Homemade Bacon

Never eat store bought bacon again! Watch while Bre teaches you her shockingly simple, but out of this world delicious method for making homemade bacon! 🥓 🤤

Ingredients:

1 Half or 1 Whole Pork Belly Cut into 2.5 or 2.25 lb sections

Per section of Pork Belly:

1 Gallon Ziploc Bag

4 Tbsp Paprika

2 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 tsp of Prague Powder #1 Curing Salt

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Coarse Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup Grade A Maple Syrup

Tin Foil

Baking Sheet

Wire Baking Rack

Cooking Spray

Paper Towels

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Instructions

• Choose and Slice your Pork Belly
  • Whether using one whole or one half of a pork belly you want to look for a piece with excellent marbling.
  • Then, cut it into 2.5 to 2.25 lb sections.
• Season
  • For each section of pork belly you end up with, you’ll need one gallon size ziploc bag. In each bag goes:
    • 4 Tbsp Paprika
    • 2 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes (at the end the seasonings get rinsed off, so have no fear! This is not spicy bacon 😊)
    • 2 tsp Prague Powder #1 curing salt
    • 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
    • 1/3 cup Coarse Kosher Salt
    • 1/2 cup Grade A Maple Syrup
  • Use your hands to mush the bag together from the outside to combine all of the ingredients. Make sure to break up any chunks you may feel. Once it’s nice and combined, add your pork belly in horizontally.
  • Squeeze all the air out of the bag and make sure your pork belly is all the way in the bottom of the bag. Then, manipulate the cure until it covers the product completely on all sides. Repeat this step for any other cuts you may have.
• Cure
  • Now the waiting begins. While making your own bacon is very simple, it is time consuming. Your bacon is now going to cure anywhere between 7-10 days. But boy is it worth the wait!
  • Place your Ziploc bags in the refrigerator and be sure to flip them once every day until the curing process is complete.
• Rinse and Dry
  • Once your cure is set (your meat has hardened and your curing mixture has stuck to the pork belly) it’s time to rinse.
  • Prepare a baking sheet by covering it in aluminum foil and placing a baking rack on top of it. Go ahead and spray the rack with cooking spray.
  • Rinse off all the excess salt and seasoning from your bacon and place on your pre prepared rack.
  • Take a paper towel and blot the top of your pork belly to remove any excess liquid.
  • Place the rack, uncovered back in your refrigerator for 2 days.
• Smoke
  • Remove your pork belly from your refrigerator at the end of the two days and place them on the rack in your smoker at 200° for about 3 hours, or until they reach an internal temperature of 150°.
  • After removing your bacon from the smoker, let it come to room temperature, place it in a Ziploc bag and put it back in the fridge overnight.
  • The next day you can slice your pork belly using a meat slicer. Pro Tip:  When it’s nice and cold is when it’s easiest to slice!
• Cook
  • Take a baking sheet covered in foil and place a wire baking rack on top. Place your now pieces of bacon onto the wire rack. This will help lift your bacon away from the grease while it cooks.
  • Cook at 300°-350° for 35-45 minutes, or to your preferred doneness. Everyone likes their bacon a little bit differently!

While this recipe may take a little time, it’s hands down the best bacon you will ever eat!

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