How to Cure Bacon At Home Using the 3-2-1 Method
Today we are going to show you how to curebacon at home.
It's real easy to do.
First, you need to make the cure.
Get some brown sugar, non-iodized salt, groundblack pepper, and pink curing salt #1.
Next, you need to mix it all together.
Make sure you mix it evenly so that therearen't any chunks and all of the salt and
the sugar is distributed evenly.
Divide the cure into three parts.
You'll be using one of these each of the nextthree days.
The next step is to trim up the pork belly.
Remove the silver skin and if you have anyother loose hanging things or too much fat,
you might want to take it off.
Then cut the pork belly in half so you havetwo square pieces.
Put half of one of the containers in the bottomof the curing chamber.
I got this one from a restaurant supply store.
Then put the pork bellies meat side down andcoat the top with the rest of the cure.
You want to make sure this is completely evenand cover every piece of it.
That way it cures evenly.
You are going to repeat this process for eachof the next two days.
First, pour out any liquid that forms, thenflip the bellies over, and finally grab another
container of cure and distribute it evenlyover both sides of the pork belly.
When you are all done, cover it up and putit in the fridge.
On the second and third days you are goingto pour out any of the liquid, flip them over,
and add more of the cure onto both sides.
On the fourth and fifth days, pour out anyliquid and flip the pork bellies over.
You are done adding cure at this point.
Just cover it up and put it back in the fridge.
On the 6th day, take the pork belly and runit under cold water.
That will get as much of the cure off as possibleand keep it from getting too salty.
It's a good idea to test your bacon to seeif it is too salty.
Cut off a small piece and fry it up and giveit a taste.
If it is too salty, then go ahead and putit in some water.
I'm reusing the curing chamber and am goingto let it soak for another half hour to get
more of the salt out.
Once you get it where you like it, it's timeto let it dry for the curing process.
Put a baking rack in the bottom of your curingchamber and put the pork bellies meat side
down.
Leave it in the fridge uncovered at leastover night or up to a full day so that it
forms a pellicle so that the smoke will stickwhen you smoke it.
Set you smoker for 175 degrees F and put thepork bellies on.
You are going to leave them out there untilthey are 145 degrees F internal temperature,
which will take about four hours.
When they've reached 145 degreesF take them inside and wrap them up in syran
wrap and put them in the fridge so they cancool in time to slice them.
You'll want to make sure that the bacon iscompletely cool or else it will be impossible
to slice when it is warm.
Take it out of the Syran wrap and get yoursharp knife ready.
This is the point in your life where you wishthat you had a meat slicer.
One benefit of doing it at home is that youcan cut the pieces as thick or as thin as
you like depending on how you plan to useit.
I prefer thicker slices and use a Victorinoxslicing knife that has a link in the description
below.
Now this is more bacon than I could ever usebefore it goes bad in the fridge.
So I put it in the foodsaver and that wayI can freeze it until I need it.
Now you are ready to make bacon at home.
It really is that easy.
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How to make your own bacon and never buy bacon from the store again. Most bacon in the store is brine injected instead of cured and this video will show you how to turn a pork belly into bacon using the 3-2-1 method. Recipe: 1 Whole boneless pork belly (about 8 pounds) 1 pound dark brown sugar 10 ounces fine sea salt (no iodine) 1 Tablespoon curing salt #1 ( http://amzn.to/2hUFTE4 ) 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper Helpful Items: Polycarbonate food tray AKA curing chamber : http://amzn.to/2hUFa5Z Victorinox Slicing Knife : http://amzn.to/2irRqHP Cooling rack : http://amzn.to/2i3w8kW HowTo: Mix the brown sugar, salt, curing salt, and black pepper together until thoroughly mixed. Then divide into three equal containers. 3-2-1 method Three days of adding cure, Two days letting it sit, One day letting it dry. THREE: On days 1, 2, and 3 pour out any liquid in the bottom of the curing chamber. Cover both sides of the pork bely with one container of the prepared cure. Flip the belly over and seal up the container. Place in the refrigerator. TWO: On days 4 and 5 pour out any liquid in the bottom of the curing chamber and flip the belly over. Don't add any more cure. Seal the container and put it back in the refrigerator. ONE: On day 6 rinse all of the cure off the belly. Cut off a slice and fry it up to test for saltiness. If it is too salty, soak the belly in water for 30 minutes and try again. Once you have it the way you'd like, put a cookie cooling rack at the bottom of the curing chamber. Place the bellies meat side down on the cooling rack and leave uncovered in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours until ready to smoke. This dries out the outside of the meat and helps the smoke penetrate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.