There are few single ingredients that are so universally adored as bacon. And the only thing better than bacon is homemade bacon.
Curing your own bacon, at least once, is a great experience for any meat enthusiast. Although it’s a fairly lengthy process (at least, compared to running to the store and just buying some), it is a wholly satisfying one, and in addition to the sense of achievement it also yields some tasty rewards. It also gives you control of what exactly is going into the bacon, the degree of quality of the pork itself and of course, the flavoring and level of smoke. And not only that, but it gives you complete control over the thickness of the slices – get as thick or thin as your heart desires!
There are a few things you’ll need to make your own bacon. Firstly, curing salt (aka Prague powder) which can be bought at better grocery and specialty food stores or ordered online. Second, you’ll need a smoker of some kind (because obviously that’s how you get the smoke flavor!). A pellet grill is perfect for this task because it’s fabulously easy to use, and will only take a couple of hours. I prefer fruit woods like Apple or Cherry to pair with pork, but of course you can go for something stronger like Hickory. Finally, you may want to consider investing in a great quality thermometer. I use and recommend the Thermapen, and also used a Dot to monitor the temp of the smoker.
This recipe serves as the core foundation for a bunch of different types and flavors you can try. All you need to do is adjust some of the ingredients and experiment with additions. Brown sugar, molasses, garlic, bourbon, different wood species and a host of other options can be used to create your own signature bacon, and let’s be honest, it’s going to be one helluva tasty process of trial and error.
And of course, once you have all that bacon, you can turn it use it to create completely magical meals like this:
How to make and cure your own smoky bacon
Ingredients
3lb skinless, boneless pork belly
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pink curing salt (aka Prague Powder #1)
apple or cherry wood chunks/chips
Instructions
- Start by curing the belly: In a small bowl, combine the pepper, sugar, paprika, salt & curing salt. Place belly on a foil lined tray and pat dry with paper towels. Using half of the cure mix, sprinkle evenly over the surface of the belly, and rub in gently. Turn over and repeat on other side with remaining mix. Place the entire belly and curing mix into a large zip top bag and place in refrigerator for 7 days. Each day the belly should be flipped onto the other side, and the contents (which will transform to a liquid) should be massaged around.
- After 7 days, remove from the bag and rinse under water. Pat dry with paper towels, and place back in fridge uncovered (on a rack over a pan to catch any drips) for 24 hours.
- Smoke the now cured belly using the apple or cherry wood for three hours at 200f, or until internal temperature reaches 150f.
- Store bacon in an airtight plastic bag or container in refrigerator for up to a week, cutting and cooking as required (if you don’t eat it all at once!).
Addictingly delicious – and simple!!
Never ever used foil to line curing container, it must always be a non-reactive container never metallic, which the cure will attack and contaminate the meat, use enamel, plastic, glass but never any metal like steel or Aluminium.
Worked great very delicious
I used 5 pounds of pork belly, 3 tbsps ea Kosher Sea Salt and Brown Sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 4 cloves pressed Garlic, 2 tspns fresh ground pepper, 2 tspns smoked paprika, 2 tspns onion powder, 1 tbsp fresh German Thyme leaves, 3 bay leaves, and put it all in a pot with 2 cups water. Boiled and covered, simmered 5 minutes, put in ice bath. Took this brine and put it with the pork belly in a large zip lock bag, set in fridge and flipped daily. Rinsed, patted dry, and place on rack in fridge for 24 hrs to form pellicle, then coated fat and bottom side with a mix of ground pepper and a dash of smoke paprika. Smoked using hickory for 3 hours, internal temp was 150-160F. Came out awesome, best ever. Dry rub, or brine is about equal as far as results, brine is easier to apply. Smokey flavor, with maple sweetness, and the herbs and spices added a nice depth of character, better than anything you can buy for sure. Thanks!
Great taste. cold smoked.
Very simple easy to follow recipe. It has beco.e out favorite
Yes
I’m trying your recipe and when I unwrapped the pork belly I had ordered instead of one 3 lb piece it’s 3 1lb pieces… they were curled up with twine which I removed but I’m wondering if the curing process will work right…do you think so or should I start over with one 3 lb piece?
So I used This recipe a while back and used the 3lbs of belly. I found It was a touch salty but other than that a great recipe, I just used It again and made 10lbs of belly. I cut the salt back to 6tbsp for that 10lb’s and it came out perfectly salty. Love you recipes keep up the good work!
