My friends Steve, Pete, Mike, and Adam are holding their own "Beer and Bacon" festival in Boston this weekend since they were not able to get in the official one. Something tells me the party that they are throwing will be better/more intense/funnier....
Since I live across the ocean from them and can't attend, I'm jealous. The only way I can combat their skype-taunting session is to throw something equally fun back in their faces. One thing that could possibly make them jealous is to cure my own bacon (4 different ways) and drink some Belgian beers.
I first got the idea to start curing my own bacon when I purchased Michael Ruhlman's book Charcuterie. I've always been interested in how food was produced before big companies took over and started processing food. Bacon is one of the most simple cures to try, and it happens to be one of my favorite foods, so it was a no-brainer. I have made many iterations of cures and have found experimenting with different seasonings methods to be really rewarding.
Knowledge bomb: The curing process goes back until ancient times as a way to preserve meat (way before fridges existed). When you salt a piece of meat, the salt pulls the water out of the meat through a process called osmosis. After curing your bacon, you will notice there is a lot of liquid in the bag. Thanks, salt! I have no idea how this works scientifically, but the end result is to flavor the meat, slow the oxidation process, and make it a tough place for bacteria to grow. Boom.
There has been a bacon craze on the internet for the past 3-5 years. This heavenly meat certainly deserves all of the accolades it has been receiving. I know this post is late to the party, so I figured I could add a bit of flair by doing 4 different renditions of dry cures.
Process:
How to cure bacon:
Curing is similar baking - you have to have the right proportions of salt and seasoning to meat, or else you will end up with a bad end product. The process is the same for all of the below cures - you just need to cure it, smoke it, slice it, and then cook it!
Get a nice pork belly from your local butcher shop. Mine was 5 pounds, and skin-on is okay. If you would like to try the 4 different types of cures, section your pork belly into the appropriate weights. If not, just choose your favorite and leave the belly whole.
Weigh out and measure your ingredients. The most important thing to get right is the proportion of salt (pink and kosher) to the weight of the pork belly. I have also provided measurements in the recipe in case you don't have a scale.
Place each of the different pork bellies into an individual zip-lock bag, pour the dry cure in, and mix it around so the cure contacts all sides of the meat. Squeeze out all of the air from the bag and seal it. Place the bags into baking dish in case the liquid drips in your fridge (that's a gross mess to clean up). You'll want to flip the bellies every day or two in order to make sure the meat is curing evenly.
Curing time depends on the thickness of the belly. For me, it took 1 week.
To test to see whether it's finished, press on the belly and it should feel firm like a well-done steak.
How to smoke/grill cured pork belly:
Take the bellies out of the bags, wipe off the cure, and place them onto a pre-heated grill to 250F. You'll want to use indirect heat to slowly smoke the bacon. Turn on one burner at one end of the grill, and place your bellies on the other side. Or if you have charcoal or wood chips, pile them all on one side of the grill.
After an hour or 2, take the bacon off of the grill and remove the skin if it's still attached.
Congratulations! You have just made bacon! I bet it tastes way better than the store-bought stuff. You can either freeze it whole, refrigerate it, or get to cooking it right away. I'm guessing it won't last very long in your house - even if you live alone....
How to properly cook bacon in a frying pan:
Slice the bacon in even thickness. Since you worked hard to make this, you can slice it as thick as you want! You'll need a sharp knife. If it's still difficult, you can put the bacon in the freezer for about 45 minutes to make it more firm.
Since I live across the ocean from them and can't attend, I'm jealous. The only way I can combat their skype-taunting session is to throw something equally fun back in their faces. One thing that could possibly make them jealous is to cure my own bacon (4 different ways) and drink some Belgian beers.
I first got the idea to start curing my own bacon when I purchased Michael Ruhlman's book Charcuterie. I've always been interested in how food was produced before big companies took over and started processing food. Bacon is one of the most simple cures to try, and it happens to be one of my favorite foods, so it was a no-brainer. I have made many iterations of cures and have found experimenting with different seasonings methods to be really rewarding.
Knowledge bomb: The curing process goes back until ancient times as a way to preserve meat (way before fridges existed). When you salt a piece of meat, the salt pulls the water out of the meat through a process called osmosis. After curing your bacon, you will notice there is a lot of liquid in the bag. Thanks, salt! I have no idea how this works scientifically, but the end result is to flavor the meat, slow the oxidation process, and make it a tough place for bacteria to grow. Boom.
There has been a bacon craze on the internet for the past 3-5 years. This heavenly meat certainly deserves all of the accolades it has been receiving. I know this post is late to the party, so I figured I could add a bit of flair by doing 4 different renditions of dry cures.
Taste test results are at the end of the post.
Process:
How to cure bacon:
Curing is similar baking - you have to have the right proportions of salt and seasoning to meat, or else you will end up with a bad end product. The process is the same for all of the below cures - you just need to cure it, smoke it, slice it, and then cook it!
Get a nice pork belly from your local butcher shop. Mine was 5 pounds, and skin-on is okay. If you would like to try the 4 different types of cures, section your pork belly into the appropriate weights. If not, just choose your favorite and leave the belly whole.
Weigh out and measure your ingredients. The most important thing to get right is the proportion of salt (pink and kosher) to the weight of the pork belly. I have also provided measurements in the recipe in case you don't have a scale.
