Maple-Glazed Bacon Ramen
Maple-glazed bacon on ramen is the kind of idea that either makes you lean in or back away slowly. This bowl is for the leaners. Thick-cut bacon gets baked in a maple-soy glaze until it's shatteringly crispy at the edges and chewy in the center, then it sits on top of ramen noodles in a broth built from the rendered bacon fat and chicken stock. The maple sweetness plays against the smoky pork and salty soy in a way that shouldn't be as addictive as it is. Think of it as breakfast ramen's louder, more confident older sibling. You'll want to make extra bacon because you'll eat half of it standing at the oven, and nobody should have to apologize for that.
Sweet glaze drips from meat—maple and smoke twist in steam—mornings taste like this
Let Me Tell You...
I was frying bacon on a Sunday morning, half asleep, when maple syrup dripped off my pancake plate and landed in the bacon grease.
The sizzle that followed smelled so good I stood there staring at the pan like it had just told me the meaning of life.
That accident became this ramen, which is probably the most American thing I've ever put in a Japanese-style bowl, and I'm not remotely sorry about it.
The maple hits the hot fat, caramelizes instantly, and turns ordinary bacon into something lacquered and dangerous.
Thin bacon burns before the maple glaze can caramelize properly.
The broth started as chicken stock, but I poured it into the pan where the bacon had been glazing, and all those maple-soy drippings dissolved into the liquid and turned it golden and slightly sweet.
A splash of rice vinegar kept it from going too dessert-like, and a hit of white pepper gave it some backbone.
I strained it, tasted it, and realized I had accidentally created one of the best broths I'd ever made.
Sometimes cooking is less about skill and more about being too lazy to wash a pan before deglazing it.
Those sticky maple bits on the bottom are the whole point.
The noodles went into the broth, the bacon went on top in thick strips that I had to fight not to eat, and a soft-boiled egg went in because everything is better with a soft-boiled egg.
The first bite was sweet, then smoky, then salty, then savory, like eating a whole diner menu in one slurp.
My vegetarian friend walked in, saw what I was eating, and for a brief moment I could see her conviction waver.
She didn't eat any, but she did sit down and watch me finish the bowl, which I took as a compliment.
Once at the start, once halfway through baking.
Double glazing means double flavor.
There's something profoundly satisfying about taking bacon, which already peaks at breakfast, and giving it a second act on top of ramen.
The maple glaze cracks when you bite through it, the fat has been mostly rendered out so it's more crisp than greasy, and the broth below ties everything together with that sweet-smoky-salty baseline.
American ingredients, Japanese format, no passport required.
Ingredients
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon (about 12 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (grade A dark, not pancake syrup)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 8 ounces ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 2 large eggs, soft-boiled to jammy (6.5 minutes)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, cut into 1-inch ribbons
- Kosher salt, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set a wire rack on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, soy sauce, black pepper, and cayenne. Arrange bacon slices in a single layer on the wire rack. Brush the top of each slice generously with half the maple-soy glaze.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, flip each bacon slice, and brush with the remaining glaze. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until the bacon is deeply caramelized, crispy at the edges, and lacquered. Watch carefully in the final minutes to prevent burning. Transfer glazed bacon to a cutting board.
- While bacon bakes, pour chicken broth into a medium saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Once bacon is done, carefully pour about 1/2 cup of hot broth into the baking sheet (removing the rack first) and stir to dissolve the caramelized maple drippings. Pour this enriched liquid back into the saucepan. Stir in rice vinegar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook ramen noodles according to package directions (typically 2-3 minutes) until just tender. Drain well.
- Divide noodles among serving bowls. Ladle hot maple-bacon broth over the noodles. Lay 2-3 strips of glazed bacon across each bowl, either whole or cut in half. Halve soft-boiled eggs and place alongside the bacon. Scatter chive ribbons over the top. Serve immediately.