How To Cure Your Own Bacon

These days, you can brew your own craft beer at home. You can even create your own craft wine at home.

So why not make your own batch of “craft bacon?” Well, you probably can’t make your own BACON, but at least you can cure it at home!

With many bacon bus on the market, you can customize your bacon to your specific tastes and preferences.

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Here are 7 easy steps to cure your own tasty meaty bacon at home.

Ingredients

  • A 4-pound slab of UNCURED bacon
  • 2.5 oz Bacon Cure
  • 2.5 oz Bacon Rub (for additional flavor)
  • 1 or 2 Large ziplock bags

You should be able to get uncured slabs of bacon at your local butcher. You can find bacon cure and some flavors of bacon rub HERE. You can also create your own bacon rub with your favorite seasonings and spices.

Instructions

  1. Pour bacon cure and bacon rub into a ziplock bag. Add your 4 pound slab of pork belly. Shake gently to evenly coat. (If your bag is not quite large enough, divide your bacon into 2 equally sized pieces and use 2 separate bags. Use only half the jar of cure and rub in each of the 2 bags.)
  2. Put your shaken bacon bag into the refrigerator. Every other day, be sure to turn your bacon over.
  3. After 7 days in the refrigerator, take out the slab. Give it a good rinse and then pat it dry.
  4. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest section of your slab.
  5. If you are using a smoker, pick your favorite flavored wood chips to accompany your bacon flavoring. Cook your slab in the smoker or the oven at 200 degrees until the inside temperature reaches 145 degrees. It will take about 2-2 1/2 hrs.
  6. Allow your freshly smoked bacon slab to cool in the refrigerator for thirty minutes before you slice it. This will allow all the yummy juices to stay inside the slab.
  7. If your slab has skin on it, you’ll want to carve that off now. If not, choose how thick you want your slices and cut away!

You now have freshly cured bacon exactly the way you like it. All you need to do now is cook it and enjoy eating it! Now you can boast to your friends and family that you’ve mastered the art of bacon curing.

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