Place each of the different pork bellies into an individual zip-lock bag, pour the dry cure in, and mix it around so the cure contacts all sides of the meat. Squeeze out all of the air from the bag and seal it. Place the bags into baking dish in case the liquid drips in your fridge (that's a gross mess to clean up). You'll want to flip the bellies every day or two in order to make sure the meat is curing evenly.
Curing time depends on the thickness of the belly. For me, it took 1 week.
To test to see whether it's finished, press on the belly and it should feel firm like a well-done steak.
How to smoke/grill cured pork belly:
Take the bellies out of the bags, wipe off the cure, and place them onto a pre-heated grill to 250F. You'll want to use indirect heat to slowly smoke the bacon. Turn on one burner at one end of the grill, and place your bellies on the other side. Or if you have charcoal or wood chips, pile them all on one side of the grill.
After an hour or 2, take the bacon off of the grill and remove the skin if it's still attached.
Congratulations! You have just made bacon! I bet it tastes way better than the store-bought stuff. You can either freeze it whole, refrigerate it, or get to cooking it right away. I'm guessing it won't last very long in your house - even if you live alone....
How to properly cook bacon in a frying pan:
Slice the bacon in even thickness. Since you worked hard to make this, you can slice it as thick as you want! You'll need a sharp knife. If it's still difficult, you can put the bacon in the freezer for about 45 minutes to make it more firm.
The best way to cook bacon is to start the slices in a cold pan on low heat. If you try to cook it too quickly, you'll end up burning the outside. The cold pan allows the fat to render out of the bacon. Once enough fat has accumulated, it will fry the bacon and produce crispy results. Don't rush it - good things are worth the wait.
Ingredient List for the 4 cures I made:
(All proportions remain constant - if you want to cure a larger piece of belly, do a little math)
Cure #1: The Traditional - Brown Sugar Cure
A no-frills delicious bacon that is very versatile
2.5 lbs pork belly (900g)
1/8 cup kosher salt (25g)
1 tsp pink salt (6g)
1/4 cup brown sugar (50g)
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
Cure #2: The Asian Sensation - Ginger, Garlic and 5-Spice Cure
A unique blend of Asian flavors that would pair well with duck or Asian-style chicken
2/3 lb pork belly (300g)
2 tsp kosher salt (8g)
1/2 tsp pink salt (2g)
2T brown sugar (20g)
1/2 inch diced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp 5 spice
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
Cure #3: The Smoky BBQ Burger Sidekick - Smoked Paprika and Garlic Cure
Perfect if you don't have a smoker - a flavorful addition to a burger or with eggs in the morning
2/3 lb pork belly (300g)
2 tsp kosher salt (8g)
1/2 tsp pink salt (2g)
2T brown sugar (20g)
1T onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 cloves minced garlic
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
Cure #4: The Ole School "Pancetta" - Juniper Berry, Rosemary, and Garlic Cure
A savory cure similar to pancetta - great for pastas like carbonara
2/3 lb pork belly (300g)
2 tsp kosher salt (8g)
1/2 tsp pink salt (2g)
1.5 tsp white sugar (6g)
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
8 juniper berries, cracked open to release oils
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
(All proportions remain constant - if you want to cure a larger piece of belly, do a little math)
Cure #1: The Traditional - Brown Sugar Cure
A no-frills delicious bacon that is very versatile
2.5 lbs pork belly (900g)
1/8 cup kosher salt (25g)
1 tsp pink salt (6g)
1/4 cup brown sugar (50g)
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
Cure #2: The Asian Sensation - Ginger, Garlic and 5-Spice Cure
A unique blend of Asian flavors that would pair well with duck or Asian-style chicken
2/3 lb pork belly (300g)
2 tsp kosher salt (8g)
1/2 tsp pink salt (2g)
2T brown sugar (20g)
1/2 inch diced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp 5 spice
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
Cure #3: The Smoky BBQ Burger Sidekick - Smoked Paprika and Garlic Cure
Perfect if you don't have a smoker - a flavorful addition to a burger or with eggs in the morning
2/3 lb pork belly (300g)
2 tsp kosher salt (8g)
1/2 tsp pink salt (2g)
2T brown sugar (20g)
1T onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 cloves minced garlic
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
Cure #4: The Ole School "Pancetta" - Juniper Berry, Rosemary, and Garlic Cure
A savory cure similar to pancetta - great for pastas like carbonara
2/3 lb pork belly (300g)
2 tsp kosher salt (8g)
1/2 tsp pink salt (2g)
1.5 tsp white sugar (6g)
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
8 juniper berries, cracked open to release oils
Pre-cure
Post-cure and after smoking
End result
The Verdict:
Sven - Asian, BBQ, Juniper, Traditional
Lauren - Asian, Juniper, BBQ, Traditional
Zack - Asian, BBQ, Juniper, Traditional
Song: Addicted to Bacon - A Sizzlin Rap Song
p.s. I think I love bacon as much as this kid
Sven - Asian, BBQ, Juniper, Traditional
Lauren - Asian, Juniper, BBQ, Traditional
Zack - Asian, BBQ, Juniper, Traditional
Song: Addicted to Bacon - A Sizzlin Rap Song
p.s. I think I love bacon as much as this kid
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