HOME CURED BACON

Self Sufficient Living

It's really simple to make your own bacon at home, all you need is five days and a fridge!  I make my family's bacon so that I can give them nitrate/nitrites free bacon.  All you need is a glass pryex rectangle container the same size as your side of belly pork with a lid, Himalayan sea salt, hint of brown sugar and pepper.

If you can buy grass feed organic belly pork this not only gives you the cleanest best tasting meat but it ensures that the pigs had a wonderful life being outside rooting and tootleing and if anything like our pigs loved and hugged and spoilt rotten with apples and the occasional banana splits! 

Ingredients 

1 kg high welfare belly pork

500g Himalayan sea sea 

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 glass food container with lid

1 sheet of parchment or muslin

In a glass jar, a ball mason jar is perfect, mix the sea salt, sugar and white pepper so they are evenly combined.  Place the side of belly pork on a large plate and sprinkle over half the salt rub, reserving the rest, give the belly a good massage all over getting the salt rub in every nook and cranny.  Place the pork belly in the glass food dish and pop on the lid, place in the fridge.  The bacon will be ready after five days.

Day one (24hrs later) take the belly pork out of the food container and brush of the damp sea salt, empty the dish of the salt sludge, this is the liquid that the salt is drawing out of the pork, curing it, rub the belly with a little more of the reserved salt from your mason jar and place back in the glass food container with the lid on and place back in the fridge.

Repeat this each day for the next three days, on day four brush off all the salt pat the belly dry with kitchen roll and wrap the belly bacon in a new muslin cloth or parchment paper and this will now keep in the fridge for up to ten days.  Ta da...you now have a side of home cured bacon ready to go, great as a base for many dishes.