Homemade – Bacon

Pork belly and pink salt are the two items you need to make bacon, every thing else you usually have on hand.

• One 3-5 pound pork belly, skin on
• 1/4 to 1/2 Cup Basic Dry Cure
• Optional
• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup or 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Stage One – Cure
1. Trim the belly so it is edges are neat and square
2. Spread the dry cure on a baking sheet, press all sides of the belly into the cure to give it a thick uniform coating over the entire surface.
3. Place the belly in a Ziploc bag just large enough to hold it. (I use a food saver bag, cut to length) Refrigerate. The pork will release a lot of liquid as it cures, and it’s important the cure remains in contact with the meat. This salty cure liquid must be allowed to surround the meat for continuous curing. The plastic bag allows you to redistribute or overhaul, by flipping the bag every other day for a week.
4. After 7 days, remove from the refrigerator, and check for firmness, if it feels firm at its thickest point, it’s cured. One week should be enough time to cure the pork belly into bacon, but if it still feels squishy, refrigerate it for up to 2 more days. The thicker the belly, the longer the cure will need to be. Belly from most factory-raised hogs is normally only about an inch thick.
5. When firm, remove from cure, rinse it thoroughly, and pat dry with paper towels; discard the curing liquid. It can rest in the refrigerator for up to 3 days at this point.

You now have Fresh Bacon! You can slice and cook it as it is, sautéing it very slowing. Traditionally, once it has cured, bacon is hot smoked to intensify the flavor.

Stage Two – Hot Smoking
1. Place the bacon in the smoker, and hot smoke @ 200 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees, about 2 hours. It will have a roasted appearance and good aroma.

2. Remove the skin now, while the bacon is still hot.

3. Allow to cool, wrap well and refrigerate. The bacon will keep for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you do not plan to use it all during that time, slice a freeze.

Cook’s Notes:

1. The end pices may be a little more salty than the rest.

2. If the bacon is too salty, blanching the bacon in simmering water before cooking, will reduce the salt content considerably.

3. The yield was about 5lbs of finished product net cost about $3.00/lb I am very happy with the results, and this is be a staple in my freezer for now on.