Chipotle Bacon

This is the first year that I’ve been experimenting with curing my own meats to make bacon and jerky. I’ve found the processes to be much easier than I had expected, and the end results to be far, far better than I could’ve ever dreamed. It all started when I bought a small pork belly and made homemade applewood-smoked maple bacon. After that success, I contacted my local butcher at Moody’s Butcher Shop and ordered two pork sides. As I soon found out, a pork side (seen below) is like a pork belly but oh so much bigger and thicker and perfect. It screams bacon. It screams chipotle bacon.

Chipotle Bacon

Subtle, But Fantastic

This chipotle bacon had a mild chipotle flavor. The first time I made it I was way too shy with the chipotle, and although it was fantastic, it didn’t have much of that great smoky chipotle flavor. I recommend you be quite liberal with the chipotle peppers. We aren’t making cheesecake here. Use a lot of chipotle.

Blows Store-Bought Bacon Away

I am so hooked on homemade bacon I know I’ll never go back to store-bought. Not only is homemade tastier, I can make whatever flavor combination I want. I usually do a few big batches all at once, freezing any leftovers for later use.

Also try my Sriracha bacon and my black pepper bacon.

Chipotle Bacon
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5 from 1 vote

Chipotle Bacon

This chipotle bacon had a mild chipotle flavor. The first time I made it I was way too shy with the chipotle, and although it was fantastic, it didn’t have much of that great smoky chipotle flavor.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword bacon, homemade, spicy
Prep Time 7 days
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 7 days 2 hours
Servings 1 pound
Calories 4780kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put the belly into a large resealable bag.
  • Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Add to the baggie.
  • Seal the bag, trying to remove as much air as possible. Place in to a deep flat pan (in case the bag leaks) in the fridge for 7 days, flipping over twice a day.
  • The day you are ready to smoke, fire up your smoker for 225 F cooking over a light wood such as apple.
  • Remove belly from the bag and rinse well with cold water.
  • Place belly onto smoker and smoke for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the meat reaches 150 F.
  • Remove belly from smoker and let cool slightly before placing in the fridge for an hour.
  • Slice bacon as desired. Bake, pan fry, or use however you wish!
  • Store smoked bacon in a plastic bag or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Scale the recipe for your pork belly. The recipe below is for a 2 pound belly.

Nutrition

Calories: 4780kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 85g | Fat: 481g | Saturated Fat: 175g | Cholesterol: 653mg | Sodium: 8522mg | Potassium: 1759mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5074IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 8mg

Nutritional values are approximate.