There’s nothing quite like bacon. It’s certainly the king of breakfast foods, but also makes beautiful appearances across all types of dishes. On a burger? Definitely. Wrapped around a shrimp? You bet. Crumbled into a salad to make lettuce just a little more tolerable? Absolutely.
Additionally, bacon itself can be dressed up and elevated to another level. Our recipe layers in rosemary, thyme, and fresh ground black pepper to add herbal notes and spicy warmth. We borrowed the base recipe from the Hardcore Carnivore herself, Jess Pryles, and added our own twist. Check out the rest of her awesome recipes if you haven’t already.
First, some quick info about this perfect pork preparation.
Bacon is typically made from pork belly. Pork belly, as the name implies, comes from the stomach of the animal. It typically comes in about 1.5 inch thick “sheets”, with a large fat layer on one side, and exposed meat with streaky fat on the other. Outside of bacon, pork belly is common in Asian, Hispanic, and Northern European cuisines.
Generally, bacon is made from a two step process of curing and smoking. Curing involves injecting or coating the pork belly in a salt mixture. Historically used for preservation purposes, this process adds flavor, color, and draws out excess moisture. Smoking adds even more flavor, a beautiful reddish-orange color, and historically provided an additional layer of food preservation.
Ready to do this? Let’s get to it. Here’s what you’ll need.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Boneless, Skinless Pork Belly
- 5 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Pink Curing Salt
- 1/2 Cup White Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Fine Ground Black Pepper
- 3 Teaspoons Paprika
- 4 Tablespoons Fresh or Dried Rosemary
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Thyme
- 4 Tablespoons Coarse Ground Black Pepper
Curing Salt No.1. Quick Cure Premium Prague Powder…
$13.55 ($0.56 / Ounce) (as of November 20, 2024 22:54 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Anthony’s Pink Curing Salt No.1, 2 lb, Gluten Free…
$13.99 ($0.44 / Ounce) (as of November 20, 2024 22:54 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Crave Pink Curing Salt #1 – Premium Prague Powder,…
$13.99 ($0.35 / Ounce) (as of November 20, 2024 22:54 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Equipment
- 1 Offset Smoker, Pellet Grill, Ceramic Grill, or Charcoal Grill
- 2 Gallon Plastic Freezer Bag
Great Backyard Smokers
Traeger Grills Pro 22 Electric Wood Pellet Grill a…
Traeger Grills Pro 575 Electric Wood Pellet Grill …
Traeger Grills Pro 780 Electric Wood Pellet Grill …
Traeger Grills Ironwood XL Electric Wood Pellet Gr…
Cure the Bacon
The first step to making bacon is the cure. We’re going to use a dry cure method here, which means no added liquid and no injection. After removing the pork belly from its packaging, give it a quick rinse with cold water. Check for any loose pieces of meat and trim them off. Also, if you bought a very large piece of pork belly, you may want to cut it up so that it can fit in your freezer bag.
Next, thoroughly mix together the salt, curing salt, sugar, fine ground black pepper, paprika, thyme, and half the rosemary in a bowl. Coat all sides of the pork belly with curing mixture, and gently press it into the meat to make sure it sticks. You can do this over a large baking sheet or tray to catch any of the excess mixture that falls off. After this, place the meat in the freezer back and seal it up, removing any excess air.
Into the fridge it goes for 7 days. You should notice liquid in the bag within the first 1-2 days. This is normal and proof that the curing process is working! About once a day slosh the bag around or flip it over to coat the meat in the liquid mixture.
Smoke the Bacon
After 7 days, the curing process is done and it’s time to add that amazing smoky flavor. Remove the pork from the freezer bag and rinse off what’s left of the curing mixture. Pat it dry and place it back in the fridge for 1 day. This allows the pork to more thoroughly dry and to form a pellicle. This tacky coat that forms on the surface of the meat will help the smoke flavor adhere and get us a beautiful reddish-brown color.
