Hi Folks,
I have been wanting to make my own bacon for a while and this video and recipe is kicking me into trying to do it sooner than later.
http://cheeseandsalt.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-make-your-own-bacon.html
5.5 pound pork belly or pork side
For the Rub
1 lb of Salt
1/2 lb of Light Brown Sugar
2 table spoons or Pepper Corns crushed in a mortar and pestle
1 table spoon of Coriander seed crushed in a mortar and pestle
2 table spoons of Juniper berries light crushed in a mortar and pestle.
Cut in 3 chunks, rub all over, stack in dish, cover in wrap, next day and each day after, drain liquid if you choose, restack, wrap and continue for 5 days. Test a piece by rinsing and frying up. If you like the flavor and salt level, rinse all and use up in a week or freeze.
One of the big bruhas over "uncured" vs. "cured" meats is the use of naturally occurring Sodium Nitrate (celery juice or powder) vs. the usual manufactured/processed and whether either of these is really free of the nitrates many people are concerned about or is it just smoke and mirrors.
I started 'corning' my own beef for St. Paddy's day to avoid the "pink" or curing salt (saltpeter) and there is no question we love the flavor of the food just fine. The thing many people have a little trouble getting use to is without the processed SN inclusion the meats do not turn PINK. But I have to tell you at least with my corned beef we did not miss it after the first bite!
This gentleman's video is very easy to follow.
By the way I got going on this because this morning, up shows an article on the plan to test poisoning feral hogs with sodium nitrate. Okay that was it for me.
Replies
Chris - coincidence is fun. I smiled when I read your "wondering how long it will last" - your own grown, cured and smoked bacon is going to last?!
I am not an expert, but from what I have read about the cure / smoke combo you could plan on it lasting a long time in the fridge and even longer in the freezer.
But it won't last that long methinks [in agreement with Catherine on that] :-) Reminds me of a couple we knew that lived on a sail boat in SFO Bay. They were planning a sea voyage and the wife says "We're planning to take a three month supply of [special] fudge brownies." Hubby and I laughed and laughed. Them brownies gonna be gone in six weeks, max!
I dislike bacon for all those reasons too but also the sodium content. It's why I don't brine my turkey's. One pound of salt sounds like a lot of salt for 5.5#'s of meat. Am guessing if I cut back that will affect the entire process, right?
Mary, your question sent me looking because this was the first recipe I found that did not use pink salt (Saltpeter).
So Mary and everyone - I actually found what sounds like a better recipe and far less salt. This one below is for 8 lbs and uses only 1/2 cup of sea salt. I would add the brown sugar for extra taste and extra curing.
For an 8 lb pork belly, I use the following:
http://robbwolf.com/2011/05/20/the-path-to-culinary-bliss-home-cure...
Catherine, thanks for sharing this. I too have wanted to do this along with corning beef and the video makes it look very uncomplicated and do-able. I've bought pork from The Meat Shop in downtown Phoenix and highly recommend it. Local and very good, I'll be going there for my pork belly. And a kettle type grill (weber) works very well as a smoker.
http://site.themeatshopaz.com/
Judy, thanks for providing that link for all. I think the 'pork shop' in the East Valley would be another good source.
In fact I've been trying to find a vegetarian-fed source of pork but there are limitations either on geography or just what constitutes vegetarian fed -- free ranging hogs can still get to dead animals :(