week of bacon.. day 2.. homemade maple wood smoked bacon

 

yikes this was supposed to post tuesday.. sorry..

 

for our bacon themed party.. which i mentioned when i posted this recipe for bacon wrapped pork tenderloin filet topped with a mustard~garlic butter and also when i posted this beer, bacon, chocolate pecan tart.. we decided to make our own bacon.. it was delicious.. salty... peppery.. simply lovely.. worth the effort.. would i do it every weekend for bacon? no..but for a special occasion yes..

 

 

we got a 4 lbs pork belly at whole foods..

 

 

i covered it in a dry cure of salt, sugar and pepper and it sat in the fridge for 10 days..

 

 

we cranked up the smoker and cooked it over maple wood..

 

 it smelled and looked amazing..

 

after 2.5 hours it was just about ready..



homemade maple wood smoked bacon

prep time: 10 days and 10 minutes
cooking time: 2.5- 3 hours
servings: 4 lbs. of bacon

ingredients:

4 lbs. of center cut pork belly, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
3 tblsp. salt
1 tblsp. pepper (we like it peppery)

directions:

in a small mixing bowl combine sugar, salt and pepper.. then slather the rub all over the pork belly and put in an air tight container and place in the fridge for 10 days...lay it flat and every day message the liquids that form inside the bag into the meat and flip it over.. after 10 days it should be firm to the touch all over..  when ready to smoke remove from fridge and soak in water for 1 hour rubbing to remove excess cure.. pat dry.. now get your smoker ready according to it's directions {or however you regularly smoke meats} we used maple wood and hickory.. add your pork belly when smoker is ready and smoke for approx. 2.5 hours.. check the internal temperature what your looking for 150 degrees {f} internally.. if not done cook another 1/2-1 hour.. remove from smoker when done and let sit.. once it's cooled i put it in a zip lock and put in the fridge until ready to use later that evening.. {it can remain in the fridge for about 2 weeks} when ready to cook slice and cook like any other bacon.. {i would not eat it until cooking/frying in a pan like regular bacon} it's so freaking good.. is it cost effective and cheaper do this way?? no.. but is it fun and now i can say i made homemade bacon.. yes!! :)


enjoy and get cook'n!!