Our last attempt at curing bacon didn’t work out so well, coming out more like a country ham than bacon. The cure also gave the fat a kind of sickly, gamey flavor that I found mildly off putting. It was a combination of too much salt, too much time and blurring the line between a wet cure and a dry cure.
Back to fundamentals. This 10 pound belly is split into thirds and I’m working on three different recipes: a basic dry cure, a basic wet cure and a bourbon & black pepper wet cure.
Basic Dry Cure
Derived from several online sources. This is for 3.3 lbs of belly.
- 3.3 lb pork belly, trimmed
- ¼ cup sea salt
- ¼ cup raw sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon pink salt
Combine dry ingredients and coat pork belly liberally on all sides. Seal in a zip lock bag and displace as much air as possible. Refrigerate 5 days, turning daily. After 5 days, rinse the cure from the belly, pat dry and refrigerate on a rack 4 hours or overnight, uncovered. Smoke over 225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 2 months.
Basic Wet Cure
Derived from several online sources. This is for 3.3 lbs of belly.
- 3.3 lb pork belly, trimmed
- ¼ cup sea salt
- ¼ cup raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- 2 cups cold water
Combine ingredients in a zip lock bag and slosh around to dissolve. Seal belly in the bag with the brine and displace as much air as possible. Refrigerate 2-3 days, turning daily. After 3 days, rinse the cure from the belly, pat dry and refrigerate in a rack 4 hours or overnight, uncovered. Smoke over 225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 2 months.
Bourbon & Black Pepper Wet Cure
Derived from several online sources. This is for 3.3 lbs of belly.
- 3.3 lb pork belly, trimmed
- ¼ cup sea salt
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- 1 ½ cups cold water
- ½ cup Kentucky straight bourbon, 80 proof
Combine ingredients in a zip lock bag and slosh around to dissolve. Seal belly in the bag with the brine and displace as much air as possible. Refrigerate 2-3 days, turning daily. After 3 days, rinse the cure from the belly, pat dry and refrigerate in a rack 4 hours or overnight, uncovered. Smoke over 225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 2 months.