I had the opposite. All the salt and seasoning never soaked into the meat. We only have the smoked flavor
I had the opposite. All the salt and seasoning never soaked into the meat. We only have the smoked flavor
I just cooked mine tonight. I did not find it salty, and it was slightly sweet. Did you wash off the cure?
Hi is the pepper black or white
Agree cut back on the salt
i wonder if the reason some find it too salty and others not, is due to the poor description of the salt. Even kosher salt comes in different forms from fine to course to flake. Would be better to use weight or at last clearer description.
Yup. We keep different salt for different….
Diamond Crystal, Pink Himalayan, coarse and fine Sea Salt. Maldon for finishing. Learn your salt, Find your groove.
If you don’t get it first try, smoke, smoke again! This recipe is worth it. A great “spring board” to get you started.
Too salty? You probably didn’t wash the meat after curing. Soak it in cold water until the salt level is right for you, then dry it for 24 h and then smoke it.
Absolutely the best bacon I’ve had and it’s enjoyable to do.
I tried this recipe once 5 years ago. I always say I’m going to tey a different recipe. but this one is so freaking good. I’d hate to waste a good pork belly on a bad recipe.
my friends and family love the taste and flavor so much! thank you for sharing!
Awesome recipe, easy to follow and it’s delicious. I use the fat cap I trim off of pork shoulder, when making sausages or pulled pork. Still plenty of fat left for both. Leave about 1/2-3/4″ of meat on it and it works great.
1st time curing and smoking bacon. recipe and directions were easy easy. A bit salty, but still delicious. I used a half/half mix of white and brown sugar in the cure. and after smoking, I put cracked pepper over it. I would definitely use this recipe again, with a few minor tweaks for my taste
Hello – Wondering if you have a good sausage recipe you are willing to share. I have made several batches but our flavors are horrible.
Paula.Kitzberger@Outlook.com
Thanks for any help you can offer. 🙂
in the process at the moment i have made my own smoker out of an old filing cabinet we will see how it goes
curious! a file cabinet? a picture if you would.
awesome ingenuity!
You finding there to be a lot of liquid. I don’t have much in my bag and it’s been 5 days!
great tasting and best bacon every one says, can out great thanks , will be making a lot more soon
I have used this recipe numerous times. YUMMY! I have given a bunch away and everyone says its the best bacon ever. I just added 2tbsps of brown sugar. thanks for the great recipe.
Is the finished product sweet?
I made this recipe a couple weeks ago and my family said that it was the best bacon they ever had. I must agree I made 10 pounds. I am going to buy another pork belly this week and make 10 more pounds!!!
Yeah. This is too sweet for my liking. More so than most store bought bacon. The high sugar content also requires you to cook on a lower heat to prevent the sugars caramelizing and burning. I agree with others who cut the salt for 10 pounds down to 6tbs. I am going to cut sugars down to 1/4 cup and see how that tastes.
Not at all, perfectly savory.
did you rub the brown sugar in with the rest of mix
Can the bacon be sliced and frozen after smoking?
Absolutely! Just make sure you get a decent vacuum seal.
How and when would you add maple syrup ? Does it have to be a special type of maple syrup ?
any % replacement of white sugar for amber maple syrup is fine. to do a complete swap would be too messy and ineffective, 50/50 is probably the max you’d want to go. I’m a red blooded Canadian and I go about 30%, so the end result is a rub like wet sand good for making sand castles.
Add to the bag after the cure turns to liquid, usually the 2nd day. Use pure maple syrup for a better flavor.
You can use maple sugar in place of the granulated sugar for an intensified flavor. Maple sugar is widely available online. Happy smoking!
Hi Jess. I have been smoking bacon from our pastured pigs using your recipe for the last 3 years!! After at least 200#’s for our large family we love it and I’ve passed your recipe along to several other folks as well!!
A couple notes: I add a bit off chili flakes during the curing process. It isnt a game changer, but my I like it. Also, after 3 times without any changes but dissapointed with the amount of salt i tasted, I dropped my curring time to 4 days to reduce the impact of the salt. I also freeze it in smaller servings because it probably isn’t truly cured. I also par freeze it before slicing with my slicer so I don’t end up with sweet sweet porky grease everywhere.
i threw it in the freezer for a couple hours and sliced it. worked well but i need a better knife! it cut well but i’d probably go serrated or a slicer.
Sharpen the knife on a a fine stone wheel. I use a cheff knife, then on a buff pad. You will be able to shave with the knife.
I just started the cure I will let you know!! Beginner smoker here… I got a good deal on 3lb’s of Pork Belly!! wish me luck!!
