To Wet Brine & make Smoked Ham see our BRINE PORK INTO SMOKED HAM Page.
INGREDIENTS FOR A DRY BRINE TO CURE 3kg PORK BELLY INTO BACON:-
– 1tsp/5g Prague #1 12.5% strength Pink Salt cure
– 95g Kosher Smoked Granular Sea Salt or Kosher Flossy Grade Sea Salt
– 90g Dark Brown Sugar & 45g Maple Powder or use 150g of our 500g MAPLE BROWN SUGAR Bag
– 45g Peppercorns whole or cracked.
METHOD:-
– Buy a thick Pork Belly without bones, and cut off rind and thick fat layer so cure fully penetrates meat.
When Rind is removed, you end up with around 2.8kg of Pork to cure into Bacon. Brine the entire slab as 1 piece, or cut into 2 pieces.
– Put Nitrile Meat Gloves on and Rub the Dry Brine into all meat surfaces. Break up any brown sugar lumps and spread mix evenly over the surfaces.
– Place Rubbed Pork Belly into a large ziploc bag, squeeze out air and close ziploc seal and place bag flat on it’s side in the fridge on a tray in case it leaks.
– The Cure will draw out moisture, to create a wet Brine. Turn bag over each day and massage Brine it into the meat.
– On Day 6, take the Bacon out and rinse off thoroughly under the tap to get the salt out, otherwise your bacon will be salty. I then fill the bacon bag with water and let it sit in the sink or bucket for 30 mins to leach out the remaining salt.
– Pat dry with paper towels and place on an elevated wire cake or oven grill rack on a tray, and put in Fridge uncovered for 2 days to dry. The Fridge acts as a Dehumidifier so the bacon drys out and creates a shiny dry skin layer called a Pellicle.
– Place your cured Bacon into an Oven to partially cook it, or BBQ Smoker and smoke with Cherry Wood Chips, Cherry Chunks or Smoker Pellets on indirect 110C/230F heat for around 2hrs till internal meat temp is 65-66C/150F.
– Cool in Fridge to make the meat firm to slice up, then cut thin strips and fry, bake in Oven, or Air Fry. It will be the best Bacon you have ever tasted! This Smokey Bacon will transform your Hamburgers into a tasty feast!
A meat slicer machine cuts thinner strips than you can cut with a knife. Thinner strips taste better and cook in 1min on each side in a frypan.
The Best BULK Bacon cooking technique is to bake it in an Oven or Smoker on baking pans with a lining of Pink Butcher Paper. Because the bacon sits in its own rendered fat as it bakes, it cooks more quickly and the fatty parts get crispy because they’re basically fried. If you prefer your bacon chewier, you can simply cook it a few minutes less.
BULK BAKED BACON – IN 5 STEPS
1) Preheat your Oven or Smoker to 205C/400F
2) Line large baking sheets or pans with an oversized sheet of Pink Butcher Paper and fold Paper to go up the walls, to keep all oil and fat in the paper lining.
3) Lay the bacon slices on the sheet.
4) Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes or until it’s as crispy as you’d like.
5) Remove the bacon from the oven and lay on paper towels to dry.
Try it on:-
– A Burger
– Put Strips in and around a stuffed Beef Fatty mince roll.
– Wrap sausages or mince balls and secure with toothpick.
– Dice up on Pizza, on Baked Potato & Sour Cream, or stir into scrambled eggs.
– Make “Bacon Rollups”: spread Peanut Butter on strips and roll up and secure with toothpick, then cook in BBQ Smoker or Oven.
– Roll up stuffed Jalapeno Poppers. See how: Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
– Make Smoked Bacon Candy by brushing thick bacon strips with Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar glaze and Smoke or Bake.
