Homemade Smoked Bacon

Name: Homemade Smoked Bacon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 lbs pork belly; ½ cup brown sugar; 3 tbsp kosher salt; 1 ¼ tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp Prague Powder #1

12 steps

Prep:10minCook:5h

Homemade smoked bacon from scratch. Made from pork belly and prepared in an easy salt-sugar cure and slow-smoked over pecan wood, this DIY bacon is better than any store-bought slab you’ve ever had.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 12:04:55 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Moderate

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories921.9 kcal (46%)

Total Fat89.6 g (128%)

Carbs10.5 g (4%)

Sugars10.2 g (11%)

Protein15.2 g (30%)

Sodium2420.5 mg (121%)

Fiber0.1 g (0%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

8 servings

3 lbsPork Belly

½ cupbrown sugar

3 Tbspkosher salt

1 ¼ tspground black pepper

1 tspprague powder

Instructions

Step 1

Prepare the pork belly by trimming any excess fat. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Step 2

In a small bowl, combine the bacon cure ingredients. Use a fork to remove or crush any lumps that may form.

Step 3

Massage the cure into the pork belly, covering all sides and working into any crevices or folds on the meat surface.

Step 4

Place the seasoned pork belly and any leftover cure in a plastic ziplock bag and lay lengthwise in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Flip it over each day.

Step 5

Remove meat from refrigerator. It should be firm with no soft spots - this means it’s fully cured. Rinse and thoroughly pat dry.

Step 6

Set pork belly out for 1 hour to bring it to room temperature. This will allow a pellicle to form on the meat.

Step 7

While pork belly sits, fire up your smoker to 165°F (75°C). Add pecan smoking wood chips to coals or wood tray.

Step 8

When smoker and meat are ready, carefully place the pork belly on smoker grates fat side-up.

Step 9

Close lid and smoke until pork internal temperature hits 150°F (65°C), about 5 hours.

Step 10

Remove pork belly from smoker and rest until completely cooled. Once cooled, place pork belly in refrigerator and leave to chill.