Maple Bourbon Bacon Home Cured Food

HOME-CURED MAPLE-BOURBON BACON

Steps:

• Combine the peppercorns, fennel and coriander in a spice grinder and pules to roughly grind the spices. Pour into a bowl and add the salts, syrup, bourbon, garlic, and thyme. Stir to combine well.
• Place the pieces of pork belly into large plastic bags and divide the rub evenly between the 3 bags. Press the rub onto all sides of the belly, coating evenly, then press the air out of the bags and lay them on a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for a week, turning the bags each day.
• After a week, wash the cure off the meat, taking care to rinse very thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels then place on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet and return it to the refrigerator to air dry for 24 hours.
• Roast the pork belly in a 225 degree oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees, about 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and chill completely before slicing. Wrap bacon well and freeze in 1-2 pound packages until needed. Use within 3 months.

HOME-CURED BACON

Steps:

• Place the pork belly in a large Ziploc bag. Add the salt (and pink salt if using) and the cure additions. Rub the cure into the pork belly, turning the bag over and over and pressing the cure into the flesh. Close the bag, squeezing out all the air and refrigerate for seven days. Each day, flip the bag over. Some liquid will begin to gather in the bag.
• After seven days, wash the cure off the meat, rinsing thoroughly. Pat the bacon dry with paper towels and set it on a rack over a baking sheet. Allow the bacon to air-dry in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Roast the pork belly in the oven to an internal temperature of 150 degrees for about 90 minutes. Chill the bacon well, then slice thick or thin, to preference. Any bacon that doesn't easily slice may be cut into chunks, for starting a pot of beans or soup. Wrapped in parchment paper, then wrapped in plastic wrap or foil and placed in a Ziploc bag, the bacon will keep for three weeks in the refrigerator and three months in the freezer.