FLOWER POT KITCHEN: HOME SALT AND SUGAR CURED BELLY BACON

5 Sept 2012

HOME SALT AND SUGAR CURED BELLY BACON

LOCAL FREE RANGE BELLY PORK COVERED COMPLETELY IN SALT FOR 10 DAYS

FIRST COOKED BACON FROM OUR HOME CURED BELLIES

INGREDIENTS

1 side of belly pork free range

1 kg curing salt (fine table salt will do)

300g soft brown sugar

3 tbsp fresh black pepper

1 large plastic tub with lid

Pat dry the side of belly pork and place in the plastic tub pour over half the salt and half the sugar and half of the black pepper, rub the belly all over thoroughly into ever nook and crannie, then make a bed with some of the salt in the plastic tub, place the belly on and then scooch up the remaining salt around the belly and on top so that the belly is covered in salt.

Leave in the fridge for 24hrs, if it is winter time the belly pork can live outside in a garage or out house, you don't want outside temp's higher than 8 degrees. After 24hrs take out the belly pork and just brush off the wet salt, this is from all the liquid that has been pulled out of the belly by the salt, and wipe out the plastic box, repeat the salt process again but this time you can leave the belly in the fridge anything from 5 days to 14 days, however after 10 days the bacon will become very salty and then require soaking before use, but will keep for almost 4 months. For this recipe I cured the belly for 10 days and it is fantastic a tiny bit salty which I do love, but next time I will cure for 7 days and go from there. I did not think we would eat a whole belly within a month or two, however it has been 3 weeks and I already have another belly in salt lol.

SMOKING

If you want smoked bacon, you will need a cold smoker to do this in and I recommend 24hrs cold smoking at 5 degrees and under, this is easily achieved if you have the proper equipment, home made is easy to make, you will need a leaf burner dustbin with chimney vent and a smoker box with a wide hose that you can connect to the dustbin via the chimney so that the oak smoke will cool on its journey from the smoker box into the dustbin and then vent out of the holes in the bottom.

You can buy some great smokers on line, and at reasonable prices, but I feel half the fun of the experience is in the adaptation of every day items for very little cost with maxium results.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.