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Christine Carlisle contributed to this article.
Christine has been writing for Home Health Living as a freelance senior writer for the last four years. She’s a health copywriter with more than ten years of expertise. Christine lives alone in a Maine cottage and used to work as a hand model in New York City. She is a dog lover.
All of Christine Carlisle’s posts may be found here.
Note from the editor: This is a guest post by Mike Lunney.
When I got down to write this, I began to wonder why I had ever attempted to cook homemade bacon in the first place. But then it occurred to me…duh, it’s bacon.
My whole family like bacon, but it’s not the healthiest or most cost-effective option. After doing some study, I discovered that homemade bacon is tastier, somewhat healthier, and far less expensive than store-bought bacon. And, you know, if you quietly grumble, “I cook my own bacon,” into a discussion, you get immediate additional points on your Man Card.
Making your own bacon is both enjoyable and demanding; most importantly, it takes a little elbow grease and patience. In the end, you’ll have a product that’s superior than anything you could buy in a shop and is also personally rewarding.
Obtain Yer Meat
Bacon is created in a variety of ways across the globe, with differences in the cut of meat used, the curing method, the spices/ingredients used, and the smoking technique (or lack thereof). The only thing that all authentic bacon has in common is that it originates from a pig.
You won’t find any instructions for producing turkey bacon, Canadian bacon, or any other twisted variety here. This recipe is for the version made using pork belly, which is a 3-inch layer of skin, fat, and muscle from a pig underbelly.
I’ve discovered that the raw availability of this cut varies depending on where you reside. You can easily locate a supplier in eastern North Carolina, where I grew up, within 20 miles of any place in the area. However, where I presently reside in northern Virginia, Shoppers Food Warehouse is the only place I can obtain slabs of raw pork belly (if you go to the butcher personally, you can convince them to ring it up at the “family pack” pricing point of $1.99 a pound, because it’s pricier at lesser amounts).
Pork belly is also available from a locally owned specialist butcher shop, although it will cost twice as much as it would in the major retailers. However, if shopping locally and organically appeals to you, go for it. I’ve purchased bellies from both small and large retailers with no discernible difference in the end result.
You’ll need a good-sized slab that weighs roughly 15 pounds, plus or less a few of pounds. You’ll want to chop this slab in half anyhow to make it easier to handle for curing and cooking, so it’s OK if you only locate one that weighs about 7-8 pounds — you’ll still have plenty of bacon. At the very least, choosing the smaller slab for your first attempt is a good idea in case you mess up.
Don’t purchase your slab until you’re ready to commit; be sure you have the time and supplies you’ll need. You don’t want to be cooking bacon with a piece of pork that’s been sitting in the fridge for two weeks.
Meat Preparation
Pork belly that is still raw. Take note of the nip shot on the right.
Make sure you have a nice, open surface space to set your slab on and work with it before you unpack it. When you pull your meat out of the package, you’ll see that it has two sides: a rough wrinkled skin side and a fatty/meaty side. Don’t be frightened if your slab has nipples on the skin; remember, this is the pig’s underbelly. Before you begin, give the slab a good rinse in cold water and wipe it dry.
Skinning a pig is far more difficult than skinning a cat.
The skin must then be removed. This is when the real fun begins, and you get to put your elbow grease to work. If you keep it on, the meat will not cure correctly or uniformly, and it will be quite tough when cooked, resulting in an uneven and disagreeable texture. According to what I’ve read, there is no “optimal” method to accomplish this if you don’t have access to a huge commercial machine. All you have to do now is take your sharpest knife and start chopping away at that 1/8″ layer of skin. The key is to remove just the skin off the slab without compromising fat or muscle. I’m not going to lie, it’s a difficult task.
Even after numerous times of doing this, observe the exposed flesh in the right slab after skinning.
Don’t be concerned if you don’t get it just correctly the first few times. It’s hard to execute this exercise without losing part of that first layer of fat, and don’t worry if you chop off a tiny amount of flesh in the process; it won’t make a huge difference in the ultimate outcome. You just do not want to take off half an inch of flesh since you will be squandering your money.
