Ross Bearman from Ross & Ross Food provides expert advice for curing bacon, and a recipe for making DIY bacon in your own home from pork belly using some simple equipment.
Equipment
Muslin
2 pairs of plastic gloves
Sealable plastic bag
Kitchen roll/clean tea towel
Butcher’s hook
500g square piece of pork belly
Salt, sugar and herb mix – such as found here
Preparation time: 30 minutes – 1 hour
Curing time: 7 days
1. Go to your local butcher’s shop and ask for a 500g square piece of pork belly - about 1 ½ inches (4cm) thick with good layers of fat and the rind and bones removed. If you tell them it’s for making streaky bacon they’ll get you the right piece.
2. Create a curing mix using the salt, sugar and herbs. You can source recipes according to your tastes on the web or buy a ready-made mix.
3. Thoroughly wash your hands and put on the plastic gloves. Then put the pork belly in the sealable plastic bag, pour in the curing mix and rub into the pork, ensuring that the whole piece of meat is covered evenly.
4. Remove gloves, dispose of them, and wash your hands thoroughly. Next seal the bag, making sure no air is left inside, before zipping it up. Put the bag in the bottom of the fridge and leave undisturbed.
5. After 2 days turn the bag over and put it back in the fridge for another 2 undisturbed days. Do not open the bag.
6. Put on the other pair of plastic gloves and take the pork belly out of the bag and wash off the curing salts under a cold running tap. Then remove your gloves and dispose of them.
7. Pat the pork belly dry with either kitchen roll or a clean tea-towel.
8. Tie up one end of the muslin. Place the pork belly inside then tie up the other end and skewer the butcher’s hook through the knot. Hang from a shelf in your fridge, masking sure it is not touching any other food, and leave it there for 3 days undisturbed.
9. Eating time! When you are ready to eat your bacon, take it out of the muslin and cut off however many slices you need and cook however you normally would. Whatever you don’t use return to the muslin and put back in the fridge. Your bacon will keep for 5-7 days. Enjoy…
If you think that this all sounds like a little too much for you, then take the stress out of curing with the award winning Homemade Curing Kit… Bacon from Ross and Ross Food, priced at just £20. It contains everything you need to make your own Original, Sweet and Smoky Bacon at home. Just add pork!
Warning:
Only use curing salts as directed
If ingested straight out the bag seek medical advice immediately.
Children curing pork should be supervised at all times.
Always store out of reach of children
