Hot Smoked Cured Bacon Recipes

HOT-SMOKED CURED BACON

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together salt and ground peppercorns; rub all over pork belly. Place pork belly in a shallow baking dish and drizzle with apple cider. Cover and transfer to refrigerator; let chill for 24 to 36 hours.
• Preheat oven to 210 degrees. Place 7 cups hickory wood chips in a large metal container; ignite wood chips.
• Rinse pork belly and pat dry. Fit a large roasting pan with a rack and set pork belly on rack. When wood chips are smoldering, transfer metal container to bottom rack of oven; place roasting pan with pork belly on middle rack of oven. Let pork belly smoke until it reaches 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, at least 5 hours for lightly smoked bacon, or up to 8 hours for a smokier bacon. Remove bacon from oven and let stand until it reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
• Slice and prepare the same as you would any store-bought bacon. Bacon can be stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

HOMEMADE BACON

Steps:

• Rinse the pork belly and pat dry. Transfer to a resealable 2-gallon plastic bag. To make the spice rub, mix the kosher salt, pink salt, brown sugar, honey, red pepper flakes, paprika and cumin in a bowl. Coat the pork belly all over with the mixture.
• Close the bag and refrigerate 7 to 10 days, flipping once a day, until the pork belly feels firm. It should take 7 days for a thin belly that is about 11/2 inches thick, longer for a belly that's 2 to 3 inches thick.
• Remove the pork belly from the bag, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Refrigerate the belly on a rack, uncovered, 48 hours.
• Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions using applewood chips, and set to 200 degrees F. Smoke the pork belly 3 hours, or until the bacon reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F.
• Remove the rind (optional), then slice and cook as desired. To store, wrap the bacon in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months.
• Pink curing salt is a mix of salt and sodium nitrite. It keeps the meat pink and protects it from bacteria. You can find it at specialty food stores or online.