Now, don’t toss that skin away just yet. While bacon is unquestionably a favorite, hog skin in some form isn’t far behind. If you believe you’ll use the skin, wrap it in cling wrap, place it in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag, and freeze it until you’re ready to try it. There are many options for what to do with pig skin on the internet, but I recommend beginning here.
Curing
A salt-based rub is used for dry curing.
We’re now ready to cure. I can’t stress this enough: proper curing is the most crucial phase in the bacon production process. There are a variety of methods to do this, but the technique I’ll describe here is the one that has worked best for me.
Dry and moist curing are the two main methods of curing. Dry curing entails spreading a salt mixture over the prepared meat, covering it, and allowing the salt to work its magic over time. This approach requires additional upkeep since you must uncover the slabs and massage the curing mix into them on a regular basis.
Making a brine and immersing the slabs of belly in it is what wet curing is all about. It does need regular maintenance in the form of rotating the slab over and giving it a little massage, but it is significantly less messy than a dry rub.
I used a dry rub the first few times I made homemade bacon. Despite consistently reducing the quantity of salt used each day, the final result was often considerably saltier than I like. I later discovered that I was playing with fire by employing this procedure, since if the cure isn’t uniformly spread, it might result in “hot patches” (too much curing) or “cold spots” (insufficient curing), both of which can make you ill, even though the meat is completely cooked. So far, I’ve used the wet curing procedure on a few occasions and have found it to be really efficient. It may also be extremely effective if you leave the bacon to cure for too long or use too much salt in the cure, resulting in overly salty meat (yes, you can have too much salt in bacon).
While we’re on the subject of salt, I’ve noticed that this is a topic that causes a lot of disagreement among bacon fans. Sodium nitrate is a common component included in almost all store-bought bacon. This is “pink salt” (also known as Prague powder) and is often used by butchers in the curing of bacon, sausage, prosciutto, and other types of meat. It’s the component that gives bacon its pinkish color, and some claim it’s also responsible for the “bacony” taste. Then there are others on the opposite side of the aisle who shout that nitrates are terrible for you, that they cause cancer, that they will make you sick, and that they will cause your favorite appendage to fall off. So you’ll see “uncured” bacon in certain supermarkets these days, which is a fraud since it’s still cured, just with salt and natural nitrates rather than pink salt. It’s not quite the same, but it’s still delicious. Some argue that nitrates are naturally present in your saliva, that they may help fight cancer, and that many vegetables and fruits (as well as many other meals) contain more nitrates than processed meat. I’ve prepared bacon with and without pure pink salt. However, being a middle-of-the-road man, I came up with the following solution:
Love me tenderly, truuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Tender Quick does include nitrates, but not at the high concentrations seen in regular bacon or when using pink salt in its purest form. This is merely an idea I’ve come up with after trying it a few times. If you want to go all out and use the straight pink stuff, you’ll have to purchase it online or sweet-talk a butcher into selling you some since it’s not sold in supermarkets. Just remember to use it carefully since it’s really effective, and don’t consume it straight unless you want to be subjected to a barrage of projectile vomiting. If you believe that nitrates are the devil, you may replace the use of this product in my recipe with simple kosher salt and a pinch of celery salt.
“I’m going to use the Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices…” — oh, no, that’s the incorrect meat.
Now that we’ve dealt with the elephant in the room, it’s time to move on to the other curing elements. This is where you may let your imagination run wild. Maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, red pepper, black pepper, chili pepper, paprika, or anything else… Don’t be afraid to go crazy, but don’t forget the salt. What I’m describing here is a combination that I’ve discovered to make a basic tasty bacon without veering too far in one extreme. You may use this recipe as a starting point and then experiment with hot/spicy/salty flavors after you’ve mastered the basics of handmade bacon.
Ingredients in the Wet Curing Solution
- 1.5 cup salt mix (Tender Quick)
- 4 tbsp black pepper, finely ground
- 3 tbsp garlic granules
- paprika, 2 tbsp
- chile powder, 2 tbsp
- 3 tbsp sugar (brown)
- 6 quarts water
Take a smell of it. Can you detect the aroma of bacon? No? Of course not, dum-dum, the meat hasn’t been added yet.
In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and whisk for several minutes to ensure that the salt and sugar are well dissolved and the other spices are evenly distributed.
