How To Make Bacon
- August 10, 2009
- 390 Views
from
ten_speed_press
Subscribe
Karen Solomon demonstrates how easy it is to cure and smoke your own bacon!
To view the full recipe, visit http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781580089586
You Will Need
- 2.5-3 lbs pork belly
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
- 2 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. curing salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2.5-3 lbs pork belly
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
- 2 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. curing salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Step 1
Step 2
In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the molasses. Then mix in the 2 tablespoons of salt, curing salt, and pepper and rub it evenly into the meat (like a relaxing, porcine spa treatment). Place the meat inside an oversize sealable plastic bag and lay it flat in the refrigerator for 7 days, massaging the liquids that will amass through the bag and flipping it daily.
Step 3
After 7 days, inspect your bacon. It should be firm to the touch all over, like touching a cooked steak—a sign that it has been cured. If the flesh still feels spongy and soft in spots, massage the meat again with an additional 2 tablespoons salt and check it again after 1 or 2 days.
Step 4
Once the bacon is fully cured, discard the solids, rinse the meat well, and pat it dry.
Step 5
Smoke the meat, fat side up, using a 5-cup packet of hickory sawdust, for 3 to 5 hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
Bacon can be stored in large slabs, in precut hunks for flavoring beans or other dishes, or in slices, in layers between pieces of parchment paper, and sealed tightly in a freezer storage bag. Refrigerate up to 10 days or keep frozen up to 3 months.
Step 6
After 7 days, inspect your bacon. It should be firm to the touch all over, like touching a cooked steak—a sign that it has been cured. If the flesh still feels spongy and soft in spots, massage the meat again with an additional 2 tablespoons salt and check it again after 1 or 2 days.
Something wrong? Report this How-To
Don't Tell Mama: Meatloaf
- 133 views
- kitchendaily
Get Famous Frittata
- 114 views
- bitchinkitchen
Comments (0)
There are no comments. Be the first!
Sign in or create an account to post a comment. Or, sign in using your Facebook to comment
and share your activity with your friends