This Smoked Bacon Recipe Will Change Your Breakfast Game!
Homemade Bacon From Pork Belly
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Introduction
Homemade Bacon on the Yoder
What's up BBQ fans! Who doesn't love bacon? The only thing better than bacon is homemade bacon, and today we're making it on the Yoder YS640s. I was intimidated to make bacon for a long time, but just like sausage, it's mostly in your head. It's really not that hard.
The Pork Belly
I used a Berkshire pork belly, almost 4 lb. I ordered skin off but got skin on, and I didn't notice until filming. Skin off is ideal, since you get maximum smoke into the meat, but skin on is easier to find. It peels right off after cooking, so it won't hurt you either way.
The Cure
I mixed up a big batch. It was about:
100 g sugar
30 g pink curing salt
Some black pepper, just because I felt like it
How much to use: weigh the belly in grams and use 2.5% of that weight in cure. You could go to 3%. This was my first batch, and I don't like things too salty, so I started lower.
Rub it on all sides, top and bottom.
Seal it in a gallon zip-top bag. Dipping the bag in water pushes out the air.
Refrigerate and flip it every day or so.
7 days is perfect. Mine went 8½ days because of my schedule, and you can go a couple of weeks if you need to.
Rinse and Smoke
Rinse off the excess cure under cold water. It'll feel a little slimy, and that's normal.
Yoder at 170°F with Bear Mountain Hickory pellets. We want it low so it has lots of time to take on smoke. The cure is why we can cook this low and slow.
Put it on a rack on the top grate, where the smoke rolls across, and so it doesn't pick up grease from the grates.
Cook to 155°F. At 6½ hours it looked amazing, and I bumped the temp about 10 degrees to finish.
Remove the Skin
Pull it at 155°F and let it rest about 10 minutes. Then slide a big knife under the skin and peel it back. It came off easily, and I only needed the knife at the very end.
Let it cool, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight before slicing.
Slice and Fry
The next day, it smelled smoky and had a beautiful color. Cutting thin, even slices by hand is a pain, and I like my bacon on the thinner side. A meat slicer makes this way easier. Most home slicers have a 10-inch blade, so just cut the slab in half. The uneven pieces make great bacon bits.
Taste Test
It tastes like bacon. It finishes a little salty, but not over the top. Next time, I'd go with the 3% cure for a bit more salt. If you're worried it's too salty, give it a longer rinse.
Final Thoughts
Making your own bacon lets you control the quality of the meat. Spend a day making a big batch, slice it and freeze it, and you've got bacon for six months to a year. I'm already planning different kinds of bacon. Try something new this year.
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Thanks For Watching
Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or a novice, these tips will enhance your cooking skills and leave your family and friends raving about your delicious, smoky creations. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more step-by-step videos, and let's together become the barbecue heroes we were meant to be!
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