Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line a sheet tray with a piece of parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, place the ground pork and set aside.

Cut the bacon into pieces (will be put into food processor so the size doesn’t matter. Also, bacon is easier to work with when cold or partially frozen)

In a small food processor, place fennel and run the food processor to crush the seeds. If the blade doesn’t reach the seeds, use a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle before continuing.

Add the sage, thyme, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, ground cloves and ground nutmeg and process to the consistency of ground coffee.

Add the chopped bacon and process until the bacon is rice sized. Ok if there are a few larger pieces.

Add the contents of the food processor to the bowl with the pork then add the maple syrup.

Mix just until the ingredients are incorporated. Try not to over mix.

Fill a small bowl with water and start scooping balls of meat using slightly heaping scoops from a one-ounce scoop, using the water to keep the scoop wet. Each ball should weigh about 1 ½ ounces. You should get about 36 pieces. Continue scooping out onto your counter or cutting board.

Wet your hands and roll each into a ball. Line these up on the prepared sheet pan and with your thumb, press down, making a divot in each one. Then flip divot down on the sheet tray. The divot will stop the patties from rising in the center as they bake.

At this point, you can refrigerate the pan until you are ready to bake, or freeze the pan. Once they are frozen, remove each patty to a zippered bag and keep frozen until ready to thaw and bake, or pan fry.

If baking now, bake for 10-12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F using a probe thermometer.

Then broil for a minute or two to brown.

If pan frying, cook in a saute pan with a small amount of a light oil over medium low to medium heat. Cook to brown each side, again looking for internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Cook divot side down to start then finish divot up. Do not press with a spatula.

Serve three per portion along with other breakfast items such as eggs, toast or pastries, juice and coffee.