Remove the pork from the fridge and coat it liberally on one side with coarse ground black pepper. You can also add some additional dried rosemary if you’d like. Gently press the dry ingredients into the pork to make sure they stick. Insert a temperature probe into the meat and get it on your smoker.
Lillie’s Q Brisket Pepper works great for this – it’s the perfect coarseness to give the bacon a great texture. Or try some of the great options below:
Lane’s 16 Mesh Ground Pepper Seasoning, All-Natura…
$11.99 ($1.50 / Ounce) (as of November 20, 2024 22:54 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
San Antonio Brand Coarse Ground Black Pepper (16 M…
$20.95 ($1.31 / Ounce) (as of November 21, 2024 00:27 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
McCormick Culinary Coarse Grind Black Pepper, 16 o…
$17.58 ($1.10 / Ounce) (as of November 20, 2024 22:54 GMT +00:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)Next, we’re going to smoke the pork at a very low temp, somewhere between 175 and 225, to maximize smoke exposure. We don’t want to completely cook the bacon, so smoke at this temp until the internal temp is 150. This can take anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. As for smoke flavor, try a fruit wood like apple or cherry. Pecan is always nice as well.
As it gets close to 150 internal temp, the bacon should develop a really nice reddish-brown color on the outside, and look somewhat glossy. Once at 150, remove from the smoker and place the bacon back in the fridge to firm up (this will make slicing much easier).
Slice the Bacon
Now you have full-fledged bacon! All that’s left is the slicing. If you have a deli slicer, fantastic. Now is the time to break that out and make quick work of the pork. If you don’t, this is a great chance to practice some knife skills and zone out with a simple, repetitive task. Consider using a long slicing knife, like the ones below, which will make it easier to get nice uniform slices.
Top Slicing Knives
Once the bacon is sliced into strips of your preferred thickness, it’s ready to fry or bake. Pro tip: if you’re making a large amount of bacon, consider baking it in the oven at 400, turning at least once throughout the process. You can fit more slices onto a rectangular baking sheet than you can in a round pan or skillet on the stove top, and cleanup is way easier.
Enjoy!
Rosemary Black Pepper Smoked Bacon
Description
It's easier than you think to cure your own bacon. Our recipe will have you thinking twice before you go for store-bought bacon again. Coarse ground black pepper and savory rosemary elevate this pork belly to something you won't find in your supermarket.
Things You Need
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
-
Cure the Bacon
Combine the salt, curing salt, sugar, fine ground black pepper, paprika, thyme, and half the rosemary in a bowl. Thoroughly coat all sides of the pork belly. Place in the plastic freezer bag and hold in the refrigerator for 7 days.
-
Smoke the Bacon
Remove the pork belly from the refrigerator, rinse of the cure with cool water. Place back in the refrigerator uncovered to dry for 1 day. Coat one side of the pork belly in coarse ground black pepper and smoke between 175 and 225 degrees, until a temperature probe reads 150 degrees internal.
-
Slice the Bacon
Remove the bacon from the smoker and let chill in the refrigerator overnight. Use a long slicing knife or deli slicer to cut the bacon into strips. Fry or bake and serve.
Note
Let us know how this recipe turned out for you! Leave a rating and drop a comment below - we love to hear from our readers.
best bacon ever!
The directions say to use 1/2 of the rosemary, but doesn’t say when to use the remaining 1/2?
the rosemary adds incredible flavor!
so much more meaty than storebought
way easier to do than i thought
I make a bunch and then stock my freezer!
family loves this. try it on burgers
amazing!
so so good
easy enough for bacon!
the pepper and rosemary is an awesome combo
this was so so so good
Not only is this the best bacon I’ve made, it’s the best I’ve had. Cold smoked for 6 hrs then finished at 225 until bacon was at150
Can 5this be cold smokeed instead of hot smoking??
I just got done curing my pork belly I’ll let you know how it goes