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Curing Your Own Bacon
Curing your own bacon is a great way to enjoy the delicious taste and quality of homemade bacon while having control over the ingredients and flavors. The process of curing bacon involves preserving pork belly with salt, sugar, and spices, and then smoking or drying it to create a delicious and flavorful meat product. There is a simple recipe at the end of this article.
The first step in curing your own bacon is to obtain a pork belly. This cut of meat is typically sold in large slabs and can be found at many butchers or specialty meat shops, or of course you can get your own from the hogs that you raise and harvest yourself. The next step is to prepare the cure mixture, which typically includes salt, sugar, and a variety of spices such as black pepper, garlic, and juniper berries. The cure mixture is rubbed into the pork belly, and the meat is then refrigerated for several days to allow the cure to penetrate and preserve the meat.
After the curing process is complete, the pork belly can be smoked or dried to add additional flavor and texture. Smoking bacon involves cooking the pork belly over smoldering wood chips, while drying simply involves air-drying the meat in a cool, dry place. Both methods can result in delicious and flavorful bacon, with smoking providing a smoky flavor and drying resulting in a drier and more cured texture.
When curing your own bacon, it's important to use high-quality ingredients and to be careful with the timing of the cure. Over-curing the bacon can result in a salty and overly cured flavor, while under-curing can result in a spoilage risk.
Once the bacon is cured and smoked or dried, it can be sliced and cooked for delicious bacon that is much tastier and fresher than store-bought bacon. Homemade bacon can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, from classic bacon and eggs to bacon-wrapped meat dishes and even in sweet treats like bacon-wrapped dates.
Curing your own bacon is a rewarding and delicious process that allows you to enjoy the taste and quality of homemade bacon while having control over the ingredients and flavors. With the right ingredients and proper curing and smoking techniques, you can enjoy delicious and fresh bacon right from your own kitchen.
Simple Recipe
Ingredients:
* Pork Belly
* 2.5% salt (4oz per 1lb or 25g per 1kg of pork belly)
* 1% sugar (1.6oz per 1lb or 10g per 1kg of pork belly)
* 0.25% ping curing salt (.04oz per 1lb or 2.5g per 1kg of pork belly)
* (you can also add whatever additional flavors you would like to the mixture, ie. black pepper, garlic, etc.)
Instructions:
1. Rinse the pork belly with cold water and pat it dry.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and ping curing salt, and mix well.
3. Rub the mixture all over the pork belly, making sure to coat it evenly on all sides.
4. Place the pork belly into a large, sealable plastic bag, or into a container with a tight-fitting lid.
5. Place the bag or container into the refrigerator and let it cure for 7-10 days, turning the pork belly over every 2 days.
6. After 7-10 days, remove the pork belly from the bag or container and rinse it thoroughly under cold water.
7. Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels and let it air-dry for an hour or two.
8. Smoke the pork belly on a smoker or in an oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F (65°C).
9. Let the bacon cool to room temperature, then slice it to your desired thickness and cook it as you would any bacon.
