Homemade Cured Bacon

Cure your own bacon at home.

10 servings
192 hours
Ethan Chlebowski

Ingredients

Meat

  • Pork belly, skin on
    1 slab

Cure

  • Salt
    2%
  • Celery powder
    .25%
  • Brown Sugar
    1%

Added Spices

  • Szechuan peppercorns
    .5%
  • Garlic, cloves
    .25%

Method

Step 1: Calculate the cure & spice weights

Using a food scale, weigh the pork belly.

Use this weight to calculate the remaining ingredient amounts. For example, if you have 1000 g of pork belly, 2% salt = 20 g.

Once you’ve weighed out the salt, celery powder, brown sugar, peppercorns, and garlic cloves, add them to a bowl and mix them all together.

Step 2: Cover & seal the pork belly

Cover the pig belly with the cure mixture until completely covered. Vacuum seal the belly in a bag and let cure for around 7 days in the fridge (36-40°F/2-5°C) until the meat has firmed up and deepened in color.

  • If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can cure the belly in freezer bags or a covered container. Just make sure the pork belly is well covered by the cure and rotate as needed to keep it covered by the cure.

  • It’s normal for the cure to draw out moisture and turn it into a syrupy consistency. For very large pork belly sections (more than 5 kg/10 lbs), the curing time should be longer and might take up to two weeks.

Step 3: Smoke the bacon

After curing, it is time to . Use an electric smoker, or a charcoal grill set up on indirect heat. Warm smoke the bacon somewhere between 73-104°F/22-40°C for at least 12 but up to 24 hours.

  • This “warm” smoking temperature imparts a smoky flavor and dehydrates the meat but does not cook the bacon.

After smoking, remove the skin and let it cool before slicing.

Step 4: Slice, store, & use

Slice the bacon as desired and cook when needed. Freeze & store extra slices.

“Everyone should learn how to home-cure bacon at least once in their lives. Here’s the version that I first made with my dad. ”

Ethan Chlebowski
Creator

Watch & Cook

FAQ

What’s up with the celery powder?

Celery powder is naturally high in nitrates which turn into nitrites during the curing. You need some form of nitrites during meat curing to prevent bacterial growth (like botulism) in the meat. It also gives the bacon a deeper . You can also use cure #1 (pink salt) which is an instant source of synthesized nitrites.

Do I have to use Szechuan peppercorns?

Szechuan peppercorns give this bacon a different and a mild tingling spice. You can use standard black peppercorns instead, or even add different spices to reach your ideal aroma profile.