You Can Make Bacon At Home!
Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen DIY Cookbook. I cut a 12-pound pork belly in thirds so I could trial three different cures. This gave me three pieces of pork belly, each about 4 pounds. All the cures were fantastic, but we most enjoyed the Traditional cure. Start with the cure from Basic Bacon and explore and play around. Find your own favorite homemade bacon flavor!
Ingredients
Bacon #1: Basic Bacon
- 4 pound pork belly
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp pink salt
- 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorn
Bacon #2: Traditional Bacon
- 4 pound pork belly
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp pink salt
- 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorn
- 2 fresh bay leaves, sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
Bacon #3: Spiced Bacon
- 4 pound pork belly
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp pink salt
- 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorn
- 1 tbsp Garam Masala
Instructions
- Prepare pork belly by removing any skin or tough connective tissue and, if necessary, cut belly into 4-pound slabs.
- Combine cure ingredients and rub cure on belly, working cure into meat. Transfer belly and any extra cure into to a gallon-size ziptop bag.
- Refrigerate belly for seven to ten days, flipping belly once a day, until meat is fully cured and firm but still pliable.
- Rinse cure off belly, and dry well. Allow meat to form a pellicle by drying overnight in the refrigerator uncovered or setting meat on a rack in front of a fan.
- Prepare smoker. Smoke belly over hardwood smoking chips at 200-225 degrees for about 2 hours, until internal temperature of pork reaches 150-degrees F.
- Wrap bacon well and refrigerate for several weeks, or freeze for up to three months.
- To serve, slice thinly and pan-fry over medium or oven-roast slowly.
Recipe by Northwest Edible Life at https://nwedible.com/you-can-make-bacon-at-home/