How many lbs of pork belly will this recipe make ?
I’ve seen a lot of recipes recommend dry aging the finished bacon after smoking for up to a week before eating. Is there a reason you recommend only keeping this in the refrigerator for up to 1 week once fully prepared? Does it have a lower nitrite content than most bacon?
This might just be the best bacon recipe I have ever tried. I have been following this recipe for over a year. A dry cure is hand down better than any bacon I’ve ever bought in the grocery store.
Second time doing 20+lbs great added 1/2 brown sugar
I’ve used several different recipes and this one is by far the best.
Can you cure it for more than 7 days. It looks like I’ll be out of town on day 7to9
Was the brown sugar in addition to the white sugar?
This sounds delicious and simple, but I have a question. We have just had our first pastured hog processed at the butcher and I did have the belly sliced. (First time with a “cut sheet”)
Of course, when we pick it up, the bacon is frozen into 1lb sliced packets. I tried frying it using only salt, pepper, etc, but NOT tasty at all. My question – how do I cure, smoke, use this recipe since it is already sliced and in 1lb packages? Thanks so much
Unfortunately it’s not possible to cure and smoke once already sliced. Next hog!
So I used This recipe a while back and used the 3lbs of belly. I found It was a touch salty but other than that a great recipe, I just used It again and made 10lbs of belly. I cut the salt back to 6tbsp for that 10lb’s and it came out perfectly salty. Love you recipes keep up the good work!
Only recipe I will ever use. Making it now for the third time. I followed the recipe step by step. Added a bit of maple sugar. It’s amazing !
1st slab I did not rinse well enough turned out salty but edible.
2nd slab was perfect.
Ready to try to maple flavor brine.
Sounds a lot like the uncured smoked jowl I get at an international grocery. I fry it with a good bit of black pepper ground over it. I avoid salty foods like bacon and I enjoy it. But its not bacon.
I did the same thing and have a bunch of packages of “Fresh Pork Side.” We just found a recipe that really makes it tasty, 2 TBS brown Sugar, 1 Tsp salt, 1/8-1/4 tsp pepper. Mix it up and use a shaker to dust the strips in a foil lined baking sheet. Cook 20 minutes @ 350 F, then flip, dust again with shaker mixture and finish cooking another 10-20 mins depending on thickness of slices until desired crispness is achieved.
made this recipe a few times now. It’s incredibly delicious. we share and everyone says it’s the best bacon they ever tried. we have no need to ever buy bacon again.
I think we read some comments here and adjusted the salt slightly but other then that it’s perfection.
I’d mix the sliced pork belly with the dry cure for a couple of days, rinse off the cure, smoke for an hour or 2, and fry it up!
cook it with liquid smoke salt and pepper and it will taste decent. just discovered this trick if you have sliced not cured bacon.
You might try putting salt and pepper in a pan of flour and coat the slices. Cook very slow in a fry pan until crispy. Pretty good eating. Check other methods for cooking “side pork” Good luck
I smoked this at 185 using supersmoke on my ironwood 885. Used maple wood which gave it just a hint of sweetness. Absolutely delicious!
Question: I’d like to add a couple of Tablespoons of brown sugar. Should I reduce the white sugar by equal amounts?
This recipe is amazing!!! I finished the cure and smoking process yesterday I used Apple wood, and my Mastercraft smoker. I have to be honest I was a little leery using sugar as I am not a big fan of sweet Bacon. but this is not to sweet at all. it just has light hints of sweetness. And I can not believe how amazing the Bacon is. So much better than any Bacon I’ve ever had. cooked some of course the first day. and this morning bacon and Eggs!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. if you have any doubts I suggest you put them aside and try this recipe!!! I would give it 10 stars. P.S I did have to order the Prague Powered #1 off of amazon! could not find it locally. Bon Appetit. I will be making this again soon!!
Used the 6lb recipe and it turned out wayyy too salty. Indelibly salty. Don’t know what to with it. I’ll probably throw it out. Any advice would be appreciated.
can you use brown sugar instead of regular sugar?
Delicious recipe Jess. Perfectly cured and not too salty. I opted to allow the cured bacon for a few days longer which helped for a deep smoke. Used cherry because I had it but apple and hickory are my favorites.
We were looking for a recipe to make back bacon, something we have had in England, Cornwall, and Scotland, that we cannot find here. I chose this recipe and was very impressed. We use a pork loin rather than belly, and is very close to what we had in the UK. After curing and smoking, we sliced the back bacon, and vacuum sealed packages of 4 slices each and froze them. We now back bacon whenever we want, for a price comparable to what we would pay for regular store bought bacon.
