Makin' Bacon

One of the benefits of a home smoker is the ability to make your own bacon.   In the March 2015 Issue of Sunset magazine is an article about making bacon at home.  The man is executive chef Brad Lettau at the The Mitching Post II restaurant in Buellton, California.  He started making bacon for special customers.  He now shares his recipe and process which I will make as my next smoker project.

I have learned a great deal regarding this process.  After I preserved the pork belly to make it Bacon, I cut the preserved belly into 4 large pieces for freezing and use at a later date (I cut mine into pieces about 6 inches by 6 inches with the grain).   I soaked the preserved meat (Bacon) in a plastic container fully covered with water for 2-½ hours.   After soaking, I washed off the Bacon, patted it dry with paper towels and let it dry throughly on the counter for about 30 minutes.   I then packaged the pieces for freezing.  I took one to cook.  OMG.  This is really great stuff.

Makes  5 to 8 lbs of Bacon (25 to 40 think slices)/6 to 8 days.  Making bacon is a three step process: cure, smoke and roast.  

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup Morton's kosher salt.
• ½ cup each granulated sugar and packed light brown sugar.
• 2 tablespoons each Molasses (not blackstrap) and cracked black pepper.
• 1 rindless pork belly (5 to 8 lbs without rind).

Procedure

• Mix together salt and sugars in a bowl with your hands.
• Rinse port belly, pat dry and cut in half crosswise with the grain.
• Rub pork halves all over with molasses followed by the pepper and a generious sprinkling of the salt-sugar mixture. 
• Put each half in a nonmetallic container with 2-inch high sides, such as a Pyrex baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap.  Chill (in the refrigerator) pork halves 5 to 7 days, depending on their weight.  Turn over every day.  They will produce a lot of liquid which you should leave in.  They will feel firmer and develop a deep rosy brown color.
• Rinse pork halves and pat dry.  Cut into any required pieces for future use or freezing.   
• Soak in clean water, fully covered for a minimium of 2-½ hours. 
• Prepare your smoking station or smoker.  
• For a charcoal station, stack 4 or 5 briquests and onw paraffin light cubes to one side of a chimney starter.  Ignite cube and let burn until ashy and glowing, about 20 minutes.  Set an 8-by-10 inch disposable alumiunum roasting pan on one side of grill fire grate.  Arrange 4 or 5 wood chunks in the pan in a single layer.  With tongs, set the ashy briquests directly on chucks.  When wood chunks start to smolder open the bottom vents of grill, set cooking grate in place.  Lay pork halves, fat side up on cooking grate, but not directly over fire.  
• For using a smoker - Prepare smoker with water pan, water soaked wood chips and set temperature to 150 degrees. 
• Smoke pork halves for 3 hours.  Check the heat every 20 minutes or so.  If it dips below 150 add another wood chunk.  If it exceed 150 degrees close vents and/or add more water to water pan. 
• Cool smoked bacon uncovered for 4 hours and then wrap well in plastic wrap and chill overnight. 
• Roasting Bacon (my recommendation for final preparation).  
• Set up a metal rack in a rimmed baking pan for cooking the bacon.  Cut bacon into ⅛  inch slices, then lay slices on rack(s).
• Put pan in oven and turn to 400 degrees (do not preheat oven).  Roast bacon just until edges are crispy, rotating pan half way through if needed for even browning.   When the fats start to golden brown, stop cooking.   I cook mine in about 10 minutes.  Set aside on paper towel to finish.  
• Some other options include:
• Get a large fry pan or skillet and put o cooktop with medium heat.  
• Once the pan is hot, fry bacon.
• Do not leave bacon unattended.  It cooks really, really fast.  When the edges get brown and the center fat is starting to become a golden brown, take the bacon off the fire to drain and finish on a paper towel.   
• Do not over cook. 
• Serve immediately.

Brad doing his thing.