Home Cured Jalapeño Bacon Recipes

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.

HONEY MOLASSES CURED BACON RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• MIX ALL DRY INGREDIENTS TOGETHER IN A BOWL, MIX START TO ADD IN MOLASSES MIXTURE TILL YO HAVE A THIN SLURRY MIXTURE, APPLY MIXTURE TO PORK BELLY RUBBING IT IN COATING THE BELLY EVENLY. PLACE INTO 2 GALLON SEALABLE BAG, REMOVING AS MUCH AIR AS POSSIBLE FOLDING EXCESSIVE BAG UNDER THE BELLY. PLACE IN FRIDGE, FOR 6 - 7 DAYS TILL FIRM TO THE TOUCH, TURNING OVER ONCE A DAY. WHEN READY REMOVE FROM FRIDGE, REMOVE FROM BAG RINSE THOROUGHLY RUBBING IT WITH HANDS AS YOU RINSE TO REMOVE EXCESSIVE SALT. SET ON RACK TO AIR DRY, IF POSSIBLE IN FRIDGE ON THE RACK AND COOKIE SHEET LET DRY 2 TO 3 HOURS PULL FROM FRIDGE AND LET COME UP TO ROOM TEMPERATURE. START YOUR SMOKER. SMOKER TEMP AT 175 F, SMOKE WITH MAPLE OR APPLY FOR 2 HOURS. CONTINUE TO COOK IN THE SMOKER TILL THE BACON HAS REACHED AN I.T. OF 140- 145 THEN REMOVE, PLACE ON COOLING TRAY AND LET COOL, THEN INTO FRIDGE OVER NIGHT TO FIRM UP, NEXT MORNING REMOVE FROM FRIDGE, SLICE, COOK AND ENJOY

SMOKED BACK BACON

Steps:

• Mix water, kosher salt, sugar, maple syrup, garlic powder, and curing salt until dissolved.
• Place the pork loin in a large bag or food-safe container large enough to completely submerge it in the brine. Add brine and refrigerate for at least 3 days.
• Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels; discard brine.
• Preheat a smoker to 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Place pork onto wire racks. Place the racks into the smoker. Add wood chips according to manufacturer's directions. Smoke until pork is slightly pink in the center, about 2 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Let cool before slicing.

HOME-CURED BACON

Steps:

• Place the pork belly in a large Ziploc bag. Add the salt (and pink salt if using) and the cure additions. Rub the cure into the pork belly, turning the bag over and over and pressing the cure into the flesh. Close the bag, squeezing out all the air and refrigerate for seven days. Each day, flip the bag over. Some liquid will begin to gather in the bag.
• After seven days, wash the cure off the meat, rinsing thoroughly. Pat the bacon dry with paper towels and set it on a rack over a baking sheet. Allow the bacon to air-dry in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Roast the pork belly in the oven to an internal temperature of 150 degrees for about 90 minutes. Chill the bacon well, then slice thick or thin, to preference. Any bacon that doesn't easily slice may be cut into chunks, for starting a pot of beans or soup. Wrapped in parchment paper, then wrapped in plastic wrap or foil and placed in a Ziploc bag, the bacon will keep for three weeks in the refrigerator and three months in the freezer.

HOME-CURED JALAPEñO BACON

Steps:

• Trim pork belly to fit into a large zip-top bag.
• Add remaining ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth.
• Pour cure into zip top bag with the pork belly. Seal and refrigerate, turning daily, for seven days.
• On the seventh day, remove the pork belly from the fridge and rinse well.
• Pat dry with paper towels. Pre-heat oven to 200°F. Place pork belly fat side up on a rack on baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean-up).
• Roast pork belly 2 or more hours until a thermometer reads 150°F in the center. Alternately, you can smoke or grill to this same internal temp.
• Remove pork from the oven and slice off the skin while still hot. Seal pork in plastic and refrigerate up to 10 days or freeze.
• To serve, slice thinly and pan-fry or chop and add to beans or stews. Freeze for about 30 minutes or until firm and slice with a sharp chef's knife.