Bacon Making Day

When Vince and I first began talking and reading about making bacon, we thought it needed to be cold smoked but we kept reading and after talking to my friend, Judy, who makes her own, we decided that we could smoke it on our regular smoker, which is a Cookshack SM009-2 model. Any smoker can be used. The important thing is:  Don’t let the internal temp of the meat rise above 150º. 

Here’s a warning:  I’ve always loved bacon and have never had a problem with storebought bacon. We just wanted to experiment and try our own but, after having used homemade bacon for a few months, there’s no going back. Our favorite brand of bacon was on sale a couple of weeks ago and Vince insisted we buy some. I thought I would never get through that pound of bacon. It seemed so salty and otherwise tasteless! As you might imagine, Vince wasn’t happy buying just one pound so the storebought bacon will go into beans and will not be eaten at breakfast.

My opinion is this:  It doesn’t matter how long or how short it takes, just so there’s some amount of smoke and the temp doesn’t rise above 150º. The first batch I made was slower to reach the magic 150º but the second batch was there in about an hour. Maybe I had the smoker turned up too high . . but the bacon tasted fine. It isn’t fully cooked when it comes out of the smoker at 150º so don’t be tempted to nibble on a bit of it.

I’ve read through probably hundreds of recipes and you can find them all on the internet, but mainly based on info from Amazing Ribs, this is how I do our bacon.

The Ingredients:

You must have:

• Pork Belly
• Morton’s kosher salt
• Prague powder #1

You will also need:

• Sweetener – can be brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, sorghum, molasses – whatever you want really in whatever quantities you want. The more sweetener used, the faster the bacon will scorch when cooking.
• Black Pepper – simply for flavor and it can be omitted.
• Liquid – can be water, bourbon, fruit juice
• Flavorings – Anything you think will taste good can be added, in whatever amounts you think would be good.

Prague powder #1 is a curing salt. I’m often asked if there’s a way to cure bacon without using nitrate. Yes, I’ve read that you can cure bacon without it but it does result in a different texture and taste to the meat. You would, of course, have to use salt. Prague powder is 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% sodium chloride (or salt!). There’s lots of information out there about whether nitrites and nitrates are bad for you. I wouldn’t argue that they are good for you but in moderation, I’m not real worried about it. You will see below that 1 pound of pork belly, which probably reduces down to about 3/4 pound of bacon, gets 1/2 teaspoon of Prague powder #1. If you’re concerned, you can do the math to see how much sodium nitrite you’re getting since it’s only 6.25% of that 1/2 teaspoon and most of us (maybe) aren’t going to eat that whole slab of bacon.

When curing the meat, most any spices can be used . . get creative! Be careful to use the following in the correct proportions but other than that, add anything you wish. I have been experimenting to get the right recipe for the basic bacon and I think I have that so now I will venture into more flavors but my next batch will include one with jalapeno peppers and one with juniper berries . . really, anything you want to add is good.

Finding the pork belly may be the most challenging part of this backing making process. Two local meat markets here were able to order them for me, though I did have to buy the whole box (3 bellies from one processer and 6 from the other). Each belly weights 8 – 10 pounds and the going rate here was about $3/pound. They keep just fine in the freezer til I’m ready to use them.

These are the ratios that I’m comfortable using for the cure:  For each pound of pork belly, I use 1-1/2 tsp. Morton’s kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. Prague powder #1.  I usually cut one belly in half because that’s how it fits best in my smoker and it allows me to get two different flavors in one batch.

In addition to the kosher salt and curing powder, I suggest about 3 T. brown sugar or 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey (or a combination) for each pound of belly, along with 1-1/2 tsp. black pepper and whatever flavorings you might want to add. I have used Chinese spices for an Asian flavored bacon, bourbon, apple or pineapple juice, peach nectar . . and I plan to make a batch with jalapeno peppers and one with juniper berries.

The Cure:

1.  There are wet rubs and dry rubs. I use a “dry” rub. For traditional dry rubs, many will rub the honey or syrup onto the meat, the mix the powdered ingredients and rub them on top of the honey or syrup. 

My preferred method is to use a little liquid, along with the dry ingredients. I pour about 1/4 cup of liquid into a zipper bag, add the dry ingredients, mix well, add the meat and close the bag. A 

2.  Place the bag of meat/seasonings in the fridge for at least 7 days. I place the bags in a plastic bucket of some kind just in case there’s any leakage.

3.  At least once a day, take the bags out of the fridge. You do NOT have to remove the meat from the bag. Massage, or just press around on the meat. The cure will cause liquid to be released. Turn the meat and place it back in the fridge.

4.  After 7 days, or up to 10 days, remove from the fridge, rinse and place back in the fridge, uncovered for 24 hours. I place a small cooling rack in a 9 x 13 pan and place the meat on those. 

The Smoke:

How you will smoke your bacon depends on the methods available to you. It can be done a grill with indirect heat or with tubes filled with pellets. It can be done in an electric or wood fired smoker. However you do it, you do not want the meat temp to rise above 150º. Otherwise, the fat will render and you will end up with smoked meat and not bacon.

In the photo above, that particular belly (and it’s only happened once) had a big hunk of fat so I cut it off, cured it and smoked it and have used it for beans.

Bacon!

Once it comes out of the smoker, it’s best to leave it in the fridge for 24 hours to firm up before slicing. When I first began making it, I sliced it all, vacuum sealed it and froze it.

 

Now I cut it up into approximately 3/4 pound chunks, vacuum seal that and freeze it. When I’m ready for it, I’ take it out to defrost, then slice it while it’s partially frozen.

 

It can be done either way and it freezes just fine. Tastes as good as fresh when it’s defrosted and cooked.