Maple Bacon Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Labor Day weekend. The irony of Labor Day when you're on disability is not lost on me. It's a holiday for workers and I am not currently a worker, according to the Social Security Administration, and the distinction between working and not working is clearer on a day specifically designed to honor work. I worked. I worked for thirty-six years. I went into the mountain and I came out of the mountain and I framed houses for two decades and my body is the receipt. The back. The knees. The lungs that catch in winter. That's labor. The holiday can honor it or not. I'll be at the grill either way.

Smoked a whole chicken Saturday — something I've been practicing, getting the skin crispy while the meat stays moist, which is the fundamental tension of poultry and also of life. Spatchcocked the bird, which means I cut out the backbone with kitchen shears and flattened it, a technique I learned from YouTube and that Betty would consider aggressive but effective. Rubbed with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Smoked over hickory at 325 — higher than my usual 225 because chicken needs heat for the skin to crisp, a lesson I learned the hard way with three limp-skinned chickens last month. Two hours. The skin was mahogany and crackling and the meat pulled from the bone and the drippings fell into the coals and sizzled and the smoke smelled like autumn coming, which it was.

Travis and Jolene came over. Clay came. Amber was working. The four of us ate chicken and potato salad and baked beans on the porch and nobody mentioned labor or disability or the fact that it was ninety degrees and technically still summer. Travis talked about his landscaping jobs. Clay talked about the hardware store. Jolene talked about wanting to start a garden next spring. I listened and ate and watched my sons talk about their lives and thought: this is labor too. This table. This food. This family that I built with Connie the way I built houses — slowly, carefully, with materials I didn't always choose but always used. That's labor. That counts.

The chicken was the main event, but every good plate needs something next to it that holds its own. Potato salad and baked beans did their jobs, same as they always do, but the dish I keep coming back to—the one Travis actually asked about—was these maple bacon glazed Brussels sprouts I threw together on a whim. Something about the bacon and the maple and the char from the heat felt right alongside that hickory-smoked bird, like they’d been waiting to sit on the same plate. If you’re building a spread for people you love, this one earns its spot at the table.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Cook the bacon. In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the skillet.
Preheat oven. While the bacon cooks, preheat your oven to 400°F.
Sear the sprouts. Add olive oil to the skillet with the reserved bacon grease. Place Brussels sprouts cut-side down in a single layer and cook over medium-high heat without stirring for 3–4 minutes, until the flat sides are golden brown.
Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Glaze and roast. Pour the maple glaze over the Brussels sprouts and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and roast for 15–18 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the sprouts are tender and caramelized at the edges.
Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and toss with the crispy bacon and red pepper flakes if using. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Maple Bacon Glazed Brussels Sprouts — The Side Dish That Earned Its Place at the Table