In the states “Back Bacon” is called “Canadian Bacon”.
This was my first attempt at making bacon. I was was just tired of our butchers as it was way to salty. This recipe was easy to follow, and has an incredible flavor, sweet/salty ( but not to much) and Smokey. It’s a keeper for our family.
I can’t make enough of this bacon! Time for a bigger smoker. I love this recipe, thanks again Jess.
awesome
Could one use a food safe tub to cure the bacon in, instead of a ziploc bag?
absolutely!
I covered the entire surface of the pork belly, but didn’t end up using the entire rub. Will that cause the pork belly not to cure correctly?
I do not have access to a smoker.what is an alternative?
1tsp of Prague #1 seems too high for 3lb belly. Various websites I have been reading says to use 1tsp for every 5lbs of meat. Should it be 1/2 tsp?
Did three pounds in October. Now getting ready to smoke ten pounds that I have finished curing. My Family loves this bacon.
Jan 12 /22
Great recipe and simple. Second time today.Doing 10lbs.now. Using Treager gourmet pellets . Stepped it up a bit with some garlic powder, cumin, and smoked paprika+ Real home grown Maple syrup. Anxious to try. Could be slow though -15 C -5F but I have a winter blanket for my smoker
Delicious… Wouldn’t change a thing. Was told by many people it was the best bacon they’ve had.
Hey Jess,
First time doing this. Belly’s just gone back in the fridge this morning uncovered for 24hrs. My question is how come we hot smoke and not cold smoke?
Are we not in effect cooking twice before we eat if by hot smoking. I’m a novice so all the info is appreciated
Yes, it’s a form of cooking twice but it helps manage bacteria.
AND, you can eat it right off the smoker! It’s been cooked its’ minimum safe temperature.
Very easy recipe. About to pull it should it be sliced right after coming out or rest it again?
I know it’s a little bit late lol but I’d let it rest for at least 4 hours in the fridge and then slice it up. I have a meat slicer and a vac u sealer so I process my own bacon now. Seeing that the prices of store bought stuff is $10.00 lb from semi decent bacon. But now that I’ve learned how to do it I’ll never buy it in a store again. lol my last two times buying pork belly I got it at $5.89 lb so I basically double my money by making it myself, and friends now want to buy bacon off me and say they would happily pay $10-15.00 bucks for a pound of fresh homemade bacon 🥓!
Very easy to make this is my second batch ready to make my 3rd best bacon ever try it you’ll love it.
The best and easiest recipe! Thanks you Jess. I have been using this and recommending to my friend for ages.
I have made many versions, sweeter, savory and chili. I alway come back to this.
Terry, i have found that it slices better if you chill it before slicing.
Hi Jess ,have a smoker on its way , can’t wait to try making bacon . I’m wondering if you could use other cuts of pork for this . Maybe pork loin or shoulder ,cut to appropriate size and make something like Canadian bacon . Not sure how hard pork belly will be to find where I’m at.
Absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe as written, except I did 24 pounds and used pecan pellets. Perfect balance of sweet and salty notes.
Very nice. I made this and smoked it with a combination of apple and cherry wood. I started with a 6 lb. slab and followed the recipe pretty precisely. Main difference is I used plain coarse ground (iodine free) salt instead of kosher. Just bought another slab of pork belly that weighs in at about 10 lbs. I’m going to split it and add a touch of maple syrup to half as a trial. But the family loves it.
Could you use some other cut besides belly to follow this same process?
Well I just made this recipe with a few tweaks, i used a Apple spice & brown sugar and smoked it on my Oklahoma Joe offset stick burner and I’ll tell ya what this has become my new bacon recipe from here on out! The flavor with Apple &cherry wood smoke makes you want to just sit there and cook bacon 🥓 and eat it as it comes out of the cast iron skillet! Ms. Jess a Huge thank you for sharing your recipe! This was part of a test I was doing on bacon 🥓 and brine and vs wet brining this by far is my now go to! I went 5 days on the brine, set in fridge for 24 hrs then to the smoker, vs the wet brine which took min of 8-14 days brining, 24 hr set up in fridge then to the smoker so it dry brine and this recipe with the Apple spice brown sugar add ! 🙏♥️♥️♥️
Tried 3 lbs a few weeks ago and everyone I have shared it with says its the best bacon they’ve ever had. Currently have 12 lbs curing cut into 3 lb slabs, on one slab I substituted brown sugar instead of white. Already thinking ahead to my next pork belly down the line and thinking about using maple sugar from a local sugar bush on one of the slabs. New into smoking but this bacon recipe made me look like a pro!!
