Canadian National Dishes

Maple-Glazed Peameal Bacon Roast

Name: Maple-Glazed Peameal Bacon Roast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: Uncooked, refrigerated peameal bacon roast, cornmeal-coated 1 kg; Pure maple syrup 125 ml; Dijon mustard 60 ml; Apple cider vinegar 10 ml; Fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped 10 ml; Ground black pepper 0.5 g

Peameal bacon is a Toronto and Ontario specialty: cured pork loin rolled in cornmeal, a coating that replaced the older ground-pea meal while the name stayed. The cured loin is usually sold uncooked, so this roast starts with a ready-to-cook, refrigerated peameal bacon roast rather than a home curing process. A maple, Dijon and thyme glaze follows a documented Ontario-style roast. History is often linked to William Davies and St. Lawrence Market, though accounts describe the details differently.

Canadian National Dishes

Thick slices of peameal bacon roast with maple-Dijon glaze on a serving platter — Slice the rested roast across the grain and serve with the reserved glaze.

Prep 15 min

Cook 70 min

Total 1 hr 40 min

Calories about 210 kcal

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Maple-Glazed Peameal Bacon Roast

Practical

Buy a whole, uncooked peameal bacon roast and follow any product-specific package directions; this recipe does not cure raw pork at home.
The cured loin is already seasoned, so the glaze has no added salt. Product sodium varies widely; check the package if that matters to you.
Maple glaze darkens quickly near the end. Use the thermometer, and tent loosely with foil if the cornmeal crust browns before the centre reaches 71°C.

Ingredients

Roast

Uncooked, refrigerated peameal bacon roast, cornmeal-coated 1 kg

Maple-Dijon glaze

Pure maple syrup 125 ml
Dijon mustard 60 ml
Apple cider vinegar 10 ml
Fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped 10 ml
Ground black pepper 0.5 g

Directions

Method

Step 1Heat the oven to 200°C. Set a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Keep the roast refrigerated while you prepare the glaze, and wash your hands and work surface after handling the raw product.
Step 2Whisk the maple syrup, Dijon, cider vinegar, thyme and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour 60 ml into a clean serving bowl before the glaze touches the meat; set it aside.
Step 3Unwrap the roast and pat the outside dry with paper towel. Lightly score the cornmeal coating in a shallow crosshatch, about 1 cm apart, without cutting deeply into the meat. Set it on the rack and brush with some of the remaining glaze.
Step 4Roast uncovered at 200°C for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 160°C and roast for 30 minutes more.
Step 5Brush the roast with the remaining pan-side glaze. Continue roasting, checking the thickest centre with a clean digital thermometer, until it reaches 71°C; allow about 20–30 minutes more. If the crust darkens too quickly, tent it loosely with foil. Use the temperature rather than time alone to decide when it is done.
Step 6Move the roast to a clean carving board and tent loosely with foil. Rest for 15 minutes so the juices settle. Wash the thermometer with warm soapy water after use.
Step 7Slice across the grain and serve with the reserved clean glaze. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow covered containers within 2 hours at 4°C or colder; use within 2–3 days or freeze. Reheat leftovers to 74°C.

Practical

Serving

Serve thin or thick slices with potatoes, eggs, roasted vegetables or soft rolls. The roast is salty-savoury before glazing, so taste before adding any seasoning to accompanying dishes. Keep the reserved sauce separate from utensils that touched raw meat. Refrigerate the uncooked roast according to its label and do not leave it at room temperature while the oven heats.

Control points

If the coating is browning before the centre is hot enough, tent the roast loosely with foil and keep roasting to 71°C.
If the glaze is too dark or bitter, the oven may run hot or the roast may be too close to the element; lower the pan one level and cover loosely.
If slices seem dry, the roast may have cooked beyond its target. Use a digital thermometer and stop once the centre reaches 71°C, then rest before carving.

Nutrition

Serving sizeabout 1/8 of the roast
Calories210 kcal
Carbohydrate17 g
Protein28 g
Fat3 g
Fibre0 g
Sodium1,110 mg

Rounded estimate for one of eight portions. The cooked cured pork uses Canadian Nutrient File food 7219, pan-fried cured back bacon, as a proxy, plus the maple-Dijon glaze. Peameal bacon brands, curing and cooking yield vary; sodium is especially product-dependent. This is an ingredient-based estimate, not laboratory analysis or a package-label value. The model assumes about 800 g cooked yield from the 1 kg raw roast, or roughly 100 g cooked meat per serving. The model assumes about 800 g cooked yield from the 1 kg raw roast, or roughly 100 g cooked meat per serving.

Allergens and food safety

Contains mustard in the Dijon. Check the ingredient and precautionary labels on the peameal bacon and mustard for additional allergens or cross-contact; the cornmeal coating is not wheat flour, but packaged products vary. Handle the uncooked cured pork as raw meat: wash hands, keep it separate from ready-to-eat food, and clean and sanitize utensils and surfaces. Cook the centre to 71°C, measured in the thickest part with a clean digital thermometer. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or colder; use within 2–3 days or freeze, and reheat to 74°C.

FAQ

Is peameal bacon ready to eat?

Usually no. The cornmeal-coated cured loin is commonly sold uncooked. Check the package and cook it as a raw whole cut of pork to 71°C; follow product-specific directions if the label says otherwise.

Closing notes

Use a thermometer to bring the centre of the uncooked cured loin to 71°C without relying on the clock alone.
Slice after the 15-minute rest and serve the reserved maple-Dijon glaze separately.