How to home-cure bacon: start with a slab of pork belly and some liquid smoke – the rest is up to you
- Sugar and salt are essential when curing bacon, but you can change the type of sugar, or add different seasonings, depending on your own tastes
- Be vigilant about sanitation, keeping the meat cool, cooking it sufficiently and storing it properly; it takes about a week to cure in the fridge
You must be vigilant about sanitation, keeping the meat cool, cooking it sufficiently and storing it properly.
When making bacon, you need to be flexible; it takes about a week to cure in the fridge, but might need more or less time, depending on the thickness of the meat.
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A 2kg piece of pork belly, skin removed
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90 grams (3oz and 1 tsp) fine sea salt
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90 grams (3oz and 1 tsp) light muscovado sugar
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2 tsp liquid smoke (use Wright’s, which you can get online)
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Maple syrup, as needed
1 Thoroughly combine the salt, sugar and liquid smoke. Use a pastry brush to paint a thin layer of maple syrup over the entire surface of the pork belly. Spread half the salt/sugar mixture evenly over one side of the pork belly then place it in a large zip-lock bag. Flip it over then spread the remaining salt/sugar mixture over the other side of the pork belly.
