You know the old saying "ya gotta make hay while the sun shines"? Well this time we're not makin' hay, we're makin' bacon. That's right - side bacon!
We had a big shocker a few weeks ago when we went to buy our usual 24 ounce package of culinary delight from our favorite big name store and they wanted $9.00 for it. I mean there's some things in life I'd be hard pressed to do without one of them being bacon, but at that price it's darn near rising at the same rate as a gallon of gas.
That's when my kitchen co-hort and I said "screw it, we're gonna' make our own" and hit Lee Lee's Supermarket for 5.635 pounds of pork belly which cost us a whopping $15.72. Yup, that's right - $15.72 for 90 ounces versus 24 ounces for $9.00. You do the math! It's a good thing makin' bacon isn't rocket science since neither of us can brag about working for NASA on our CV's yet.
The first step in the process is to wash and dry the bellies really well then, leaving the skin intact, tickle 'em on all sides with a dry rub made from a combination 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1-1/2 teaspoons Morton Tender Quick or Sugar Cure and 3 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper. Course you can use almost any spices you wish, but in our case we decided to keep our first batch simple.
After the bellies are rubbed, wrap them air tight (zip bags are great) and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days before smoking. They need to be turned every day during the curing process but other than the 10 seconds or so it takes to do that, they're on ignore in the back of the refrigerator until the time has passed.
When the 7 days are over you'll find the pork bellies have changed color and lost moisture content - in our case almost a half pound. It has got to be the only thing I know of that has lost weight in JBug's Kitchen! The Big Guy washed them off then attached drapery hooks to the cured bellies and put them back in the refrigerator to dry out for an hour, which they need to do before they hit the smoker. It gave him a chance to get everything ready for the next step.
We're lucky enough to already own a Big Chief electric smoker which can be found at Amazon here. I'm showing you a front loader which makes enormous sense, although ours happens to be a top loader. Either way you can likely find them at your local Barbecue store as well. There's other types of smokers available including the "Little Chief" (smaller) and some that are hugely expensive and likely very efficient too but that would put the price per pound of bacon up substantially now wouldn't it. You can also just go ahead and use your regular barbecue and/or if you're really handy, make a smoker out of a clay pot like Alton Brown did on his show way back when.
Other than electricity you also need some wood and in our case we purchased a bag of applewood chips at Cost Plus World Market, but if you've an apple tree or other fruitwood in your back yard you've got it made. Of course you can also use other wood such as hickory, alder, mesquite or even corn cobs though we've never tried 'em. Once the wood chips are soaked in water and the smoker's ready to rumble, hang the bellies from the smoker racks using the drapery hooks and close everything up nice and tight. After 4 hours and several additions of wood chips the bacon's ready, firm to the touch and a glorious color. The smokin' time will vary depending on whether your smoker's a hot number in which case 2 hours will be plenty or alternatively if you prefer a stronger flavor then go for 8 hours. Remember that the type of wood you use will also make a huge difference in the flavor of the finished product. I know that might sound a little redundant, but some woods like hickory or mesquite come on pretty strong so you'll have to be careful with that. The smoked bacon must be allowed to cool and it's best if refrigerated overnight before the rind is removed and the bacon sliced and enjoyed. We sliced all of it and stuck some in half pound packages in the freezer. The rest of it we cooked up on the outside grill just so we could hear the neighbors weep.
Are you wondering if it's all worth it? I promise you the end result is absolutely incredible - rich applewood flavor, not too salty, fries up like a dream and tastes like nothing you've ever had before. I mean it's like the difference between sunlight and a 40 watt bulb...ice cream and an ice cube....limoncello and lemonade...home made bread versus store bought. Do you get the picture? You've just GOT to try it! Capiche!
If you're wondering where to purchase Morton Sugar Cure hit the link and it'll take you right to the Morton company which is what I did a long time ago when I was making peameal bacon. We'll cover that in another episode. By the way one pound of Morton Sugar Cure or Morton Tender Quick will last a really, really long time so don't go buying the stuff in tons, OK. You can also use "pink salt" which is the nitrate Michael Ruhlman uses in his book Charcuterie, but we'll go there another time too.
Best of all, stay tuned for the second episode of Makin' Bacon where we'll explore the complexities of making what Americans call Canadian bacon and Canadians call back bacon. Are you confused yet? No? Good!
Note - please refer to the updated version HERE, because we've had a lot of practice since we posted this method and consequently have come up with what we think is a better version!
Just to clarify something here - I was not compensated by either Lee Lee's Supermarket, Amazon or Cost Plus World Market to mention them as sources. I am though a very lazy but semi astute shopper also known as frugal (OK cheap) so I personally hit the stores, on line or otherwise, where I know I'll get quality goods, great prices and good service. I'm a regular at Lee Lee's Supermarket and we buy from Amazon all the time. As for Cost Plus World Market, I find them to be a great place to find the more obscure items that are common in other countries but less so here such as some ethnic spices and condiments, reasonably priced stem ware because I'm always breaking ours, and loose leaf English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea or maybe even Cadbury Flake bars for when the British chocolate bug bites like it is RIGHT NOW! TTFN
Source out and buy pork bellies. Now since we've started this little project our local source has increased his prices by $1.00 a pound but what the heck, it's still the steal of the century. Just make sure it's the best quality you can find and more important, while you're doing it you might as well buy more than 1. The pork bellies we buy come in pieces between 2.5 and 3 pounds each so we're doing about 10 to 12 pounds at a time.
Stack the wrapped bellies into a plastic container with a tight lid and refrigerate for 10 to 14 days, moving them around and flipping them over every day to redistribute the juices that are collecting. Don't pour off any accumulated liquid, just make sure the seal of each bag is completely closed.
favorite is maple, but apple works well too as well as hickory, alder or mesquite but for us maple is the best. Place drapery hooks or S hooks onto one short end of the bellies, attaching the hooks through the skin so the bellies can hang off a rack in the smoker or alternatively lay the bellies flat on the smoking rack, leaving as much room as possible between each slab.
time you make a big pot of beans. The flavor's incredible.