How as it with brown sugar? Did you not use any white sugar? I was thinking of trying it that way.
I’ve done this three times with some of my own variations and no fail it’s fantastic
Great. I did the sugar 50/50 white & brown. After I took it out of the smoker I brushed on maple syrup & sprinkled with a little maple sugar. Mmmm good.
So I bought a pork belly at Costco, cut it in half and used half to make a smoked pork belly on my Vision kamado smoker. I always wanted to try making my own bacon and found Jess Payless’ site. Followed the recipe exactly though I had to double it given the size of the belly I had. Used my electric smoker to maintain the exact temp needed and added a smoker tube for extra smoke filled with a 50/50 mix of hardwood pellets and cherry wood chips. Refilled the tube after about 5 hours with only cherry chips. I mug cherry chips in the normal smoking port a few times, but I don’t think it was really necessary.
Took about 10 hours to get to the 150 degrees needed. (Okay, I admit I had 155 deg in my head so it actually got to 153 before I realized my mistake). Had about 8 hours of continuous extra smoke. I stuck it in the refrigerator last night and sliced some for dinner after work today. THE BEST bacon I ever tasted! Not really that difficult to make and well worth waiting for. Thank you so much for the recipe. Bookmarked your page ‘cause I’m making this again!
Made this yesterday.Amazing flavour, and lots of fun curing and smoking it. I find the bacon a bit to sweet though. Perhaps forget the white sugar, and substitute a much smaller amount of brown sugar? Will that affect the brine for curing? Keep up the great work, Jess!
Superb! One question- if it is cured, why do we have to leave it in the fridge?
I have made this recipe several times using pork belly and pork lion. I cut it super thick and everyone raves about it! Hard to buy any bacon after making this. Have tried several different flavors like mixed berry, jalapeños and real maple syrup but find the regular the best. Have also tried the beef bacon as well with great results!
Easy, don’t skimp on the cure time, I will never buy bacon again!
Hi, I’m on my way to trying this recipe in Asia.
I have one question. Can I heat the cured pork belly in the electric oven?
Just wondering cause I don’t have a smoker.
Have grand daughter that is allergic to peanuts. Every pink curing salt I puchased has warning “produced in factory with peanuts”. Evey vendor will not verify they are allergen free. can buy Sodium nitrite direct from chemical company that is “food grade” and verifies “Allergen free”. It is not pick, but is it basically the same?
I have only used two other bacon recipes. The last time I made three different ones, (this one, a maple, and another recipe) at the same time. This one was by far the best! Perfect saltiness, tiny hint of maple, just perfect home smoked on pellet smoker w Traeger signature blend pellets. So delicious!
4th time making, so I guess you could say that it’s a thumbs up for everyone who has tried it.Cost about 4.00$ lb. I do about 10 lbs.at a time
This is the 4th time making, I do about 10 lbs. at a time comes out to about 4:00$ a lb. Everyone loves it
Made 15 lbs, oh my, complete with smoke ring, I’ll never buy commercial bacon again!
Thanks Jess
Tried it last weekend…amazing. Just bought more pork belly to cure for weekend after next.
I’d tried to make bacon from another recipe, and it was so salty we couldn’t eat it as bacon proper. I’ve done this recipe twice and It is AWESOME! Will do a couple of full pork bellies next time.
Fantastic recipe. I just finished curing, slicing, and vacuum packaging 22 pounds of applewood smoked bacon. Followed your recipe with the exception of replacing the white sugar with a 50-50 mix of white and brown sugars. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent recipe for beginners and experienced folks alike. The first time I ever made bacon I used this recipe and now I play with ingredients a little but the recipe is so good it’s hard to change much. My friends all basically beg for bacon once it’s ready and it’s fun to treat others!
First time I tried this I thought it was a little too salty. I cut the kosher salt down to 2 Tbsp and used maple sugar instead of white sugar. Came out amazing. Also cooled to room temperature after smoking then tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight to set texture and flavor before slicing.
Are these level teaspoons and Tablespoons or heaped?
Jess,
Sorry I haven’t posted in awhile cause I have made bacon quite often using this recipe. I just did a 15 lb pork belly. I’t was awesome as always.The reason i made so much is everybody loves it and the price was 3.98 a lb.
