ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)-This is the perfect time of day to talk about breakfast. It's the perfect week too because tomorrow is National Bacon Lover`s Day.
Cody Long from Olde Town Spice Shoppe in St. Charles joined us with some mouth-watering recipes!
Recipes: Homemade Bacon
Ingredients:
1 pound of unsliced pork belly
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Cure Quick 'Salt' (also known sometimes at 'Prague Powder' or 'Pink' Salt)
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbls dark brown sugar
1/4 cup distilled water
Directions:
1)With a sharp knife, remove any top skin layer that might be on, leaving all the fat.
2) Pour everything except the meat into a zipper bag large enough to hold the belly.Zip the bag and squish everything around until well mixed. Add the belly, squeeze out the and aggressively rub the bag of cure into the belly and vigorously coating all sides. Place in the fridge for at least 7 days. The belly will release liquid so every day or two you want to gently massage the bag so the liquid and spices are well distributed, and flip the bag over.
3) Remove the belly from the bag, rinse it to wash off any thick deposits of salt on the surface.
4) If you are using a grill, set up for 2-zone cooking or fire up your smoker. Smoke over indirect heat at 225°F until the internal temp is 165°F, about 2 hours.
5)Let it bacon cool on a plate in the fridge, cold bacon is easier to slice.
6) Wrap it tightly with several layers of plastic wrap, and then a layer of foil, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Do not wrap in foil alone because it can react with the salt. Cook it just like you do store bought bacon.
