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Smoked bacon pieces hanging on steel hooks

Smoked Bacon (Ready to Eat)

Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Eastern European
Keyword: homemade smoked bacon, ready-to-eat bacon, smoked bacon, smoking bacon
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Curing and drying time: 14 days 12 hours
Total Time: 14 days 16 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 334kcal
Author: Victor
Fully cooked hickory-smoked bacon with maple flavor.
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Ingredients

  • 1000 g pork belly skinless
  • 22.5 g kosher salt
  • 2.5 g Cure #1
  • 10 g black pepper coarsely ground
  • 50 g maple syrup
  • 0.5 g cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Weigh the pork belly in grams. Divide by 1000, then multiply each ingredient by that number. For example, if your belly weighs 2650 g, you need to multiply the ingredients specified above by 2.65.
  • Combine the salt, Cure #1, cayenne and black pepper in a small bowl.
  • Apply the dry cure mix evenly on all sides of the pork belly.
  • Place the pork into a Ziploc or vacuum-sealer bag and add maple syrup spreading it evenly over the meat. Refrigerate for 7 days flipping occasionally.
  • Remove from the bag, scrape off excess seasonings with the back of a knife, and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Place the meat on a cooling rack fitted over a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
  • Remove the meat from the fridge and let warm up to room temperature over the course of 1-2 hours.
  • Meanwhile, preheat your smoker/smokehouse to 135F - 140F.
  • Hang pork bellies in the smoker and let them warm up for about 30 minutes without smoke.
  • After 30 minutes and once the meat's surface is dry, apply smoke. Smoke for 2-4 hours depending on how smoky you want your bacon and how much color you want on it.
  • Place the meat in a Ziploc or a vacuum sealer bag. Poach at 167F (75C) for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 154F (68C). Chill the bacon under a cold shower for a few minutes or in a cool room (50F - 55F / 10C-12C) for 10-12 hours.
  • Hang the bacon in a cool room or a curing chamber for 5-7 days (or longer, to taste) to dry at about 55F (12C) and 70% relative humidity. See notes.
  • Remove bacon from the curing chamber, wrap it into an unglazed butcher's paper and refrigerate or vacuum seal, and freeze for longer storage.

Notes

You may also dry the bacon in your fridge by placing it on a cooling rack fitted over a baking sheet and left uncovered. A week of drying in the fridge will be enough. Be warned though that the smoky flavor will spread to other items in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 60g | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 626mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.4mg