel.
When you are ready to eat, cook the slices in a skillet over medium heat. The fat should slowly sizzle and turn glossy before the edges begin to curl and crisp. Pull it when the bacon is deeply browned with crisp edges and a little flexibility in the center – it will firm up another notch as it rests.
Serving & Variations
This bacon belongs next to eggs, folded into breakfast sandwiches, stacked on burgers, or tucked into a BLT with enough tomato juice to drip down your wrist. Thick slices are especially good on a burger because they stay chewy and meaty instead of disappearing into the bun.
A common consensus among home cooks is: fresh cracked black pepper is worth the extra minute because pre-ground pepper can taste flat after a long cure and smoke. I agree completely – crack it coarse so you get little peppery pops against the sweet maple finish.
For a more savory batch, skip the maple syrup and lean into pepper or your favorite seasoning blend. For a sweeter breakfast-style version, brush a thin layer of maple syrup over the belly before smoking, not a heavy puddle. Too much syrup can darken too quickly and leave the outside tasting bitter before the belly is fully smoked.
My pro tip is to save the unsliced smoked bacon in larger pieces when possible. It stays fresher that way, and you can slice thick slabs for breakfast or thin strips for sandwiches as you need them. Keep it refrigerated and use it within a week, or wrap portions tightly and freeze them for future bacon emergencies – we all have them.
Pork belly is the traditional choice because it has the right balance of meat and fat. Choose a fresh, skinless pork belly for easier curing and slicing. Most pork belly bacon cures in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Turn the pork belly once daily so the cure is distributed evenly. Curing salt is strongly recommended for traditional bacon because it helps preserve the meat, adds the classic cured flavor, and gives bacon its pink color. Use only the amount specified in a tested recipe. Slice the cured and cooked bacon, then fry it in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. You can also bake slices on a lined sheet pan at 400F until browned and cooked to your liking. Keep homemade bacon refrigerated in an airtight container and use it within 1 week after slicing. For longer storage, freeze it in portions for up to 3 months.Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of meat is best for homemade bacon?
How long does homemade bacon need to cure?
Do I need curing salt to make homemade bacon?
How should I cook homemade bacon?
How long does homemade bacon last?
Wrapping Up
Homemade bacon takes patience, but the process is straightforward once you understand the rhythm – cure it evenly, keep it cold, smoke it gently, and chill it before slicing. The maple, brown sugar, and pepper make every slice taste bigger and more interesting than the usual grocery-store stuff.
Fire up the smoker, give that pork belly the full cure time, and do not skip the chill before slicing. Your mornings are about to get a whole lot better.
Recipe created by @thegalleryBBQ for Trust Me Try It.
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Ingredients
- 1 whole pork belly cut in half for easier handling, skin removed if desired
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- Pink curing salt measured according to the weight of your pork belly and the manufacturer’s directions, Prague Powder #1
- Maple syrup optional
- Fresh cracked black pepper optional
- Vanilla extract optional
- Your favorite seasonings optional
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly in half. Smaller pieces are much easier to cure, handle, and fit inside your refrigerator.
- In a bowl, combine the kosher salt, brown sugar, and the correct amount of pink curing salt for the weight of your pork belly. Be sure to follow the curing salt manufacturer’s directions carefully – using the proper amount is essential.
- Rub the cure generously over every surface of the pork belly.
- Place the pork belly into large zip-top bags or a non-reactive container and refrigerate for 5-7 days.
- Turn the pork belly over once each day to help redistribute the cure. I personally like to let mine cure for the full 7 days for the best flavor and texture.
- Once the curing time is complete, remove the pork belly from the refrigerator and rinse it under cool running water to wash away the excess cure. Pat completely dry with paper towels.
- Now’s the time to make the bacon your own. Brush with maple syrup for maple bacon, sprinkle with coarse black pepper for peppered bacon, or experiment with a touch of vanilla extract or your favorite seasonings before it goes on the smoker.
- Preheat your smoker to under 200°F. Around 180-190°F works great.
- Use a mild fruit wood such as cherry or apple.
- Smoke the pork belly for 3-4 hours, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
- Remove the bacon from the smoker and let it cool completely. For the cleanest slices, chill it in the refrigerator for several hours before slicing.
- Slice it as thick or thin as you like.
- Cook the slices in a skillet over medium heat until they’re perfectly crisp.
- Serve alongside eggs, on burgers, in sandwiches, or anywhere bacon belongs. Trust me – your mornings just got a whole lot better!
