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Homemade Bacon
Learn how to make your own bacon from scratch. Custom cure with exact percentages for perfect flavor and food safety. Infinitely better than store-bought.
Recipe Overview
Ingredients
- • 5 lb Pork Belly (trimmed, cut into 3-4 sections)
- • 45 g Kosher Salt (exactly 2% by weight)
- • 5.67 g Prague Powder #1 (CRITICAL: exactly 0.25% by weight)
- • 23 g Brown Sugar (1% by weight)
- • 14 g Black Pepper (ground) (0.6% by weight)
- • 5.67 g Garlic Powder (0.25% by weight)
- • 5.67 g Onion Powder (0.25% by weight)
- • 1.6 g Paprika (0.07% by weight)
- • 5.67 g Red Pepper Flakes (0.25% by weight)
- • Crushed Garlic (to taste)
- • 3 Bay Leaves (fresh or dried)
⚠️ PRAGUE POWDER #1 SAFETY WARNING
- Use exactly 0.25% Prague Powder #1 by weight (FDA-approved safe level)
- Always weigh ingredients with a digital scale - never estimate
- Too much curing salt can be toxic - never exceed 0.25%
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This recipe is for informational purposes only. You are solely responsible for verifying all measurements. Improper use of curing salts can result in serious health risks. By using this recipe, you assume all risks and we are not liable for any errors. When in doubt, consult professional food safety resources, USDA guidelines, or a qualified butcher.
Watch the Recipe
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Let’s learn how to make your own bacon. Start by grabbing a pig’s belly. Try to find one with a lot of meat. Cut it up into 3 or 4 sections and apply your custom cure. I measure all ingredients b
📹 Recipe Video
instagram • 1:00
Ingredients
Recipe yield: ~100-120 slices (from 5 lb belly)
- 5 lb (2.3 kg) Pork Belly(trimmed, cut into 3-4 sections)
- 45 g (1.6 oz) Kosher Salt(exactly 2% by weight)
- 5.67 g (0.2 oz) Prague Powder #1(CRITICAL: exactly 0.25% by weight)
- 23 g (0.8 oz) Brown Sugar(1% by weight)
- 14 g (0.5 oz) Black Pepper (ground)(0.6% by weight)
- 5.67 g (0.2 oz) Garlic Powder(0.25% by weight)
- 5.67 g (0.2 oz) Onion Powder(0.25% by weight)
- 1.6 g (0.1 oz) Paprika(0.07% by weight)
- 5.67 g (0.2 oz) Red Pepper Flakes(0.25% by weight)
- Crushed Garlic(to taste)
- 3 Bay Leaves(fresh or dried)
⚠️ PRAGUE POWDER #1 SAFETY WARNING
- Use exactly 0.25% Prague Powder #1 by weight (FDA-approved safe level)
- Always weigh ingredients with a digital scale - never estimate
- Too much curing salt can be toxic - never exceed 0.25%
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This recipe is provided for informational and educational purposes only. You are solely responsible for verifying all measurements and calculations. Improper use of curing salts can result in serious health risks. By using this recipe, you acknowledge that you assume all risks and we are not liable for any errors in measurements or calculations. When in doubt, consult professional food safety resources, USDA guidelines, or a qualified butcher.
Equipment Needed
- •Vacuum sealer or ziplock bags
- •Digital scale
- •Smoker
- •Meat slicer or sharp knife
🔧 Equipment Needed:
- • Vacuum sealer or ziplock bags
- • Digital scale
- • Smoker
- • Meat slicer or sharp knife
Instructions
10 stepsSelect the pork belly
Choose a pork belly with a good amount of meat (not just fat). Cut into 3-4 manageable sections.
Tips
- •Look for bellies with thick meat layers
- •Ask your butcher for skin-off if available
Weigh and calculate cure
Weigh each belly section. Use the calculator above to determine exact ingredient amounts - all cure ingredients are calculated as percentages of meat weight: Salt 2%, Prague Powder #1 0.25%, Brown Sugar 1%, Black Pepper 0.6%, Garlic Powder 0.25%, Onion Powder 0.25%, Paprika 0.07%, Red Pepper Flakes 0.25%.
Tips
- •CRITICAL: Use exactly 0.25% Prague Powder #1 for safety
- •The calculator above automatically calculates all ingredients based on your pork belly weight
- •Weigh ingredients, don't use volume measurements
- •Going by weight ensures consistent results every time
Apply the cure
Mix all cure ingredients. Rub cure mixture evenly over all surfaces of the pork belly. Add crushed garlic cloves and bay leaves.
Vacuum seal and cure
Vacuum seal or place in ziplock bags. Cure in refrigerator for 7 days, flipping every day to distribute cure evenly.
Tips
- •Set a daily reminder to flip
- •Cure will draw out moisture - this is normal
Remove from bag
After 7 days, remove bacon from bag. Optionally rinse (not necessary if you measured cure correctly). Pat completely dry with paper towels. Scrape off excess red pepper flakes if desired, add more black pepper if you like.
Tips
- •Don't rinse if you want maximum crust flavor
- •Dry surface is critical for good smoke adhesion
Dry overnight
Place on wire rack in refrigerator uncovered for 24 hours to dry the surface. This forms a pellicle for better smoke adhesion.
Smoke the bacon
Smoke at 200°F (93°C) using hickory or your favorite hardwood until internal temperature reaches 150°F (65°C) (usually 2-4 hours).
Tips
- •Hickory is traditional, but apple and cherry work great too
- •Use a meat thermometer for accuracy
Cool and refrigerate
Let cool at room temperature, then refrigerate overnight before slicing. This makes slicing much easier.
Slice and freeze
Slice to desired thickness using meat slicer or sharp knife. Vacuum seal into serving-size portions and freeze until ready to use.
Tips
- •Thinner slices = crispier bacon
- •Freeze flat for easy stacking
- •Lasts 6+ months in freezer
Cook and enjoy
Cook on griddle or in cast iron pan. Make the obligatory BLT. This will be the best bacon you've ever eaten.
Tips
- •Lower heat = less curling
- •Save the bacon fat for cooking
You've completed all 10 steps. Time to eat.
Important Notes
Prague Powder #1 (pink curing salt) is 93.75% sodium chloride + 6.25% sodium nitrite. Use exactly 0.25% by weight - too much can be toxic. You don't technically need curing salt, but it provides better flavor, color, texture, food safety, and preservation. Ingredients by percentage allow you to scale this recipe to any size pork belly.
⚠️ Important Notes:
Prague Powder #1 (pink curing salt) is 93.75% sodium chloride + 6.25% sodium nitrite. Use exactly 0.25% by weight - too much can be toxic. You don't technically need curing salt, but it provides better flavor, color, texture, food safety, and preservation. Ingredients by percentage allow you to scale this recipe to any size pork belly.
Pro Tips
- •Always weigh ingredients - volume measurements aren't accurate enough for curing
- •Buy Prague Powder #1 from reputable sources (Boise Salt recommended)
- •One small packet cures ~100 lbs of meat
- •Can substitute celery powder for Prague Powder, but harder to get exact nitrate levels
💡 Pro Tips:
- • Always weigh ingredients - volume measurements aren't accurate enough for curing
- • Buy Prague Powder #1 from reputable sources (Boise Salt recommended)
- • One small packet cures ~100 lbs of meat
- • Can substitute celery powder for Prague Powder, but harder to get exact nitrate levels
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