Homemade bacon is one of the most satisfying DIY foods you can make. Starting with raw sliced pork belly, you can transform it into smoky, salty bacon far superior to anything you can buy at the store While you may think making your own bacon requires obscure ingredients and complicated steps, curing sliced pork belly into bacon is actually quite simple This guide will walk you through the basic process and options so you can start crafting incredible bacon at home.
Why Make Your Own Bacon?
Curing and smoking your own bacon may seem intimidating but the payoff is immense
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Better taste: Homemade bacon tastes far superior to storebought with deeper smoky flavors and ideal saltiness you customize.
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No undesired ingredients: Storebought bacon often contains preservatives, flavorings, and other additives you can avoid with homemade.
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Perfect thickness: Cut homemade bacon as thick or thin as you like. No more flimsy sad slices!
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Cost savings: Depending on the price of pork belly, curing your own bacon can be much cheaper per pound.
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Sense of accomplishment: There’s something immensely gratifying about transforming basic pork belly into incredible bacon.
Pork Belly Curing Methods
There are two main methods for curing pork belly – dry brining and wet brining.
Dry Brining
Dry brining, also called dry curing, involves rubbing a salt and spice mixture directly onto the pork belly slices then letting them cure in the fridge. The salt draws moisture from the meat while the spices infuse flavor.
Pros: Simple and easy process, less handling of meat required. Allows you to season each slice individually.
Cons: Can extract more moisture from the meat, so finished bacon may be drier. Rub must cover every surface.
Wet Brining
With wet brining, the pork belly is submerged in a water-based brine solution. The liquid allows seasonings to distribute evenly while keeping the meat moist.
Pros: More consistently moist finished bacon. Brine fully penetrates meat.
Cons: Requires carefully measuring brine ingredients. More hands-on process with extra container needed.
How to Dry Cure Sliced Pork Belly
Dry curing is the easiest method for curing sliced pork belly. Here’s a simple process:
Ingredients
- Pork belly, sliced 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cure #1 pink salt
Instructions
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In a small bowl, mix together the salt, brown sugar, pepper, garlic powder, and cure #1 until well combined.
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Lay pork belly slices in a single layer on a baking sheet or large plate. Sprinkle the curing mixture evenly over all surfaces, pressing lightly so it adheres.
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Stack the seasoned slices on top of each other and wrap the stack tightly in plastic wrap. Place in a rimmed pan or large zip top bag.
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Cure in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, flipping the bundle over each day.
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After curing, rinse the slices under cold water to remove excess cure mixture. Pat very dry with paper towels.
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Let sit uncovered in the fridge 8-12 hours to form pellicle.
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Hot smoke at 180°F for 2-3 hours until bacon reaches 150°F internal temperature.
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Chill completely before slicing and cooking as desired.
The dry brine tenderizes the meat while infusing tons of flavor. Smoking imparts that signature smoky bacon taste as it cooks. Let the homemade bacon shine by frying it up and serving with eggs, on burgers and BLTs, or just snacking.
Customize Your Bacon
Once you master the basic dry brining technique, it’s easy to customize the flavor.
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Use maple sugar or maple syrup for sweetness
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Add herbs like rosemary, sage, or thyme
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Use spices like chili powder, cumin, or chipotle
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Add flavor with citrus zest, coffee, bourbon, etc
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Or keep it simple with just salt and pepper
Experiment to create your own unique bacon.
Troubleshooting Home Cured Bacon
Curing bacon is generally a very forgiving process but issues can pop up:
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Too salty? Reduce salt in cure mix to 3-4 Tbsp per 5 lbs meat.
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Too smoky? Smoke for less time at lower temp like 150°F.
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Too dry? Use a wet brine or smoke at higher humidity.
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Weird flavors? Ensure cure was rinsed off fully and try new flavorings.
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Dangerous bacteria? Always use cure #1 for safety. Discard if smells bad.
Don’t worry about small adjustments as you dial in your perfect bacon.
Satisfying DIY Bacon
With just a few basic ingredients and steps, you can easily transform sliced pork belly into incredible homemade bacon. While it takes some time, the process is very straightforward. Customize your flavor profiles for bacon that tastes better than anything you can buy. Enjoy the immense satisfaction of crafting your own bacon from scratch!
There are few single ingredients that are so universally adored as bacon. And the only thing better than bacon is homemade bacon.
Curing your own bacon, at least once, is a great experience for any meat enthusiast. It takes a while (compared to running to the store and buying some), but the end result is well worth it because you feel like you’ve accomplished something and got something tasty in return. Furthermore, it lets you decide what goes into the bacon, how good the pork is, and of course, the flavoring and smoke level. Not only that, but you can make the slices as thick or thin as you want.
There are a few things you’ll need to make your own bacon. Firstly, curing salt (aka Prague powder) which can be bought at better grocery and specialty food stores or ordered online. Second, you’ll need a smoker of some kind (because obviously that’s how you get the smoke flavor!). A pellet grill is perfect for this task because it’s fabulously easy to use, and will only take a couple of hours. I prefer fruit woods like Apple or Cherry to pair with pork, but of course you can go for something stronger like Hickory. Finally, you may want to consider investing in a great quality thermometer. I use and recommend the Thermapen, and also used a Dot to monitor the temp of the smoker.
This recipe serves as the core foundation for a bunch of different types and flavors you can try. All you need to do is adjust some of the ingredients and experiment with additions. You can make your own signature bacon with brown sugar, molasses, garlic, bourbon, different types of wood, and a lot of other things. Let’s be honest: it’s going to be a really tasty process of trial and error.
It goes without saying that once you have all that bacon, you can use it to make magical meals like these:
