Bacon.
If you’re like most people, just the word is enough to make your mouth water. I’m no exception. When I don’t know what to make for dinner, I’ll cook a pound of bacon and let the aroma guide me. But let’s be honest: bacon varies widely in quality. Mediocre bacon is better than none, but outstanding bacon is transcendent—meatier, more nuanced, and packed with umami.
For years I’ve wanted to make my own bacon. It’s been on my personal list alongside curing the perfect ham, mastering ribs, making traditional kielbasa, and surprising my family with a crown roast of pork. So when the National Pork Board asked me to think about my #PorkBucketList, bacon was the first thing that came to mind.
What’s a #PorkBucketList? Think of it as a list of pork dishes you’ve been meaning to try—everything from a perfect pork chop on a stick to trying your hand at a new cured meat. With so many ways to prepare pork and the global variety of flavors that suit it, there’s always something new to add. Personally, I consider pork one of the most versatile and rewarding meats to work with.
To pursue my bacon goal I purchased a Masterbuilt electric smoker. I chose this model because it accepts loose wood chips rather than proprietary pellets or bricks. I have plenty of apple wood on my property, so being able to use my own wood made sense both economically and flavor-wise.
Finding pork belly on short notice proved a little tricky. Local grocers would have ordered it but it would have taken a couple of weeks, and I was on a schedule. If you live near an Asian grocery, pork belly is usually easier to find because it’s commonly used in many Asian cuisines. Once I had the pork belly home, the process went smoothly: into a maple-bourbon-jalapeño brine for a couple of days in the refrigerator, a few hours in the smoker, an overnight rest, and then—bacon. No, that’s not the full story; it was pure magic.
It was incredible and worth every minute I put into it.
Cook’s Notes
- I wet-brined the bacon for even flavor penetration.
- I did not use pink curing salt because I planned to consume the bacon within days and because I hot-smoked it, which reduces the risk of bacterial growth. If you decide to use pink curing salt, follow established safe procedures such as those in reputable charcuterie guides.
- If you skip pink curing salt, the bacon will be a natural brown rather than the bright pink cured color. It will still crisp and brown beautifully when cooked.
- Choose your smoking wood carefully. Mesquite and hickory give a strong smoke flavor; apple wood is milder. Soak wood chips before smoking so they smolder rather than flare and overpower the meat.
- When the bacon reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, move it to a rimmed pan, tent it with foil, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours before slicing.
- For cooking, bake the bacon. Pan-frying demands more attention and risks burning the outside before the interior is done. Arrange slices on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, start in a cold oven, set it to 325°F, and bake until done. This method yields evenly cooked, reliably crisp bacon with minimal fuss.
Homemade Maple Bourbon Jalapeno Bacon
Rebecca Lindamood
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 pounds of pork belly
- 1 cup dark maple syrup Grade B
- 1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup bourbon
- 1 gallon water
- 1 pound kosher salt do not use iodized salt
- 8 fresh jalapeño peppers stems removed, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
Instructions
To Cure the Bacon:
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Stir together the maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, water, and salt until dissolved. Cut the pork belly into four equal pieces. Place each piece in a heavy-duty zipper freezer bag, add one-quarter of the sliced jalapeños, and pour one-quarter of the brine into each bag. Remove as much air as possible, seal, and massage the bags so the pork is fully exposed to the brine. Place the bags in a rimmed roasting pan and refrigerate for three days, massaging each piece twice daily.
To Smoke the Bacon:
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Preheat your smoker to 225°F for 30 minutes with smoke, and keep the water tray full. Arrange the pork belly pieces on the smoker racks with space between them for smoke circulation. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150°F. Transfer to a rimmed cookie sheet, tent with foil, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours before slicing. Use within four days, or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze up to three months.
To Cook the Bacon:
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Slice the chilled bacon about 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick. Place slices on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and put the sheet in a cold oven. Set the oven to 325°F and bake until the bacon reaches your preferred level of crispiness, 15 to 25 minutes. No flipping is necessary; you may rotate pans once or twice for even cooking.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition using your actual ingredients and preferred calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @foodiewithfam on Instagram and use the hashtag #foodiewithfamily so I can see your creations.
The Giveaway
My friends at the National Pork Board are offering a $500 gift card to one lucky Foodie with Family reader to help check an item off their #PorkBucketList. One winner will be chosen on September 30, 2014, and will have 48 hours to respond before an alternate is selected.
How do you enter?
- Answer one question: What’s on YOUR #PorkBucketList?
- For a second entry, tweet or pin about this post or an item on your bucket list and include #PorkBucketList.
The smoker I use and recommend is the model I purchased for these preparations.
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link and is sponsored by the National Pork Board, who is providing one $500 gift card for the giveaway. All opinions and narrative are my own.