Outdoor Grilling
Smoked Homemade Bacon
Smoked Homemade Bacon
Homemade bacon is easy, inexpensive, and totally worth the wait. We slow cure pork belly in a simple cure of salt, pepper, and raw sugar for a week. Then we slow smoke of the Woodcreek Pellet Grill until smokey and delicious. Slice to your desired thickness and crisp to perfection. Once you have had home-smoked bacon, store-bought bacon is not an option.
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds Pork Belly
- ¼ cup Kosher or Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon pink curing salt #1 (optional)
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
Preparation
- Pat pork belly dry.
- If using pink curing salt, always use gloves, do not let it touch exposed or wet skin. Wash hands thoroughly after use.
- In a medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients
- Thoroughly coat pork belly with the cure on both sides.
- Place in a large plastic sealable bag or seal using a food preserver.
- Seal tightly and place in a clean non-reactive baking dish for leaks.
- Cure pork belly in a bag for 7 days, turning each day until the thickest part is firm to touch.
- Using gloved hands, rinse cure off pork belly, and pat dry.
- Air dry pork belly fat side up and uncovered in a non-reactive dish for 24 hours.
- Set smoker to 200°F using cherry or maple pellets and cook pork belly to internal temperature 150°F.
- Cool overnight in an uncovered non-reactive baking dish.
- Slice to desired thickness and griddle to personally preferred crispiness.
