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–+ servings

Homemade Bacon

300kcal
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Prep 30 minutes
Cook 7 days 12 hours
Total 7 days 13 hours
Cure and smoke your own maple-pepper bacon using pork belly, brown sugar, salt and pink curing salt for a deeply flavored, preservable bacon.
Servings 1 servings
Course Breakfast, Condiment
Cuisine American

Ingredients

  • 1 kg pork belly piece, skin removed
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt
  • 12 g pink curing salt (Prague powder / #1) about 1 1/2 tsp; measure by weight
  • 1/4 cup real maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp cracked peppercorns

Method

  1. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin from the pork belly and discard the skin.
  2. In a bowl, combine dark brown sugar, kosher salt, pink curing salt and cracked peppercorns; mix well.
  3. Place the belly in a large zip-top bag, pour in the dry cure and coat all sides thoroughly.
  4. Add the maple syrup to the bag and work it around the belly so the cure and syrup are evenly distributed.
  5. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 7 days, turning or flipping the bag daily so the released liquids and cure coat the meat evenly. (Consider double-bagging, this gets WET)
    (As time passes, you should notice the belly firming up, especially in the fattier areas)
  6. After 7 days, remove the belly, rinse off the cure under cold water, and soak in a water bath for 90 minutes, changing the water every 30 minutes. This will draw extra salt out of the bacon.
  7. Place the belly on a wire rack in the fridge overnight to form a tacky pellicle on the surface—this helps smoke adhere.
    OR
    Place on a wire rack under a fan for a few hours to form that pellicle even faster
  8. Smoke the belly on your smoker until the internal temperature reaches about 150°F (65°C); cool-smoking at ~180°F (82°C) for a couple hours then raising to ~224°F (107°C) to finish in one approach. This whole process runs 3-5 hours.
  9. Let the bacon cool completely for easier slicing. Slice to thickness desired and fry or use as desired. Store in the fridge for up to a couple weeks.
  10. If you don’t have a smoker: add a small amount of liquid smoke to the maple syrup and finish the belly in an oven until it reaches 150°F (65°C).

Nutrition

Calories300kcalCarbohydrates8gProtein15gFat24gSaturated Fat8gCholesterol60mgSodium1500mgPotassium300mgSugar6gCalcium20mgIron1.2mg

Notes

I fry at low temperature to render some fat but the flavor is best with fat intact. Cooling completely makes slicing easier. Typical fridge storage is a couple of weeks. If no smoker available, add liquid smoke and finish in the oven. Be sure to measure pink curing salt by weight to avoid overuse.

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