Savory Bacon

My brother and I are avid stove monkeys with extensive experience in the restaurant business. We gravitate toward big bold flavors and fusion.

One 5# slab pork belly with skin off

50 grams dry cure

5 smashed cloves of garlic

3 crushed bay leaves

1 T/10 grams black peppercorns, partially cracked

1 T crushed juniper berries

10 or so sprigs of fresh thyme

Healthy splash of white wine/white vermouth (Nolly Prat) - I found this helps to get the curing liquid started faster.

Press cure into all sides of the belly, to give a thick, uniform coating.

Place belly in 2-gallon ziplock bag. the pork will release some liquid as it cures. So it is important that the meat and container are a good fit so leached water stays in contact with the meat. Add the splash of wine

Refrigerate the belly for 7 to 10 days, FLIPPING BELLY EVERY OTHER DAY, to redistribute the cure.

After 7 days, check belly for firmness. If it is firm at the thickest point it is cured. If it feels a little squishy still, refrigerate a couple more days

Remove belly from cure and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towel

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees

Put belly on a rack over a sheet pan; roast until internal temp reaches 150 2 to 4 hours

Allow bacon to cool, wrap and refrigerate before slicing

Dry Cure:

450 grams kosher salt

225 grams light brown sugar

50 grams pink (curing) salt

Recipe adapted from Charcuterie: The craft of salting, smoking and curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn.

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