Making Homemade Bacon

        When we get the farm we want to get some hogs for meat. we will feed them organically and non-GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) food. But for now we can still make bacon, besides there are very good places for bacon to go, such as in a bacon biscuit, in a BLT, even beside some scrambled eggs that our three chickens laid, but the best place for bacon is in your tummy! Here's how to make your own bacon! Before we get started I just wanted to say that bacon is not hard to make.  It does take time!!! Below is grand's recipe for bacon nirvana!

   Grand's Recipe For Bacon Nirvana

Ingredients

5 pounds pork belly, skin removed  

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark, or honey, or even white sugar

1-2 teaspoons celery salt or celery seed

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon whole allspice

2 or 3 broken cinnamon sticks

6-8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons paprika smoked if you like

1-2 teaspoons of whole mustard seed

Directions

1. Rinse and slice pork belly into approximately one pound pieces. Remove skin with a sharp knife. If you like the rind on your bacon leave the skin on.

2. You are now ready to brine your pork belly. Mix all ingredients with one gallon of warm water. Stir until dissolved. Put your spiced gallon of water into a container that is big enough to hold all of your pork belly and spiced water. Place in the refrigerator and brine for 7 to 10 days

3. Remove pork belly from brine and pat dry. Remove any loose spices. Take your now brined pork belly and put on drying racks. Take a fan and make it blow on the pork belly. Move around occasionally. When the pork belly is dry it will feel slightly sticky. This is called the pellicle. This will help the smoke adhere to the pork belly.

4. Now you are ready to smoke the pork belly. Measure out a large handful of wood chips. Soak the wood chips if you like. We use apple wood chips, but you can use hickory wood chips or even cherry wood chips. After you have soaked your wood chips, take your pork belly and smoke for 6-8 hours.

5. Eat! Congratulations you now have bacon! Now fry your bacon. Place beside eggs or on a biscuit.

Grand's Hints

You can taste your brine BEFORE you put it on the pork belly. If it needs more or less of anything feel free. You don't have to make a brine! You can just mix up all the ingredients above and rub it on your pork belly. You can also smoke the pork belly for less 6-8 hours. It still gets a smoky flavor even if it is only smoked for 3-4 hours. Experiment and tell us what you like. Also, our smoker is an old dorm sized refrigerator. You don't have to smoke your pork belly in a smoker you can smoke it on your grill or in your oven, but the flavor won't be as smoky. One more thing, there are no bacon police. 

Future Bacon in the brine

Drying the pork belly

Our smoker is an old dorm sized refrigerator
Merlin the Corgi is standing guard

We use a hot plate, an old frying pan, and applewood chips to produce the smoke. 

Bacon out of the smoker

Bacon Nirvana