Part 2: Who Doesn't Love Bacon

Last time, we left off in the fridge. The pork belly was curing and had a ways to go. Now, what you want to do is, after a week (because my pork belly was only an inch thick), I wanted to see how it was doing. The easiest way to do that is to taste it.

Pull your pork belly out of the fridge, cut off a little piece, rinse it under the faucet and pop it in a pan to cook it. You want to check the level of flavor and how salty it is. If it is not salty or flavorful enough, feel free to leave it in the fridge for two or three more days and try it again. If it is too salty, you can soak the pork for a short time in fresh water. That will help leech out a bit of the salt.

At this point, you have a couple of options. You can cook your bacon in the oven, or you can smoke it. I did both.

One piece, cured with 5-spice, I finished in the oven. I felt the flavors were too delicate and would be overpowered by any smoke.

I set the oven to 225 F, the same temperature I would keep a smoker at if I were smoking the meat. It stays in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees-- and then it's ready!

Method number two is to smoke the delightful pork belly. Now, I don't own a smoker, so I make one out of things I already have in the house-- a metal baking pan, a bread pan, and a cooling rack.

One side of the pan is for the embers and the smoke, the other side has the bread pan with water in the bottom, to keep the meat moist while it smokes. For the wood, I selected apple wood, and soaked it in a mixture of whiskey and water. The meat sits over the bread pan, away from the heat. All that's left to do at this point is to wait. It generally takes 2-3 hours of smoking to bring the meat to 150 degrees. If you don't want to spend this much time, or if you're like me and kind of suck at making embers, smoke it for an hour or so, and then finish in the oven.

The meat is flavorful, delicious, and provides intense satisfaction, because you made it. It will last for months in the freezer, if wrapped well, and most likely a couple of weeks in the fridge. I'm a little unsure because it never lasts that long! It's a great addition to your favorite meals. If you freeze it first, you can get thin slices, if you prefer. I love to give it as gifts. Homemade bacon is quite impressive and anyone on the receiving end will love you!


Have a favorite cure recipe or question? Feel free to post it below. I'd love to hear from you!