Transforming Sliced Pork Belly into Homemade Bacon Bliss

As a passionate home cook and bacon lover, I’m always seeking ways to take my culinary skills to the next level. And what better challenge than transforming a basic slab of sliced pork belly into irresistible, flavor-packed homemade bacon?

Curing your own sliced pork belly into bacon at home lets you control every step of the process. From choosing quality pork to customizing the cure, smoke levels and thickness, you can craft bacon precisely to your taste. The pride and satisfaction of biting into a slice of your own handcrafted bacon is next level.

In this article, I’ll walk through the step-by-step process I use to turn sliced pork belly into phenomenal DIY bacon. Grab an apron and let’s get curing!

Why Cure Sliced Pork Belly?

Purchasing sliced pork belly offers convenience and flexibility compared to a full pork belly slab The uniform slices make measuring cure ingredients and ensuring even penetration simple And you can easily customize batch sizes – cure just what your family will consume rather than ending up with a huge surplus batch,

Pre-sliced pork belly is widely available. Many butchers and specialty grocers stock it. Or you can slice a full belly yourself with a sharp knife. Just aim for roughly 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.

With sliced pork belly ready to go, you just need to combine some basic ingredients to transform it into glorious homemade bacon. Let’s look at how it’s done.

Step 1 – Assemble Cure Ingredients

Homemade bacon starts with a simple dry cure mixture. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Kosher or Sea Salt – forms the base for curing and flavor
• Sugar – balances and enhances flavor
• Curing Salt – keeps bacon safe (use INSTACURE #1)
• Spices and Herbs (optional) – customize flavor e.g. pepper, paprika, garlic

Curing salt is a must for food safety. Normal table salt is not enough to prevent bacteria in home cured meats. Use about 1 teaspoon per 5 lbs of pork belly.

For a basic cure, combine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp curing salt (INSTACURE #1)
• 2 tablespoons black pepper

Mix the ingredients thoroughly until uniformly incorporated. You can multiply to increase batches as needed.

Step 2 – Cure the Pork Belly

Curing pulls moisture from the pork, penetrates flavor throughout, and preserves the meat.

To cure sliced pork belly:

• Pat pork slices dry and arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with plastic wrap.

• Liberally coat all surfaces of the pork slices with the curing mixture. Pack it onto both sides.

• Wrap the pork belly slices tightly in fresh plastic wrap to seal. Refrigerate 7-10 days.

• Flip the pack over daily to redistribute cure juices.

• After curing period, rinse pork well and pat dry. It’s ready for smoking!

The cure will penetrate the slices fully and leave them firmer with a deep pink tint.

Step 3 – Adding SmokeyFlavor

Now the fun part – smoking! This imparts irresistible flavor and aroma that makes bacon so crave-worthy.

You can use any type of smoker – electric, charcoal, pellet, etc. Apple, hickory and cherry wood chips impart nice flavor.

• Load slices into smoker and smoke 2-3 hours at 180-225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F.

• Maintain thin blue smoke by adding more wood chips every 45-60 minutes.

• Finished bacon should have a rich dark mahogany color.

Let cool completely before slicing or freezing. Store in fridge up to 2 weeks.

And that’s it – you just turned basic sliced pork belly into incredible homemade bacon! Now for the true test – frying up a test slice.

Step 4 – Test and Enjoy Your Bacon

Once your bacon has cooled, it’s time for the tast test. Fry up a slice to sample your handiwork.

The aroma as it sizzles in the pan will make your mouth water. Bite into the crispy, smoke-kissed bacon and savor the fruits of your labor.

Adjust the cure or smoke levels next time if you want to tweak the flavor. But chances are your homemade bacon will beat any store-bought.

Now you can fry up perfect bacon anytime! Customize flavors with herbs, spices, sugars, soy sauce, bourbon – the possibilities are endless.

Home curing allows control over:

• Pork quality – choose the best belly
• Ingredient freshness – make cure as needed
• Flavor – customize to your taste
• Smoke level – light to intense smoky flavor
• Texture – exactly the crispiness you crave
• Thickness – cut slices to the ideal size
• Safety – use proper curing salt

Plus you can make small test batches and tweak until perfect. Get the kids involved for an edible science lesson. Show off your impressive charcuterie skills to dinner guests.

The joy of crafting your own delicious bacon is priceless. And you’ll never settle for grocery store bacon again!

So grab some sliced pork belly and get curing today. Here are some additional tips for bacon success:

Handy Tips for Fabulous Home Cured Bacon

• Find quality pork – pastured heritage hogs have the best flavor. Or look for organic and hormone-free options.

• Weigh ingredients – use a gram scale for precision. Don’t guesstimate!

• Measure pork thickness – thinner cuts cure faster than thick slabs.

• Trim fat cap – if over 1/4 inch, trim to 1/8 inch for more even curing.

• Flip daily – keeps cure distribution uniform.

• Blot before smoking – removes excess surface moisture for better smoke absorption.

• Use a cure calculator – takes the guesswork out of measurements.

• Try different wood chips – alder, pecan, mesquite all add unique flavors.

• Take copious notes – record process, ingredients, tweaks etc. to replicate successes.

• Let bacon rest after smoking – at least 2 hours or up to overnight develops flavor.

• Use within 2 weeks – for best flavor and texture. Freeze for longer storage.

• Adjust next batch – taste and tweak spice mix or smoke times until perfect!

Creative Flavor Inspiration for Your Bacon

Looking to shake up your bacon cure recipe? Get inspired by adding any of these ingredients:

• Brown sugar or maple syrup for sweetness
• Bourbon, whiskey, rum or beer for boozy notes
• Coffee, espresso or chili powder for a kick
• Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme or sage
• Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves
• Citrus zest or juiced fruit
• Crushed peppercorns or juniper berries
• Honey for stickiness and roasted notes
• Soy sauce, fish sauce or Worcestershire for umami
• Vanilla extract for aroma

The possibilities are endless. Dial in the perfect flavor profile for your bacon loving palate.

Enjoy Your Bacon Creations in Countless Ways

Once you’re stocked up on artisanal, homemade bacon, indulge in all the magical ways to enjoy it:

• Crispy bacon strips with breakfast
• Cobb salad topped with crumbled bacon
• Baked potatoes loaded with bacon bits
• Grilled cheese with bacon in the middle
• Bacon jam or baked beans as a condiment
• Bacon wrapped scallops or shrimp
• Pizza with bacon crumbles
• Bacon fat for sautéing veggies
• Bacon infused bourbon
• Chocolate chip cookies with candied bacon
• Bacon ice cream (yes, really!)

Let your creativity run wild when it comes to cooking with your homemade bacon. The smoky, salty goodness enhances pretty much anything.

So grab some sliced pork belly and embark on your new hobby of small batch bacon crafting. Your tastebuds will thank you!

Once you’ve mastered the basics, continue honing your charcuterie skills. Consider trying these advanced bacon-making techniques:

• Cold smoking then poaching for tender texture
• Layering bacon with spices for flavors to pop as it cooks
• Using a planer for perfectly uniform slices
• Creating bacon jerky by slicing thinly and drying
• Molding bacon around stuffings like cheese or sausage
• Curing and smoking a whole pork belly
• Aging for intensely complex flavor development

But for now, get started with some basic sliced pork belly bacon and invite me over to sample the delicious results!