Homemade Bacon

(Andrew Anderson) #1

First go at home smoked bacon was yummy and fun. Cured 8 days, applewood smoked this evening. I snuck a few early slices… happy New Years bacon!

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(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #2

Very nice

(Karen) #3

Makes me hungry! Beautiful

K

(MakinBacon) #4

I totally need to do this. Any tips or instructions? Is a smoker required?

(Ken) #5

Did you brine, or dry rub? I did a dry rub on my last batch, it turned out a little saltier than I like. I’ll brine next time.

If you have access to a meat wholesaler, I buy 50/50 pork trim by the case, it’s usually less than $1.50 a pound. Pieces are not as big as buying pork bellies, but the bacon tastes the same.

(Andrew Anderson) #6

I bought a brine salt. Seasoned it sugar free. There are a million recipes online. You don’t have to have a smoker, there are oven recipes as well. Worth trying for sure!

(Andrew Anderson) #7

Cool tip! I did a dry rub with the pink curing salt. I think if I square it off by trimming I can reduce the extra salty. I also rinsed forever in the sink before smoking.

(Sophie) #8

Gorgeous! :heart_eyes:

(Ken) #9

If you don’t have a smoker, you can rig one up easily. It’s cold smoke, rather than hot smoke. Think “small tee-pee”, with only a heat source like a small hot plate or can(s) of Sterno to heat up the wood chips to generate the smoke. Heavy mil plastic from the hardware store works since it’s nowhere near the heat source.

(Andrew Anderson) #10

Cold smoking set up:

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Works great for cheese!

(MakinBacon) #11

That looks really cool! Unfortunately any sort of smoking is not an option for me. The area where my grill is (and the only place I can put it) is near my neighbors fence, and the wind seems to always blow towards his house. I guess he is really sensitive to smoke, and has complained before about even the tiny amount of smoke my gas grill puts out. I have to be careful about what I grill and when. I’ll look for an oven method.

(Ken) #12

Use Liquid Smoke:

Alternatively, you can “cheat” by using liquid smoke. If you opt for this version, be sure to buy liquid smoke made from natural (usually hickory) smoke and not one of the harsh-tasting synthetic versions. Roast the cured bacon in a 200 F oven until the internal temperature reaches 150 F. This should take about two hours.
Then, baste the cured and roasted bacon with the liquid smoke. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat all sides.
Place the bacon on a rack over a pan (to catch any liquid smoke drippings) and air dry for 30 minutes. Transfer to a tightly sealed container or bag and refrigerate for up to a month or freeze for up to a year.
Tip: Cut the bacon into several pieces and freeze them individually.

From “thespruce.com”