Now, if you have a very big container in which to cure your slabs, go ahead and do so, but they must be entirely covered in the curing solution and not exposed to air (or bacteria can still grow on it). Because the slabs are so large, I’ve found that utilizing the larger 2-gallon Ziploc bags works best. I place the slabs in the bag, add the solution, and squeeze out all of the air.
This tiny pig went straight to the refrigerator.
You’ll want to place them in some type of dish or container after they’re all packed up, just in case there’s any leaking. Place them in the fridge for approximately 7 days after they’re all snuggled and tucked in. When all you want to do is chow down on some handmade bacon deliciousness, it feels like a long time. This is when the essential patience that I mentioned before comes into play. But don’t worry, you won’t see them again for a week; you’ll need to take them out of the fridge every day to massage and circulate the cure liquid about the bag, as well as flip them.
7 days is the “sweet spot” in my experience, particularly when utilizing the wet cure. Some bacon-makers believe that you can never cure a bacon slab for too long — and they’re probably referring to the dry curing process — but I’ve discovered that there is such a thing with the wet cure. So start with seven days and then, if you dare, attempt longer periods. But I would also note that you can absolutely under-cure bacon; if you take it out any sooner than 7 days, it will taste like a young ham.
Smoking
It’s finally time to smoke these bad boys after that lengthy, agonizing curing process. Again, you’ll want to schedule this ahead of time so that once your curing process is complete, you can immediately begin setting up for smoking. Pull the slabs out after 7 days and rinse them completely; you don’t want any cure residue on the meat. You’ll find that the black pepper is the most difficult to remove, but if you like your bacon to be more peppery, you don’t need to rinse the pepper grinds as thoroughly.
Some aspects of the smoking procedure may still be left to personal preference: 1) whether to smoke the slab wet or dry, 2) what sort of wood to use, and 3) how long to smoke it. Many recipes recommend letting the slabs remain in the fridge on a rack for 24 hours after rinsing them to enable some of the fat to congeal, allowing the smoke to adhere to the meat easier. Other groups have also utilized BBQ science to promote the habit of putting it in the smoker while it’s still wet, claiming that the studies show that smoke attaches better to wet surfaces. Having tried both methods multiple times, I can tell that the results of the latter strategy appear to hold true. Though there are different sorts of smokers available, a good ol’ fashioned charcoal side-box like the one depicted above is the finest for this procedure.
Hickory, apple, cherry, pecan, and alder are among the most common smoking woods I’ve tried, either alone or in different combinations. I’ve discovered that combining hickory and pecan provides the best flavourful bacon. Instead of using the little pieces that are strewn over hot charcoals, utilize large chunks of wood that may be used in lieu of charcoal. These are available at almost any home improvement shop, such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. This should be done over indirect heat, with the temperature not exceeding 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then there’s the matter of how long it will take. Some camps claim it just takes 1-1.5 hours, while others say it takes more; in any case, you want to make sure the inside temperature reaches 150 degrees. To truly get that smokey taste, I prefer to smoke the beef for 3-4 hours at 200 degrees.
When you’re done, your slabs should look like this:
It’s so near you can almost taste it. Take a bite and see what you think.
Getting Your Bacon Sliced
Yeah, I created that. *grunt*
Take a bite and see what you think. If you receive it towards the end, be aware that it will be saltier than the middle slices. But hold off on slicing this up just yet. Place the slabs of bacon on a dish in the fridge for a few hours, since cold bacon is much simpler to cut.
You’ll need a long, sharp knife to slice with, and if you’re serious about your pastime, you can invest in one of those handy home meat slicing machines, which make cutting up a few pounds of bacon a lot simpler, particularly if you want it thinly sliced. I had one that I acquired for $10 on Craigslist; it was ancient as dirt, but it worked OK until it died when I was preparing the batch for this essay. (Ahem, if my beloved wife is reading this, Father’s Day is approaching!) Cutting it by hand takes a long time and is difficult, and no matter how hard you try, you’ll end up with irregular slice thickness. To make things simpler on yourself, make sure you cut against the grain, just like you would with other meats. Begin by trimming the ends of your center slices so that they are all around the same length.
