Homemade Bacon

Tried making my own bacon last Christmas and it was a hit! I served it as Bacon Steak like in the restaurants which is sliced about 1/2 inch thick.

Pink curing salt is a mix of salt and sodium nitrite. It keeps the meat pink and protects it from bacteria. You can find this at the supermarket, usually in the dried spices area.

Yes, this is a preservative but you only need a little bit. The bonus of making bacon yourself is that you control what goes in it. I used sea salt instead of iodized salt, raw honey and brown sugar in place of white sugar.  

Find yourself a good slab of pork belly. I went to the wet market and asked the butcher to remove the skin (which I made into pork cracklings or chicharon).

Ingredients


1 kilo boneless pork belly, skin removed
1/8 cup rock salt or sea salt
1 tsp pink curing salt
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
1tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin seeds
1/8 cup raw honey

Rinse pork belly and pat dry. Combine all ingredients except honey in a bowl. Rub onto meat. Place in a resealable bag with the honey. Bag should be big enough to fit the meat flat. (This time I ran out of big ones so i cut my pork belly into 2 pieces). 

Let out as much air as you can and seal well. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 7-10 days, depending on how thick your meat is cut. Turn bag over every other day.

Smoking the meat is called for in most recipes but I found that it didn't make a significant difference in taste. I smoked my first try then just baked on my second. My kids didn't notice the difference. 

Remove meat from bag and give it a good rinse. Pat dry with a dish cloth or paper towels. Place in a pan with a wire rack fat side up.

Preheat oven to 200F.

Roast meat for 2-3 hours until internal temperature is 150F. If you don't have a meat thermometer, 2 hours for thinner sliced cut. I actually used my candy thermometer.

Cool your bacon on a cutting board. Then slice to desired thickness. Wrap in cling wrap or place in resealable bags. Refrigerate for a week or 2 months in the freezer.