Making cured bacon at home

What is bacon?

Bacon is cured pork belly. Curing is a traditional way of preserving foods and has been used to preserve meat for thousands of years. Adding high levels of salt in the curing process draws moisture out of the meat and pulls in salt, which decreases the water activity of the cured meat. Special salts called nitrates or nitrites are also added when curing meats because they have antimicrobial properties that prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria responsible for botulism poisoning.

Some cured meats like prosciutto and salami are consumed raw after curing, while others, like bacon, are cooked before eating. Prosciutto is a dry-cured whole muscle meat (ham), whereas salami is a fermented, dried and cured ground meat product.

There are three ways to cure bacon:

1. Dry curing — coating the pork belly with table salt, curing salt and other flavoring ingredients like granulated sugar. This is commonly done both commercially and at home.
2. Wet/immersion brine — soaking the pork belly in a solution of table salt, curing salt and other flavoring ingredients. This method of curing is commonly done at home, but is rarely done commercially.
3. Pumping — injecting a solution of table salt, curing salt and other flavoring ingredients into the pork belly. This method of curing is commonly done commercially but is rarely done at home.

Steps for making bacon at home

Preparing the pork belly

Select a high-quality pork belly of desired size. Open the package and pat meat dry with paper towels.

If desired, cut to square off edges and portion to size. Score the fat side in a crossed pattern to create approximately 1- to 2-inch squares.

Applying the brine and curing

Dry brine: Coat the surface of the pork belly thoroughly with the dry brine mixture (similar to a meat rub). Place inside a zipper-type plastic bag. Cure in refrigerator for five to seven days, flipping the bag each day. Liquid will accumulate in the bag during curing.

Wet brine: Place pork belly into zipper-type plastic bag. Mix brine ingredients. Pour brine over the pork belly to coat or immerse it. Place the bag in a tray and store in the refrigerator for five to seven days, flipping the bag each day.

Total curing time will depend on the size of the pork belly. The meat should feel firm to the touch when it is ready.

See brine recipes

Rinsing

After the desired curing period (usually five to seven days), remove the belly from the plastic bag and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove brine. The belly will be noticeably more rigid. Extensive rinsing is needed to remove the excess salt from the surface of the belly. Pat dry with paper towels and smoke or cook immediately or store uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before smoking or cooking.

Smoking and cooking

Pork belly needs to be cooked or hot smoked to an internal temperature of 160° F. This can be accomplished in a smoker/cooker (such as a Traeger Grill or similar appliance) or an oven with the temperature set higher than 160° F. With the cooking temperature set to 225–250° F, it will take approximately three hours for a pork belly to get to an internal temperature of 160° F.

All types of commercial wood pellets are suitable for smoking bacon; applewood is often recommended for pork. Cherry and pecan are also good choices. Other hardwoods such as hickory, mesquite and maple are also appropriate, but smoke from conifer woods can leave a bitter taste.

Chill

After smoking or cooking, cool at ambient temperature for one hour, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill overnight. Slice to desired thickness and refrigerate for up to seven days or freeze. Vacuum sealing is recommended for frozen storage. If frozen, use within four months for best quality.

Cured meat and cancer risk

The World Health Organization and other health agencies have cautioned consumers to limit their consumption of processed meats due to an increased cancer risk associated with regular, long-term consumption. Although many factors contribute to the increased cancer risk associated with cured meats, a part of the risk stems from compounds called nitrosamines, which are a byproduct of the curing process. There are many different nitrosamines, some of which have been demonstrated to be carcinogenic in test animals when fed at high doses.

In cured meats, the natural breakdown of proteins creates amines that combine with the nitrites added during the curing process to form nitrosamines. Cooking at high temperatures encourages the creation of greater quantities of nitrosamines, and fried bacon is one of the most significant sources of nitrosamines in the human diet. Smoked fish also contain nitrosamines.

To reduce the number of nitrosamines formed in bacon, the Agriculture Department has established maximum levels of nitrites that can be in commercially produced bacon, with an upper limit of 200 parts per million in dry-cured bacon. The recipes in this publication result in bacon that has nitrite concentrations less than 200 parts per million. Home cooks can also reduce their exposure to nitrosamines by avoiding cooking bacon to well-done temperatures. Elevated cooking temperatures and extended times increase the development of nitrosamines in bacon, and burned bacon contains measurable levels of nitrosamines. Bacon cooked in the microwave develops fewer nitrosamines than fried bacon.