How To Cure Bacon At Home
Servings: 1000 g
Calories:
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1000 g pork belly 2.2 lbs; skinless
- 22.5 g kosher salt 1 1/4 Tbsp
- 2.5 g Cure #1 1/2 tsp (see notes)
- 10 g black pepper coarsely ground; about 4.5 teaspoons
- 25 g maple syrup 1 Tbsp; see notes.
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.
- Rub the belly with maple syrup.
- Combine the salt, Cure #1, 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 bag, or vacuum-seal, and refrigerate for at least 7 days and up to 14 days for regular thickness pieces (less than 3") and up to 21 days for thicker bacon pieces (3" or thicker), flipping occasionally.
- Remove from the bag, pat dry with paper towels, scrape off excess seasonings with the back of a knife if you desire, slice, cook and enjoy.
- You may also hang the bacon to dry for a week or so, at temperatures below 40F if not using Cure #1 or at 55F or below if using Cure #1. This will improve shelf life and intensify flavor.
- If you used Cure #1 to cure the bacon, you can smoke it at low temperatures (below 200F) to obtain smoky flavor.
Notes
If you decide not to use Cure #1, replace its amount with kosher salt.
If you don't mind your bacon slightly sweeter, double the amount of maple syrup. The bacon will become much tastier, with less perceptible saltiness and a pleasant sweetness. It's addictive!