PEOPLE THINK CURING your own bacon is hard. But all it really takes is ordering ingredients, rubbing the pork belly with the cure (and waiting), and then smoking it. It costs way less than artisanal bacon and you can control exactly what you put on it. And not for nothing, it feels so satisfying to serve your friends and family deliciously smoky bacon that you made from start to finish.
HOW TO MAKE BACON
1. Rub belly Rub pork belly with brown sugar, kosher salt, pepper, pink curing salt, and bay leaf.
Why? The cure flavors the bacon. It also firms it up because it draws water out.
2. Cure Refrigerate pork until firm yet still pliable, 7 to 10 days, flipping it every other day.
The meat will
