Bacon, one of the great culinary delights the world has to offer. A perfect blend of smoke, fat, and flavor. That is why we love bacon!

You make bacon at home and you have most of the ingredients you need in your pantry. Salt, sugar, pork belly, and a smoker, virtually any kind will do. Endless possibilities for one incredibly flexible kitchen staple.

This isn’t my recipe, but I’m excited to share what I’ve learned. You can find the original recipe here on YouTube, courtesy of Pitmaster X.

Let’s go!

Note: This recipe works for a 14lbs slab of pork belly. If you are doing a smaller piece, 7lbs or, just halve the ratios.

Homemade Bacon
3/4 c sugar, white, brown, or turbinado
1 c kosher salt
1/4 c apple butter (optional)
3 tbps Kecap Manis (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
Apply evenly but cover both sides of the bacon

Put bacon in sealed container, store in  fridge for up to 7 days Remove from container, rinse entire slab and dry with paper towels. If you can let bacon air dry for an hour. Drier exterior will give you more smoke Set your smoker around 250 degrees F and cook until internal temp is about 153 degrees.

Remove bacon and allow to cool for at least an hour before you slice. Cut bacon as thin or thick as desired.

Bacon that you buy from the grocery store or a local butcher shop are typically cold smoked. Which means no heat is applied only smoke to flavor the bacon. This bacon is fully cooked and ready to eat!

Salt and sugar are the most important ingredients when it comes to bacon. I prefer turbinado or raw cane sugar. It has incredible flavor and gives a greater depth. Brown sugar would work just as well and give you a similar profile. I don’t have anything against white sugar and it is perfectly acceptable to use. If you want a little more sweetness just add honey or molasses.

You can flavor your bacon any way you want. I used an ingredient that sounds like the American ketchup, but it is Indonesian sweet soy sauce called kecap manis. It is viscous, thick, rich, salty and sweet. A little bit goes a long way. It has become a favorite staple in my pantry. Oh, it also works great in stir-frys, noodle dishes, and soups.

Keep in mind, we didn’t use any preservatives at all. If you store in the fridge, the bacon will keep for 1-2 weeks. For long term storage, use a vacuum sealer to store the bacon in the freezer up to a year.

Enjoy,

Patrick