Clem's Bacon

Here I report on my first effort at homemade bacon.

Firstly, choose the cut of bellypork to make your favourite type of bacon. The usual types are:

Prepare the dry cure

• 400 g table salt

• 200 g sugar (either white or brown as preferred)

• 60 g No. 1 Pink Curing Salt (Prague Powder)
  This is pink in color so that it is not mistaken for table salt.
  It comprises 6.25% Sodium Nitrite and 93.75% table salt (NaCl).
  The nitrite is antimicrobial and helps preserve processed foods.

Method

This is a dry cure method (no soaking in brine).

• Wash and dry the cut of belly pork
   

• Weigh the cut and to each kilogram of pork, add 25 g of the dry cure prepared in the manner described above.
   

• Evenly rub the dry cure all over the bellypork.
   

• Place the salted bellypork in a ZipLock bag and leave it in a refrigerator for 7 - 8 days.
   

• At the end of the curing period, wash the bellypork with water.
  The amount of washing/soaking will depend on how salty you prefer your bacon.

8-day cured bellypork

• At this point you may slice up the bacon to your preferred thickness but ensure that these slices are bagged and then frozen as bacon is a perishable product.
   

• To further develop flavor and enhance its keeping property, smoke the bellypork with low heat (only parcook the cut).

Smoked, cured bellypork ready for slicing into bacon rashers

• Let the smoked cut cool down to gain some rigidity.
   

• Slice the bacon to your preferred thickness.

Thick cut rashers of homemade bacon

• Bag and store the slices either in the refrigerator or freezer depending on the length of desired storage.
   

• Fry up slices in your favourite manner.
   

• Consume and enjoy!