I liked the comments on this recipe and decided to go with it a day ago; bought the pork belly from Costco and created the mixture with one mistake…I used pink Himalayan salt instead of curing salt. Will this be a problem? Can I add a wee bit of curing salt to the ziplock bag?
Thanks
Yes, this is a problem. Himalayan salt is not curing salt (even though they are both visually pink) and therefore the product will not cure to the same degree. I would not recommend adding it in after the fact.
Very good recipe. Consider using maple sugar instead of white or brown sugar, and maybe a little garlic powder. It adds a level to the flavor profile you can’t get with store bought bacon.
Easy to follow and it came out perfect. I used a meat slicer for perfect thick strips.
First time making bacon. This recipe was so easy to follow and the results were great!
very simple recipe. I’ve made it 3 times now and it’s always been delicious. I’ve tweaked the recipe with 2 ingredients for our liking. As long as I can purchase pork belly I will not purchase stip bacon from the grocery store. thx Joe.
Shot a wild hog and used your recipe as always. Came out awesome no one knew the difference. Beast recipe ever.Getting ready to do the other half. Thanks again Jess.
We enjoy this recipe. We have substituted brown sugar for white, and it’s really good.
I’m currently working on smoking a batch . Just don’t know how long to smoke for
This is the third belly I’ve done and all have been excellent. Won’t buy store bacon again and now just waiting for some decent tomatoes for a bacon and tomato sandwich. Thanks for the recipe!
PS. Got this belly for $2.99/lb. Which makes it even better.
The family loved this. Will be doing it again very soon in bulk.
Smells delicious
Smells delicious
I’m going to try your recipe due to all the positive reviews. One thing you fail to address is how to set the lower and upper smoker vent openings. Could you share the proper vent settings with us please?
I swap white sugar for maple sugar and add 4 tbl sp of ground coffee.
Is one teaspoon of curing salt to much for 3lbs of pork belly ?
I tried this recipe and it was fantastic.
My only comment is that the bacon should be smoked to an internal temperature of 75C to kill all trichinella spiralis parasites.
I just found this recipe and although I don’t have a smoker; Im passing this on to my son-in-law who does.
Thus fare due to health issues I am on low carb meal plan, and I love pork belly for breakfast. My parents butchered their own hogs on farm and mother would just season it with ground cloves, salt & pepper, slice and fry on a pan. I still so this, but on occasion I use the Maple Bacon seasoning on it. I love it and so much healthier for you than any cured meat.
5 star all the way. I used brown sugar, at half the amount. I also added ¼ c pure maple syrup and a big grind of coarse black pepper. Smoked on my OK Joe offset smoker, Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for the recipe.
Easy to make, but I thought the finished product was very salty. I would slightly reduce the amount of salt the next time I make it, but the bacon did turn out very well!
This is my 4th pr 5th time using this. This recipe is a wonderful base you can scale to whatever size pork belly you have. It is fantastic as-is, and you can also do cool modifications like substitute brown sugar for the white sugar and add maple syrup to the bag. When I do that modification, I smoke it with maple wood chunks…..
First time using this cure and the bacon turned out absolutely fantastic. I used Hickory for smoke and was surprised that it wasn’t smokier. This time around I used brown instead of white sugar and will try Cherrywood for smoke. cheers
I’ve used this recipe before (with a couple tweaks) and I’ll be making another 20 lbs this week. I do add dark amber Maple syrup and Turbinado sugar into the curing mix. On smoking day, I brush both sides of the belly with Maple syrup, dust both sides with an Amish made Maple rub and hit the top of the belly with a healthy layer of fresh ground Rainbow Pepper. I smoke it with a combination of Apple, Cherry and Maple wood pellets. My family loves the sweet black pepper bacon from Dunkin and they all agree that my bacon blows theirs away! Thank you for the recipe, Jess! You’ve inspired two of my top favorites with your recipes – this bacon and your smoked Picanha!
If I use bourbon should I burn off the alcohol?
Followed the recipe to a T but smoked it at 225 degrees, with a couple of racks of baby backs. Excellent! I sliced it thick so the final cook was low and slow.
Just started 6lbs but added brown sugar/white sugar half and half. I’ll let you know.
Do not use sodium nitrate. It will eventually give you some type of cancer. That Prague crap is really bad for you. Just use Himalayan pink salt.
