Maple-Cured Smoked Bacon
- 2 ounces/50 grams kosher salt (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons/12 grams pink salt
- 1/4 cup/50 grams maple sugar or packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup/60 milliliters maple syrup
- One 5-pound/2.25 kilogram slab pork belly, skin on
- Combine the salt, pink salt, and sugar in a bowl and mix so that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add the syrup and stir to combine.
- Rub the cure mixture over the entire surface of the belly.
- Place skin side down in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag or a nonreactive container just slightly bigger than the meat.
- (The pork will release water into the salt mixture, creating a brine; its important that the meat keep in contact with this liquid throughout the curing process.)
- Refrigerate, turning the belly and redistributing the cure every other day, for 7 days, until the meat is firm to the touch.
- Remove the belly from the cure, rinse it thoroughly, and pat it dry.
- Place it on a rack set over a baking sheet tray and dry in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.
- Hot-smoke the pork belly to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F./65 degrees C., about 3 hours.
- Let cool slightly, and when the belly is cool enough to handle but still warm, cut the skin off by sliding a sharp knife between the fat and the skin, leaving as much fat on the bacon as possible.
- (Discard the skin or cut it into pieces and save to add to soups, stews or beans, as you would a smoked ham hock.)
- Let the bacon cool, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate or freeze it until ready to use.
kosher salt, salt, maple sugar, milliliters maple, kilogram
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/maple-cured-smoked-bacon (may not work)