Molasses Black Pepper Bacon Recipes

GLAZED BLACK PEPPER BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking pan with 3 layers of foil.
• Arrange the bacon on the prepared baking pan in a single layer, then sprinkle evenly with the sugar and pepper. Bake until well browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve.

SCRAP IRON CHEF'S BACON

Steps:

• In a large non-reactive pot, bring half the water, 1 cup of sugar, salt, and 8 ounces molasses to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a large container with the remaining water, and the apple cider. Place in the refrigerator and cool to 40 degrees F.
• Press the black pepper into the pork belly. Once the brine has cooled place the peppered pork belly into the mixture until completely submerged. Refrigerate for three days.
• After three days have passed, remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a rack over a sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle. Lay the pork in the protein box of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Place the strips of bacon onto a sheet pan fitted with a rack and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees F and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels. Enjoy.

MOLASSES BLACK PEPPER CURE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine salt and sugar. Spread molasses evenly over pork belly, then coat with the pepper. Spread the salt and sugar mixture generously over the entire slab. Place into a re-sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 3 days.
• After three days have passed, remove the pork from the brine, rinse the belly, and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a rack over a sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle. Lay the pork in the protein box of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Place the strips of bacon onto a sheet pan fitted with a rack and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels. Enjoy.

MOLASSES-CURED PORK SHOULDER BACON

Steps:

• Put pork butt, fat side up, on a work surface, then halve horizontally with a sharp large knife.
• Stir together water, salt, brown sugar, and Instacure in storage tub until solids are dissolved, about 3 minutes, then add molasses and stir until dissolved. Add ice and stir until cure is cold (ice may not be completely melted; keeping liquid cold slows salt absorption).
• Add pork to cure, then weight with a large plate to keep submerged. Chill, tub covered with a lid or plastic wrap, 36 hours.
• Rinse pork and pat dry, then discard brine. Sprinkle pork evenly with pepper (if using).
• Prepare grill and smoke bacon: See preceding recipe.
• Cut bacon crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with a sharp knife, then fry in a heavy skillet over moderately low heat, turning, until browned. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Available at The Sausage Maker (888-490-8525).

BLACK PEPPER MAPLE BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then a wire rack.
• Whisk together the maple syrup, pepper, and mustard. Lay the bacon on the rack being careful not to overlap. Brush the bacon with the syrup mixture.
• Put the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and bake until golden and crisp, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

BLACK PEPPER AND MOLASSES-GLAZED FILET MIGNON

Steps:

• Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium. Brush the meat with olive oil and season with salt. Grill until well seared on ones side, 4 minutes, turn over, and baste with the Molasses Glaze. Continue grilling for 3 minutes, turn over, baste and grill for 2 to 3 minutes more (a total of 10 minutes), for medium rare. Let rest for 10 minutes; then slice into 8 steaks.
• Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high until almost smoking, and cook the onion until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger root and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the rum and reduce until completely dry. Add the molasses, orange juice, and pepper, season with salt, and cook until reduced to 1 cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool at room temperature. May be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day; use at room temperature.

BACON-MOLASSES BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Stir together the pork, bacon, molasses, smoked paprika, brown sugar, salt, sage, and black pepper until well combined.
• Heat up a skillet over medium heat and cook a small spoonful of the sausage for a couple of minutes on each side. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.
• Once you're satisfied with the flavor balance, refrigerate the mixture for an hour for the flavors to come together. To cook the sausage, form it into 2-inch-wide, 1/4-inch-thick patties and fry over medium-high heat until both sides are brown and crisp, 5 minutes per side.
• The sausage will keep in the refrigerator for a week uncooked, and it can also be frozen uncooked for 3 months.

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.