Operation Salt Pork

Bacon, prince of the porcine, friend of omelets, otherworldly additive to stews, chowders, bean dishes; mystic peacemaker among rye, tomato and lettuce in the Great Club Sandwich; savory counterpoint to the cocktail hour cantaloupe, the accolades could continue almost indefinitely. When deciding on our first project for this blog we knew it had to be pork based. We hoped it would be simple, and we had every belief that it would be delicious.  In choosing Bacon, we had the added pleasure of working with an unusual cut of meat, the pork belly, to create a delicacy that we could eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

our bacon-making set up

The process of making bacon involves very few steps. To begin you must create a salt-based rub that will serve as a cure for the bacon. Choosing what herbs and spices to add to this mixture involves the greatest amount of forethought. One important consideration is: will you smoke the bacon once it has been cured? If so, the nuanced flavor and smell of your rub will matter less fore even the slightest amount of smoking will mask over much of the flavor that the rub brings out in the pork.

salt, bay leaves, juniper berries, black pepper

The recipe that we used for our first attempt at homemade bacon we selected from the pages of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s ‘Meat Book.’

Ingredients for Rub:
20 juniper berries, lightly crushed
5 bay leaves, lightly chopped
1/6 cup rough chopped black pepper
1 cup raw turbanado sugar (or light brown sugar)
4 cups kosher salt

 

our rub mixture ready for application

Once mixed together, the final product should look like dirty snow. (Note: These measurements should create a sufficient quantity of rub to complete the initial coating, and the subsequent recoating throughout the week.)

 

dividing the pork belly in three

The next step is to prepare your pork belly. In addition to giving it a good rinse under cold water, you may choose to trim extraneous fat around the edges (note: trim as minimally as possible!). At this stage, we found it most useful to divide the 13lb pork belly into 3 manageable sections. Choosing to cut your pork belly into smaller pieces also makes for easier storage in your refrigerator by stacking the pieces on top of one another.

 

applying our rub

 

thoroughly applying the rub

The final and most enjoyable step on day one is to apply your rub to the pork belly. Pour approximately ¾ cup of the rub mixture onto each piece of pork, and using your fingers, massage the pork to coat all sides (including all nooks and crannies).

 

storing bacon to cure

Once the initial rub-down is completed, place your pork belly into a sealable container and store the container in your refrigerator.