I have question, i did not get much liquid at all during the curing phase. I’d say the inside of the bag was moist w/ drops, but definitely not enough solution that it could be considered liquid. The meat i bought was at a decent store, although it wasn’t as fatty as much bacon – which is why i picked out out. Is this an issue?
It’s on the smoker now so hopefully it comes out OK!
This is the BEST bacon recipe hands down if you are looking for a traditional delicious bacon! I have tried multiple recipes and this is the one! Not too sweet and the perfect saltiness! The only change was I used hickory to smoke. The final product cooks up great without burning, due to lots of sugars in the cure. This is my go to recipe!
Can you provide pink salt quantity by weight?
Some of our spoons vary by volume, we want to be careful with curing salt.
Thank you and Aloha
Uncle Tom
I also added half brown sugar to a 5# pork belly. Used a rack in a Camp Chef pellet grill with Pecan pellets. 3 hours is pretty close at 200 degrees but use a Thermapen to check. Turned out better than other cure recipes that I’ve used. This one is my go to recipe!
I have made this several times now. Have added bourbon, have added brown sugar, have added maple syrup on the cure. Have added black pepper before the smoke. Great every time! Thanks Jess.
Solid recipe. Just finished making a 5lb slab. Everyone loves it.
Personally, it’s a tad sweet for my palate. But when trying something new, I always stick to the original the first time.
I smoked with hickory on my Traeger Pro 22. I put it on an elevated wire rack and ran the smoker at the 180° setting, which floats up to almost 200°.
Total time on was about 3 hours to hit 150° internal.
If anyone has modified this for a bit more salt and less sweet, let me know. I’m thinking of cutting the sugar back and using brown sugar, additional salt, and possibly onion and garlic powder.
But thank you for the solid recipe Jess!
This was a waste of good meat! I read the comments before starting, a lot of people complained about how salty theirs ended up but I figured I would like it because I like extra salt on everything. I was wrong! The extreme salty flavor made this pretty much inedible and I checked my measurements multiple times before applying the rub. I don’t know what the difference was with my pork belly but it stayed dry the entire week of brining, no liquid whatsoever. I rinsed the pork belly off well before smoking it. I can tell the flavor would have been great had it not been so salty. I’m pretty disappointed.
Awesome recipe. Easy and not salty.
This is hands down the best bacon you’ve ever eaten!! I have made this recipe in varying quantities from 3lbs to 12 lbs and have smoked with , alder, cherry, hickory and apple. My family and I are addicted to this bacon, our favourite so far was the alder. When we run out, off to Costco I go for more pork belly.
I am still a beginner smoker by all respects and my first choice was to make bacon, quick interweb search and @jesspryles recipe came up first. Who makes bacon as a first ever task for a smoker?….. this guy did!!
I literally never want to try another recipe as this one is a banger!!
Thank you Jess 🙏
Tad too salty for us. So I just soaked overnight in water to draw out salt perfectly done. Smoking now.
will it make a huge difference if you cure for 6 days instead of seven?
Just a quick question. Any big difference if you sub brown sugar for white?
Beginner smoker here, I followed the recipe exactly and smoked at 200 for 3 hours. Some of the best bacon I’ve ever tasted. Despite the sugar and salt content it was not excessively sweet or salty. I’m off to get a few more to smoke and give out around Christmas. Thanks for the great recipe.
I was looking for a dry cure bacon recipe and this one came across at the top of the list. I followed it, by making the cure and leaving it in the fridge for about 7-8 days, flipping every day. I then let it drain, though no more liquid came out. I smoked it at 225F in a vertical pellet smoker with some other meats, till it hit 150F and put it back in the fridge for about two days. I sliced it, using a meat slicer and it came out looking VERY nice. I vacuum sealed about 3/4 of the whole belly for freezing and kept the rest fresh. Obviously, I cooked some up to try and it was delicious. A little, but not too salty. I’m looking forward to trying variations on the cure seasoning, but it was just really good as is and a definite win for a starting point,
An excellent base curing powder. I’ve used it for about 20lbs of bacon now. One of the packages I currently have curing has garlic powder and chipotle chili pepper powder added but I still used the original exactly as printed. It has a mild sweetness to it that even one of my ‘purist’ friends agreed is great.
I don’t trim any extra fat off and my preference is to cook it in a frying pan on low (2 or 3/10) for up to half an hour. The leftover bacon grease renders down into lard nicely and is beautiful for searing steaks/roasts.
My son got me a Pit Boss for Christmas!!! (he is such a good boy!!)
