Making bacon at home takes about a week, but almost all of that is waiting. You rub a pork belly with salt, sugar and curing salt, let it cure in the fridge, then smoke it low and slow. The result is thick, smoky bacon you can slice any way you like.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 5 lb skinless pork belly, in one or two even slabs
- 1 level tsp Prague Powder #1 (pink curing salt #1), measured exactly
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar or maple sugar
- 1 tbsp coarse black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
- Apple, cherry, hickory or maple wood
Steps
- Weigh the pork belly. This recipe uses 1 level teaspoon of Prague Powder #1 per 5 lb of meat. If your belly weighs less, scale every cure ingredient down to match.
- Mix the Prague Powder #1, kosher salt, brown sugar, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl until the pink salt is spread evenly through the mix.
- Rub the cure over every surface of the belly, including the sides. Put the belly in a large zip-top bag or a covered nonreactive dish and add any leftover cure and the maple syrup, if using.
- Refrigerate at 34–40°F for 7–10 days, about 1 day per 1/4 inch of thickness plus 2 days. Flip the bag every day and rub the liquid back over the meat.
- When the belly feels firm all the way through, like a cooked steak, rinse off the cure under cold water and pat it dry.
- Set the belly on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 12–24 hours so the surface turns dry and slightly tacky.
- Set your smoker to 200°F with apple, cherry, hickory or maple wood. Smoke the belly until it reaches 150°F in the thickest part, about 3–4 hours.
- Cool the bacon, then chill it for several hours before slicing. Cook slices in a pan or oven before eating, just like store-bought bacon.
About the curing salt
Prague Powder #1, also called pink curing salt #1, is salt mixed with a small amount of sodium nitrite. It keeps bacteria in check during the long cure and gives bacon its pink color and classic flavor. Use Prague Powder #1 only, at 1 level teaspoon per 5 lb of meat. Never use Prague Powder #2 for bacon. It is made for long-aged, dry-cured meats and is not meant for this. Never swap the curing salt for regular salt and never skip it. Plain salt does not do the same job. Keep the belly in the fridge at 34–40°F the whole time it cures. A fridge thermometer helps.
Measure the cure with a level teaspoon, and keep the curing salt clearly labeled and away from regular salt in your kitchen.
Why smoke it to 150°F?
Pork is safe at 145°F, and this recipe takes the belly a little past that. Even so, treat your bacon like any raw bacon: cook the slices until crisp before eating.
Best wood
Apple and maple are mild and sweet. Hickory gives the strong, classic bacon taste. Cherry adds a deep red color. Check the wood pairing chart for more ideas. A low fire matters more than the wood, so keep the smoker near 200°F so the fat doesn't render out.
How to tell it's done
Use a leave-in thermometer and pull the slab at 150°F. The outside should be a deep amber color. If you'd rather turn some of the belly into pork belly burnt ends, cut off a piece before curing.
Make ahead / storage
Wrapped tightly, the cured and smoked slab keeps about 1 week in the fridge. Sliced bacon freezes well for up to 3 months. Freeze it in small stacks so you can thaw only what you need.
Variations
- Peppered. Press extra cracked pepper on the belly after rinsing.
- Maple bourbon. Brush with maple syrup before smoking.
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