Turn the bag over every 48 hours and leave in the refrigerator for 1 week. The pan will catch any potential leaks cure the bacon for 5 days turning it over each day.
Espresso Maple Smoked Bacon This Homemade Bacon Is Made With Pork Belly And Cured With Maple Syrup Espresso Bacon Recipes Bacon Recipes Homemade Pork Belly
Cure the pork belly.
Curing pork belly for bacon. In a small bowl combine the pepper sugar paprika salt curing salt. Smoke at 200 225 f until bacon reaches an internal temperature of 150 f. The cured belly goes into the smoker at 100 f for 30 minutes then the temperature is reduced after drying to between 80 and 90 f.
Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels. Start by curing the belly. Place it in a colander.
Your bacon is ready for slicing. Refrigerate bacon to cool completely before slicing. Place the pork belly in a large zipper plastic bag leaving it well crusted with the curing ingredients.
Seal and place in the refrigerator. Think of it as brine. If you don t have a smoker you can use your oven but alas you will miss out on the smoky flavor that is classic to bacon.
Place the belly in a large sturdy resealable plastic bag in a foil pan or roasting pan on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Then use paper towels or a clean towel to gently pat the meat dry. Remove the pork belly from the fridge and its container.
Place the entire belly and curing mix into a large zip top bag and place in refrigerator for 7 days. Run cold water over both sides to wash away all excess salt. Turn over and repeat on other side with remaining mix.
After 1 week remove the pork belly from the bag and rinse away the spices on both sides. Rinse and dry the belly. That low or cold temperature is maintained for about six hours the result is a raw cured meat that must be cooked before eating and cooking it long enough can produce really crispy bacon.
This is very important. After bacon is done curing remove it from the bag give it a rinse to remove excess salt and pat it dry. While drying the belly fire up your smoker.
Place belly on a foil lined tray and pat dry with paper towels. Place the pork belly in the smoker. Your bacon is now cured.
Pork belly mine was 2 75lbs so i adjusted all measurements again this recipe from budd s bacon calls for 10lbs 1 3 cup brown sugar can use light or dark 1 3 cup kosher salt. As the cure dehydrates the bacon liquid will gather in the bag. This should take 2 3 hours depending on your smoker s temperature and the thickness of the pork belly.
Smoke the pork belly 3 hours or until the bacon reaches an internal temperature of. You should have it set to a low smoke setting 200 220 degrees and smoke the belly for 2 hours. Using half of the cure mix sprinkle evenly over the surface of the belly and rub in gently.
2 tablespoons pink salt prague 1 use measurements listed on package per lb depending on quantity of pork belly you will be curing. Chill and rest the bacon. Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer s instructions using applewood chips and set to 200 degrees f.