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Homemade Applewood Smoked Bacon in a Cast Iron Skillet

Homemade Applewood Smoked Bacon Recipe

5 from 4 votes
Home cured smoked bacon made from pork belly. There is nothing quite like homemade thick cut bacon. This is absolutely worth the effort.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Cure time 6 days
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Calories: 1178

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds pork belly skin removed
  • cup kosher salt
  • cup brown sugar packed
  • 3 tablespoons black pepper coarsely ground
  • 2 teaspoons Prague powder Insta Cure #1

Equipment

  • Smoker

Method
 

  1. Pork belly can sometimes have a layer of skin on the fat side that has to be removed before curing. To remove the skin, cut through it with a sharp knife (not too deep) and peel it off.
  2. In a small bowl, add the salt, brown sugar, black pepper, and Prague powder and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the entire pork belly. Place the pork belly inside a food saver bag and add the remaining curing mixture to the bag. Remove the air and seal. Place the sealed bag in a small pan and place in the refrigerator for 6 days. Turn the bag over every day.
  3. After 6 days, remove the cured pork belly from the bag, rinse it well and pat it dry. Place the pork belly on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Then put the uncovered pork belly in the refrigerator overnight.
  4. The next day, Set up your smoker for indirect heat at 175˚F. Add a few applewood chunks and smoke the pork belly for 4-4 ½ hours to an internal temperature of 155˚F. Remove the pork belly from the smoker, let it cool to room temperature, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
  5. Cut the bacon into ⅛ inch strips, preferably on a meat slicer, and fry it up.

Nutrition

Serving: 4piecesCalories: 1178kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 21gFat: 120gSaturated Fat: 44gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gMonounsaturated Fat: 56gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 450mgPotassium: 424mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 24IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg

Video

Notes

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