Beaufitul color! They look great. Care to share your dry maple cure?
Ingredients:
2 oz. Kosher salt (about 1/4 cup)
2 tsp. Cure #1 (aka pink salt, InstaCure #1, Prague Powder #1)
1/4 C. Maple sugar or packed brown sugar
1/4 C. Maple syrup
5 lb. fresh pork belly
(Makes enough for a 5 lb. belly)
Directions:
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add syrup and stir until well combined.
If the mixture is too thick, you can add more syrup to thin it.
Rub cure mixture on belly making sure to cover the entire surface. Place skin side down in a 2 gallon sealable bag, and expel all air, and fold the empty end of the bag under so that the belly is in close contact with the bag. During the curing time the belly will release liquid, and it is important that this liquid stay in contact with the meat.
Note - The skin was already removed at the Locker Plant on this one.
Refrigerate at 34 – 40°F (the closer to 40°F the better) for 7-10 days, until belly is firm to the touch with no soft spots. During the curing time, turn the bag over once a day or once every other day to redistribute the cure; this is called overhauling.
When belly is fully cured, rinse it thoroughly, and pat it dry. Place it on an inverted rack set over a baking sheet, and air dry uncovered in the refrigerator overnight (12 – 24 hours).
Smoking/Cooking
Once bacon has been “air dried” place into a 120 - 140° preheated smoker with vent half open.
If air dried in the refrigerator, set the bellies out in room temperature for 1 - 2 hours before placing them in the smoker.
The amount of smoke is up to you. I generally will only apply 2-3hours, using maple or hickory.
After you have applied your smoke, increase the heat to 160°F, and smoke/cook the bacon until an internal temperature of 150°F is reached.
Or increase the temperature to 150°F, and smoke/cook until an IT of 140°F is reached.
With it being a sugar cure I find the higher internal temps helps when you fry the bacon. It will prevent the sugar from burning as you do not need to fry as long.
If you have one with the skin on and you did not remove it before hand once the desired internal temperature has been reached, remove from smoker and allow to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, but still warm pull the skin off (you may need a sharp knife to help) making sure you leave as much fat on the bacon as possible.
Sliced, packaged and ready to freeze.
