John Myers
Ingredients for 5 servings:
- 1 kg pork belly, fresh without ribs
- 45 g curing salt, possibly mixed with sea salt or regular salt
- 1 tsp, levelled sugar
- 1 bay leaf, roughly torn
- some juniper berries, roughly crushed
- some peppercorns, black, red and green
- some cloves
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
Instructions
Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest period approx. 30 days; Total time approx. 30 days 15 minutes
Cold smoked bacon
Make a curing mixture from the salt, sugar, and spices. Trim the piece of meat. It is especially important to remove any loose pieces of meat. Now rub the piece thoroughly with the previously prepared mixture, don’t forget the rind side! Place the whole thing in a food-safe container and refrigerate. Over the next few days, turn the belly regularly in the container and rub it with the brine that comes out. After about fourteen days, wash the pork belly and dry it with a kitchen towel. Let it hang in a cool place for another two days. If this is not possible, the piece can also be left uncovered in the refrigerator; it is important that the surface can dry out. The piece of meat is then cold-smoked (cured) for several days. There should be a break of at least 10 hours between each smoking phase. Otherwise, it is important that the temperature does not exceed 30°C; ideally, a maximum of 25°C is required. The smoking color varies depending on the type of wood used; with beechwood as the smoking material, the final color is golden brown. Never use varnished wood or similar! The smoking time cannot be specified in general terms, but the piece of meat should already have a rich color for durability reasons. After smoking, the bacon is further aged at around 15°C for at least two weeks. A longer ageing time results in a firmer consistency. Vacuum-packing the fully aged product is also possible, which prevents it from drying out too much. The finished product can be used like standard belly bacon. It is particularly delicious sliced into wafer-thin slices on bread.
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