mmm Bacon

As most of you probably have heard, WHO just came out and blatantly said that processed meats cause, without a doubt, cancer. Personally, I could pretty easily go without meat, the only difficulty I would find would be living without processed meats. Such an umbrella term, "processed meats" cause the grouping of things like this...

v

To things like this...

(FYI Maddie this will be your room in a couple of months, don't worry they will be done by then.)

I am sure that the "food" item in the can may cause cancer. I struggle mentally to see how meats cured the old fashioned way, when consumed responsibly (note: I have never made or eaten bacon ice cream, moderation please.) can be so bad for you.

Rant over. Bacon time.

I have made bacon a couple of times now, and it is super easy. The number one ingredient is time. Well that, and pork. And I guess salt. Salt is extremely important. Really, those are the only items I follow almost to the letter of the recipe I use.

For every 1800 grams (about 4 pounds)  of Skinless Pork Belly 

Add 170 grams of Sea Salt

and

1 and 1/2 teaspoons Curing Salt 

With that as a base you can experiment with spices and sugars as much as you like.

I have used maple syrup and brown sugar in the past, both have their benefits, but I prefer to use brown sugar as it is cheaper, not as messy, and I like to pour maple syrup on bacon after cooking.

225 grams of Brown Sugar

I like spicy. So typically I add chilli flakes and cayenne pepper, a good pinch or two or three. Peppercorns are also a must, whatever colour of your choosing about half a tablespoon.

Through all the rub ingredients into a mortar and grind it up with the pestle. It doesn't need to be ultra-fine, but a ground mixture is much easily to spread evenly. And that is what you must do, massage every side of the meat with the rub. 

Put the pork belly into a container and cover, and place it in the fridge. The next day take it out and pour out any liquid that has accumulated. Any excess spices should be rubbed back into the meat. Repeat this process for a total of at least three days up to five days. 

The pork belly will be tightening up, noticeably after the first day, and by the end of its curing it should be nice and firm. Take it out of the container and rinse off any solid spices with cold water. Give it a good bath and then dry it off. Now you have another choice to make, but the pork belly is now BACON.

You can smoke it or leave it as is. Whichever path you choose, wrap the bacon in muslin cloth. If you are going to smoke it, leave it out of the fridge. If you aren't, put it back in the fridge, on a plate, uncovered for a few hours. Afterwards, put it into a cover container and it should keep in the fridge for a few weeks. Slice it as you go, it will keep better as a solid chunk of bacon.

Smoking can impact some nice flavor to the meat. I have used a combination of oak and maple in the past. Get your smoking device going and aim for around 70-80 celsius. Smoke fat side up for about three hours, until the middle of the bacon is 60 degrees. 

As long as you follow the salt to meat ratio you will be safe. My first go arounds with curing meat left me a bit scared, but I read up on it, consulting a few books, finding In the Charcuterie to be quite a good and informative read.