Irresistible Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts: Your Ultimate Sweet & Savory Holiday Side Dish
Experience the perfect harmony of sweet, smoky, and salty with these caramelized Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts. This incredibly addictive side dish comes together with just four simple ingredients, making it the ideal last-minute addition to your Thanksgiving feast or any holiday celebration!
As the holiday season approaches, many of us find ourselves pondering the crucial question: what side dishes will grace our festive tables? For me, the answer often involves a beloved green vegetable – Brussels sprouts! Today, I’m thrilled to share a fantastic, stress-free option that’s bound to become a new favorite: Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts. My admiration for Brussels sprouts is well-documented, bordering on an obsession.
Years ago, I dedicated an entire week to exploring various Brussels sprout recipes, a fond memory I often revisit (#brusselssproutsweek!). Since then, I’ve had to consciously hold back from inundating my readers with even more ways to enjoy these charming little green gems. It brings me immense pride that one of the most popular recipes on my site features Brussels sprouts, particularly my roasted Brussels sprouts and squash with dried cranberries and Dijon vinaigrette. That dish is a perennial fixture on my Thanksgiving table, but for those who adore the rich flavors of bacon, these Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts offer an equally compelling and utterly delicious alternative, hitting all the right notes of salty, sweet, and smoky.
What makes this particular recipe stand out, especially during the busy holiday season, is its remarkable simplicity and efficiency. It’s fantastically easy to prepare, takes up absolutely zero precious oven space (a huge plus when your oven is already crammed with a turkey and other casseroles!), and requires only four core ingredients. This makes it an absolutely fabulous choice for a last-minute side dish, ensuring you can impress your guests without added stress on the big day.
A Culinary Inspiration: Jennifer Farley’s “The Gourmet Kitchen”
This exquisite recipe is graciously shared from The Gourmet Kitchen, the brilliant new cookbook by my talented friend, Jennifer Farley. Jennifer, the creative mind behind the popular blog Savory Simple, and I share a surprising number of commonalities. We both grew up in the vibrant Washington, D.C. area and, by a remarkable coincidence, attended the exact same culinary school, L’Academie de Cuisine, within a year of each other. It’s a shame we didn’t cross paths in person until just before my move to Chicago, but I couldn’t be more thrilled and proud of Jen and the launch of her magnificent cookbook!
I’ve already had the pleasure of cooking a handful of recipes from the book – the caramel apple pound cake, for instance, was an absolute revelation! – and I’m eagerly anticipating preparing many more. The Gourmet Kitchen celebrates elegant, special-occasion recipes, yet many of them are so straightforward and simple that they can easily be incorporated into your weekday meal rotations. I found myself bookmarking so many pages that I was literally marking nearly the entire book! Jennifer and I possess incredibly similar culinary tastes, and she is exceptionally skilled at developing well-tested, thorough, and remarkably easy-to-follow recipes.
Each recipe within the book is beautifully complemented by a stunning full-page photograph, a testament to Jennifer’s remarkable talent for food photography. These images truly speak for themselves, offering enticing visual cues for every dish. These Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts are no exception, looking just as vibrant and appealing in the book as they do on your plate.
The Secret to Perfectly Cooked Brussels Sprouts: High Heat and Caramelization
Let’s talk about the absolute most crucial element to preparing truly delicious, addictive Brussels sprouts: cooking them over high heat. Whether you choose to roast them in the oven or sauté them vigorously in a skillet on the stove, this high-heat method is non-negotiable for achieving that coveted caramelized exterior and tender interior. Seriously, for the love of all that is culinary, please, please do not steam or, even worse, boil your sprouts! (A culinary cringe-worthy thought, indeed.) These methods will only result in soggy, bland, and often sulfurous-tasting vegetables – a far cry from the flavorful dish we’re aiming for. Embrace the sizzle and the browning; it’s where the magic happens!
The basic premise behind this particular preparation is wonderfully straightforward, yet it yields incredible depth of flavor. First, you’ll gently render the fat from the bacon over low heat, allowing it to become perfectly crisp and flavorful, creating a foundation of rich, smoky goodness. Then, you’ll utilize that glorious bacon fat to sauté the Brussels sprouts over high heat, encouraging them to develop a beautiful, slightly charred caramelization on their cut sides. This browning is key, as it brings out their natural sweetness and nutty notes. Next, you’ll deglaze the pan with sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar, using a spatula to scrape up all those flavorful brown bits (known as the “fond”) from the bottom of the pan, incorporating them back into the sprouts. Finally, you’ll finish the entire dish with a drizzle of pure maple syrup, which creates a delightful glaze and perfectly balances the savory and tangy elements. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable taste experience; you might just find yourself eating the entire pan in one sitting!
On that note, a friendly warning: these Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts have a tendency to disappear incredibly fast. If you’re planning to serve more than two or three people, or if you simply want leftovers (which are fantastic, by the way!), I highly recommend doubling or even tripling the recipe. You won’t regret having extra!
Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
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Ingredients
- 1 lb (16 oz) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) pure maple syrup
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Prepare the Brussels sprouts: Begin by trimming off the tough root ends of each Brussels sprout. Carefully peel away and discard any loose or discolored outer leaves. Once trimmed, slice each sprout in half lengthwise. This ensures even cooking and maximizes the surface area for caramelization.
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Cook the bacon: In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron works wonderfully here), add the diced thick-cut bacon. Cook over low to medium-low heat. This low-and-slow approach is key to rendering the fat slowly and thoroughly, resulting in perfectly crisp bacon. Continue cooking until most of the bacon fat has liquefied and the bacon pieces are deeply caramelized and wonderfully crunchy. Once cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the crispy bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess grease. Leave approximately 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat in the skillet; carefully pour out and reserve any extra for other uses.
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Sauté the sprouts and finish the dish: Increase the heat under the skillet to medium-high. Add the prepared Brussels sprouts to the hot bacon fat, cut-side down. Allow them to caramelize undisturbed on one side for several minutes until beautifully browned and slightly crispy. Next, deglaze the pan by pouring in the balsamic vinegar. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all the delicious browned bits (the “fond”) from the bottom of the pan, incorporating them into the Brussels sprouts. Continue to sauté the Brussels sprouts on high heat for a few more minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until they are tender-crisp – cooked through but still retaining a pleasant bite. Return the crispy bacon to the pan, along with the pure maple syrup. Stir vigorously until the syrup has evenly coated all the Brussels sprouts and bacon, creating a glistening, irresistible glaze. Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately while hot and enjoy the sensational blend of flavors!
Tips for Success:
- Maple Syrup Choice: For the most robust and distinct maple flavor, I highly recommend using dark amber maple syrup (formerly known as Grade B). Its richer profile truly shines in this dish compared to lighter grades.
- Bacon Quality: Opt for good quality, thick-cut bacon. It renders beautifully and provides substantial texture and flavor.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan: When sautéing the Brussels sprouts, ensure they have enough space in the skillet. If your pan is too crowded, they will steam instead of caramelize. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Fresh Sprouts Are Best: While frozen can work in a pinch, fresh Brussels sprouts will yield the best texture and flavor for this recipe.
Recipe reprinted with permission from The Gourmet Kitchen by Jennifer Farley.