It’s rare that our local grocery store has pork belly on sale. Heck, it’s rare that they even carry it. So when I was walking by the meat case the other day and eyed a 7 or so pound skin-off pork belly, I snagged it up instantly. Bacon. I had bacon on my mind. And nothing beats homemade maple bacon, either. I love the process, and I love the end result. The entire thing from start to finish makes me happy. And boy, is the bacon ever good!
It’s Easy
Making homemade maple bacon is actually quite easy. It only takes a few ingredients. That and a smoker and you’re set. Now, you’re not going to be saving money over store-bought bacon, so don’t go into this thinking you’re going to be rich when you’re done. But you will have better-tasting bacon. And a lot of joy and satisfaction from making it yourself. So don’t go into it ‘cheap’. Use a good maple syrup. And grab a good pork belly.
Time For Time
You cannot rush the curing process when making your bacon. That’s when the flavor gets infused into the pork belly. When you make it to the smoker you’re just adding that wonderful smoke flavor and (barely) cooking the pork. Most of the flavor comes from the time spent upfront, so don’t rush it. You’ll be more than rewarded.
I don’t have a big meat slicer, so I cut my bacon into slices using a knife. A very, very sharp knife. A dull knife will result in uneven pieces that won’t cook evenly. I highly recommend (always) having a sharp knife, especially for times like this.
Some of my homemade bacon was destined for my copycat Wendy’s Baconator burgers!
Homemade Maple Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork belly skin removed
Maple Bacon Cure
- 1 teaspoon Pink curing salt Pink salt #1, optional
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the curing salt, maple syrup, brown sugar and pepper.
- Rub the mix onto both sides of the belly.
- Place in plastic bag on a pan in the refrigerator for 7 days. Flip the pork belly at least once a day..
- After 7 days, remove pork belly from bag or pan and rinse off cure under cold water.
- To smoke, fire up your smoker for smoking at 165 F. Use a fruit wood or hickory.
- Add the belly to the smoker and smoke for 4-6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 155 F. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice lengthwise. If the belly is too soft to slice you can freeze it for 30 minutes to get it to set a little first.
- To cook, fry in a pan or (my preferred method) bake in the oven at 400 F on an aluminum foil-lined pan for 30 minutes or until as crispy as you like it, flipping once.
- Leftover bacon (cooked or raw) can be frozen for later use.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
