Step 1

Cut your pork belly into a nice square, bacon-like block. Rinse it and pat it dry.

Step 2

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl until they are uniformly combined.

Step 3

Mix the wet ingredients (if using) in a separate bowl until they are uniformly combined.

Step 4

In a glass dish, use your very clean or gloved hands to slather the meat all over with the wet ingredients (if using) until thoroughly coated everywhere.

Step 5

Place one half of the dry cure mixture in the bottom of the glass dish.

Step 6

Place the wet pork belly into the dish and press it into the salt/sugar mix.

Step 7

Carefully pour the rest of the dry mixture across the top of the meat and press it in uniformly all around, using your hands to thoroughly massage the cure mix into every nook and cranny of your pork belly. Use up any excess mixture in the dish to make sure both sides are thoroughly coated.

Step 8

Place the dish in the refrigerator for 5-10 days, until the meat feels firm throughout, with no soft spots. (5 days is a good average for a thin belly about 1-1/2 inches thick, but check to be sure. The longer you cure it, the saltier it will be.)

Step 9

As the cure dehydrates the bacon, liquid will accumulate in the dish. It’s supposed to. Think of it like brine. Turn the bacon over every day, and slosh the brine around it.

Step 10

After 5-10 days curing, thoroughly rinse the salt/sugar brine off of the pork belly.

Step 11

Pat the bacon dry with a clean towel and set it on a rack over a baking pan. Allow the bacon to air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. It will develop a pellicle, or protective skin, on the surface of the meat. Without the pellicle, the smoke won't stick to the meat and you won’t get that bronzed surface that looks and tastes so good.

Step 12

If oven-roasting, preheat the oven to 175–200 degrees F. If using liquid smoke, baste the cured pork belly with a pastry brush to evenly coat all sides. Roast for about 2 hours until bacon reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, the minimum safe temperature for pork. The meat should be cooked a bit on the outside, but not all the way through.

Step 13

If smoking, smoke over hickory, cherry or applewood chips at 175–200 degrees F for 2–3 hours, until meat reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F, the minimum safe temperature for pork. The meat should be cooked a bit on the outside, but not all the way through.

Step 14

Let the bacon cool to room temperature on a wire rack over a baking pan, tightly wrap in parchment paper, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. (This sets the flavor and texture.)

Step 15

Slice off the ends of the cold bacon, which may be very dark and more salty than the innards. Fry and eat if you like.

Step 16

With a long, very sharp knife, slice your bacon across the grain, thin or thick, as desired. Use hard-to-slice pieces in pots of beans or soup. Cut bacon into cubes to make lardons and use them like bacon bits in salads, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, baked beans, sauces, etc. If you put the bacon slab in the freezer for 15 minutes, it becomes easier to slice.

Step 17

Fry bacon pieces/slices in a skillet, or crisp them in the oven. Save the fat for up to a month and use it to fry.

Step 18

Homemade bacon will keep for a week in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.