Maple-Cured Bacon
Chances are, you probably have bacon in your fridge right now. And if you’re like me, you love it. Making bacon at home is not rocket science; people make a big deal about it because it takes some time and a little planning, but it is so worth it. The first step is curing pork belly with salt, sugar, maple syrup, and pink salt, which contains sodium nitrite. The main purposes of the cure are to prevent any bacterial growth on the meat and draw out some water. To store, tightly wrap in plastic and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. If for some crazy reason you don’t eat it all in a week, you can cut it into pieces, label and date it, and freeze for up to three months. Bacon is best smoked, but if you don’t have a smoker at home, you can roast the pork belly in the oven as directed in the recipe. When bacon is called for in recipes throughout this book, it is uncooked.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 2 to 4 pounds
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a glass or other nonreactive mixing bowl, combine the salt, sugar, pink salt, and maple syrup. Put the pork belly in a large resealable plastic bag. Pour in the cure, squeeze out any air in the bag, and seal; smush it around to coat the belly completely. Put the bag in a rimmed container just in case it leaks. Refrigerate for 8 days, turning the bag over every other day.
Step 2
After 8 days, remove the pork belly from the cure, rinse thoroughly with cool water, and pat dry with paper towels.
Step 3
Put a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet and lay the pork belly on top. If you are going to smoke the belly, allow it to dry out in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. This is important; the meat will not take smoke until the surface is dry. Then fire up your smoker to 200°F and smoke the belly for 3 hours using your favorite wood. The internal temperature of the meat should reach 150°F. Alternatively, to roast the belly, preheat the oven to 200°F. Place the belly on a rack set in a roasting pan, and roast until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 150°F, about 3 hours.
Step 4
Allow the bacon to cool to room temperature. Then wrap well with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredient Notes
Step 5
Pink Salt
Step 6
Pink curing salt, also referred to as saltpeter or sel rose, is popular for all types of sausage and bacon curing. The cotton candy–colored salt contains a small amount of sodium nitrite that reacts with the meat to form a more stable protein complex, making it especially resistant to oxidizing, and helps the meat to maintain a pink tinge. It is available in gourmet markets or on the Internet.
Step 7
Pork Belly
Step 8
Pork belly, which comes from the underside of the hog, is basically uncured fresh bacon. The rosy meat is marbled with fat and when baked for hours (as it is here), it becomes so custardy soft that you can literally cut it with a spoon. I have to say, the succulent and crackling fat is what makes it taste so damn delicious! A good butcher should be able to help you out when buying pork belly, and it’s typically an inexpensive cut. Ask for unsalted, uncured belly, which is not the same as slab bacon or salt pork. You can often find pork belly in Asian markets.
