Home made bacon, why not?

The scientific process in action: bacon. Because who doesn't like bacon? Some people think that there is a a fifth flavour, called umami, and bacon would definitely fall into that category.

In making the switch to mostly organic, natural, and local foods, I find myself asking if I could make things myself. Cheaper, healthier, but not necessarily easier, making and preserving food has been going on for thousands of years. If they can do it, why can't I?

Bacon Experiment #1

I picked up a kilo of pork belly from Safeway, at a cost of about $15. Im interested in how much finished bacon this will yield, in the end. I'm not entirely sure this will be a cost-effective experiment, but you never know. A little less than a pound of natural bacon at the store runs about $8.

Adapting this recipe, and information from this site and many others, here's what I'm trying.

2lbs pork belly, skin off

1/2 cup coconut palm sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

2tsp Himalayan pink salt

1tsp freshly ground black pepper

3tbsp maple whiskey

Pretty simple list of ingredients! There should not be any nitrites in the finished product, as the pink salt I'm using is the Himalayan variety, not pink curing salt. There is much debate as to whether or not to use curing salt, as the nitrites will help preserve it and inhibit bacterial growth. For this purpose I'm choosing not to. Mostly because if it works, I doubt it will last long enough to grow anything anyway.

 

I bathed the raw pork in the whiskey, and let it sit for awhile to let it absorb some of the flavour. Next, I packed that sucker in the salt / sugar mixture, making sure I covered all sides. Finally, it's into a foodsaver vacuum sealer bag, and into the fridge. Now, I've got to flip it every day to ensure that it cures evenly.

3-7 days is the timeline. Most suggestions on most recipes seemed to average 5 days, so we shall see.

 

 

 

 

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