Now, don’t toss anything away from this slab! Make a separate pile for those end pieces and “poor” slices, since they’re still useable in other dishes (read: bacon bits), and you can fry them up for breakfast even though they’re not as cosmetically pleasing. Look at your first slice and feel proud of yourself for cooking your own homemade bacon.
Bacon that is superior and splatter-proof. Who’d have guessed?
Now chop a couple more pieces and chuck them in the pan because, yeah, it’s time to fry it up and have some bacon food! Keep in mind that this will cook differently than store-bought – it won’t pop or sizzle as much. The reason for this is that when commercially produced bacon is processed, it is fed through a machine that sends hundreds of hypodermic needles down both sides of the slab, injecting it with a solution containing salt, curing agents, smoke flavoring (because they’re too cheap to do it right), and a lot of water. What happens if you combine heated fat/oil with water? You’ve guessed it: sizzle, pop, and splatter. Because your handmade bacon was not prepared in this manner, it has a significantly lower water content, which means you won’t have as much of a spattering issue.
Also, bear in mind that it should be cooked at a medium temperature and only flipped once. The edges will darken quicker if you used a lot of sugar in the cure and/or smoked it for a long period, but they won’t taste burned even if they seem to be.
The tasting test is now underway. Don’t anticipate pristine perfection the first time around – no one does. If you have more than one slab, be careful to sample slices from each since the cure absorbs differentially depending on the striations in the fat and tissue. Expect it to taste nothing like store-bought, since practically everything you’ve done thus far isn’t how it’s done commercially. It should be more flavorful! If you don’t believe that, think about what you believe is lacking and make a note of it for the next time.
The only thing to really go wrong with this (apart from not curing it long enough) is to make it overly salty. This may be caused by using too much salt in the treatment, allowing it to cure for too long, or both. If the taste test makes you want to go for a cup of water, you may want to address that before slicing and storing the remainder of the slab. The simplest method to accomplish this is to soak the slab in water for 24 to 36 hours (in the fridge), depending on how salty you believe it is. Soak it for 24 hours before frying a few more slices to taste. If it’s still too salty, soak it for another 12 hours and give it another go. After you’ve diluted it sufficiently, place the slab in the fridge for another 12 hours, out of water and on a rack (with a plate under it to collect the water), to dry it out before slicing the remainder of it.
Storage
Rather than freezing the slabs whole, it is strongly encouraged to slice them up and freeze them in sections. Otherwise, you’ll have to defrost the slab every time you want bacon, and re-freezing and thawing a lump of pork isn’t good for it. Once all of the bacon has been sliced, place it in freezer-safe tiny Ziploc bags or, better yet, seal it with a vacuum sealer like a FoodSaver. I’ve had a FoodSaver for years, and I feel that if you purchase big amounts of perishable items from warehouse stores, you should have one as well. I normally put around 7-10 pieces in a bag, and when it’s time for a bacon breakfast (or snack), I just take a bag and thaw it out in warm water for 10 minutes.
I’m hoping that after reading this, you’ll be even more motivated to start producing your own bacon. It’s not simple, but it’s satisfying and cost-effective in the long term, particularly after you’ve gotten the hang of it. Depending on your local rules, you could even be allowed to sell it for a profit at your local farmers’ market if you become very good at it. I had intended to do the same but discovered that the costs were much too high to make it feasible. But sharing my bacon with friends and family and seeing how much they like it still makes me happy.
I’m hoping that after reading this, you’ll be even more motivated to start producing your own bacon. It’s not simple, but it’s satisfying and cost-effective in the long term, particularly after you’ve gotten the hang of it. Depending on your local rules, you could even be allowed to sell it for a profit at your local farmers’ market if you become very good at it. I had intended to do the same but discovered that the costs were much too high to make it feasible. But sharing my bacon with friends and family and seeing how much they like it still makes me happy.
Mike Lunney, a semi-freelance writer-want tobe who lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and two sons, is a semi-freelance writer-want tobe. He loves to play drums, write (obviously), cook homemade meats and whiskey, work in the garden, perform home improvement projects, and generally make an ass out of himself to amuse his kids when he’s not busy bashing his head on the desk at his day job in education administration.
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