Excellent recipe!! I was nervous about to much salt so I reduced it to 3 Tbsp and used 1/2 brown sugar 1/2 white sugar. Turned out excellent!! I can’t wait to try more variations of this recipe maybe use maple syrup next. So much fun!!
I’ve made this many times, it’s my go to bacon recipes. I smoke it with apple wood. it’s simple and delicious.
Great no nonsense recipe. Made it for the first time tonight and it worked out terrific. Was pretty much bang on 3 hours to hit the target temp in the Traeger. I used Applewood pellets. Not too salty at all, if anything maybe *slightly* too sweet for my tastebuds, but a great starting point! From one Aussie to another thank you!
I love the recipe. I made six pounds of bacon about two months ago, and we’re down to our last quarter of that.
I split the paprika amount in half and replaced one tsp. with chipotle powder. Chipotle is ground smoked jalapeño peppers so it has a wonderful smoke flavor also, plus adds a touch of heat. I also used Traegar’s mesquite pellets in the smoker tube.
I usually cut the bacon into little cubes and treat it as lardons when cooking to stretch it out.
I started a new batch yesterday morning and ran out of paprika, only having about 1/3 tsp., so I extended it with some spicy harissa, which has paprika in it, along with the chipotle powder again. The harissa also has cumin, coriander and caraway seeds so there’ll be a little north-African influence in the bacon’s flavor this time.
Finally, when slicing the bacon I just use a *sharp* chef’s knife, that’s sharp enough to shave with it. It’ll go through the bacon in one slice.
I’ve made this a handful of times, and it is SO much more flavorful thatn storebought.
My family loves it a bit sweeter, and I’ve tried a few different things as a “BINDER” to add additional flavor? Basically, I’ll rub a small amount of Whiskey or Maple Syrup into the belly before curing in the fridge (under vacuum seal). Turns out amazingly.
The batch in my fridge right now is with a small amount of Sriracha.
Have fun with it!
IT’S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I’VE COMMENTED,BUT THIS RECIPE IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT I’VE EVER FOUND THAT HITS THE MARK SPOT ON! HAVE MADE IT NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THE LAST TIME I CHIMED IN. PURE AWESOMENESS!
Hi, what happens with the vinegar?
It’s listed in the ingredients but doesn’t appear to get mention in the how to……unless I’ve missed something somewhere!
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Dont get all cute and start adding stuff. This is the perfect recipe. Proportions of salt is on point. I use a five or six pound pork belly and the salt proportions for the 3 pound is just right. I have to monitor my salt intake. But it’s just right for a five pound pork belly. Do not change a thing! This recipe is perfect.
well done! my first time making bacon, recipe was easy, results were delicious! touch salty ( have reduced for next batch). I live in Portugal, and US style bacon is expensive and difficult to find, but this is one problem that is now solved!
Super Salty even after heavy rinse. The sugar tends to burn when the bacon is pan fried. I’d reduce the salt by at least 25% and the sugar by half.
We have used this recipe for a few years and I love it every time. We usually get a large pork belly when we find a good deal and save it in the freezer (vacuum sealed). It’s always sad when I don’t realize I’m using the last bag, or I have to use store-bought bacon for something. This bacon is the best bacon you can ever find! I’ve really considered giving it away at Christmas because it’s just so good. Thank you for such a phenomenal recipe!
Hello Jess ! This has to be the best and simplest recipes of all time ! After my friends have tried it they say we can’t eat store bought anymore so makes us some more, well i respond you’ll just have to wait.
I’ve seen a lot of recipes recommend dry aging the finished bacon after smoking for up to a week before eating. Is there a reason you recommend only keeping this in the refrigerator for up to 1 week once fully prepared? Does it have a lower nitrite content than most bacon?
I have been scanning through the comments and seen several questions asking why only leave in in the refrigerator for a week after smoking. Haven’t seen a response yet, unless I have missed it. Isn’t the point of curing something to enable you to preserve it for longer?
Im moving to Philppines – they have no smoked meat but they have tons of pork. Naturally, I need to learn this skill. I have a question. I thought this pink curing salt was the main secret to curing meat. But only 1 teaspoon to the mix? Am I reading correctly? How can so little do so much. Please help me understand why use it at all. I’m just a curious learne who likes to know what to do….and why? This special curing salt must have anti-rot or anti-bacterial properties that regular salt doesnt. Anybody know? Thanks!
Absolutely amazing! I’ve used different kinds of wood while also mixing some together too (for example, fig + post oak), but no matter what kind of wood I use, it never ceases to amaze!