Bacon

Everything you wanted to know... and probably more

Aug 06, 2021

Most food lovers have an attachment to bacon…. So much so that we’ve jumped the shark and over the years I’ve seen bacon gratuitously put on everything from pralines, doughnuts and pretzels, and even seen bacon cheesecakes.

More gimmick, than delicious.

We get it “sweet and salty” can be magic… but a little restraint, please.

Then the “science” told us…

Bacon… bad!

Fat…. Bad!

Nitrites… Bad!

As with too much food science, most is marketing driven fiction… and lite on the facts.

So “lets talk about Bacon… baby!”

What is bacon?

I hear people refer to bacon and pork belly as the same thing… this is not true.

Reminds me of Biochemistry class when a professor said: “all enzymes are proteins but not all proteins are enzymes…”

Same with bacon: All bacon is pork belly, but not all pork belly is bacon.

The difference?

Bacon is pork belly that has been cured and (traditionally) smoked.

Curing, as we’ll dive into deeper down the road, is a method of preservation that was originally used to prevent waste and spoilage before mass refrigeration was available. Turns out the process makes tasty results.

It’s quite ingenious actually; salt, is highly antimicrobial, and by allowing the salt to cure the meat, moisture (water) is removed. Water contains oxygen which is a chief component in promoting food rot.

Sinple

Bacon Style

What makes bacon so truly delicious is the ratio of lean to fat in pork belly… this marbling, when cured, produces a synergy with cure and smoke that is most scrumptious.

Canadian bacon is an entirely different cut and preparation… not to be discussed here (made from cured pork loin).

And when in jolly-old England, your bacon will come from higher up the hog (towards the loin) in what are called “rashers”, which has a much higher proportion of lean to fat…

The Italians have variations like guanciale (made from pork jowl) and pancetta which is made from the pork belly but cured and not smoked.

Yes, I’ve made beef bacon, from the cow naval, and 10’s of other animals have been ripped off and tried… but what we are talking about today is classic… cured… smoked… bacon!

Why store bought bacon SUCKS

This is a huge gamechanger… once you make bacon properly there’s no going back… you were warned, Anon…

Ever notice how Oscar Meyer bacon shrivels up into nothing when you cook it?

That’s because they inject a liquid brine/cure into the pork belly to accelerate the process.

It’s fast… it’s easy…. And it sucks!

By pumping all that liquid in, the pork retains a mushy character that releases a ton of water when cooked… shriveling to nothing… which is why we DRY CURE our bacon, Anon!!!

Busting Myths:

Before we proceed, we must address the biggest myth associated with bacon curing…

The savage

The deadly

The Evil

NITRITES!!!!

To understand nitrites we need to discuss curing salts.

Also known as “Pink Salt”, curing salts are composed of sodium chloride, aka table salt, (NaCl) and sodium nitrite (NaNO2).

A pink dye is added so as to avoid any confusion with table salt, hence, the Pink salt name has stuck.

Autist Note: There are two types of curing salts; #1 & #2. For sake of brevity, we are only discussing Pink Salt #1; Pink Salt #2 is used in aged charcuterie applications… will get to later!

During the curing process, sodium nitrite reacts with myoglobin and is converted to nitric oxide (NO). Ironically NO is a vasodilator meaning it increases blood flow and drops pressures. This is one reason why seed oils suck, they inhibit NO uptake.

Back to Pink salt… it is highly effective at inhibiting botulism growth and also promotes a pleasant red/pink hue to the cured meat… (ever had corned beef? Same curing salt)

So why the controversy?

Well if you were to ingest an insane amount of curing salts… like adding a 1/2 cup of curing salt to water and drinking it, it can be extremely toxic to your system.

On top of this, some nonsense was proliferated in the 1970’s where “scientists” posited that nitrites could be linked to GI cancer, because they could form carcinogenic nitrosamines in the presence of strong acid (i.e. in the stomach) or high heat (i.e. cooking).

It’s ironic to note that nitrites are present in many vegetables we consume. In fact, >70% of the nitrites we ingest come from vegetables such as broccoli. Don’t tell the vegetarians!

The common sense tells us that the amount of curing salt used is so small, that it’s not even blip on the radar…

So all the “Nitrite Free bacon” is a pure marketing scam to charge consumers more, with the promise it’s “healthier”… 😬

Making Bacon

When making bacon it’s best to find a slab of pork belly that is roughly the same thickness… this will ensure an even cure. (Basic science and osmosis; a 4 inch piece of pork belly on one end will take longer to cure than the opposite end that is 2 inches.)

Not a deal breaker, but ideal.

Second… breed

I’ll go into this later, but if you can, find a breed of pig that puts on fat intra-muscularly. Eg: Duroc. Other breeds store their fat on top of the muscle (like Berkshire) which is fine, for certain charcuterie applications where you want to isolate fat, but for bacon, a well marbled pork is optimal!

Third… Ingredients. Since we’ve dispelled the curing salt myths your mix should be salt, curing salt, sugar (this is used to keep the cure from becoming harsh and bitter, I like brown sugar), garlic, herbs (fresh thyme) and spices (coarse black pepper and all spice are great).

Fourth… Time. You rub the cure all over the pork belly, wrap tightly and store in the fridge… flip every 2 days for even curing and distribution.

Fifth… Smoke. After the cure… rinse the pork belly; ideally let air dry over night in the fridge to form a pellicle but not necessary…. Then smoke at 250F until internal temp is 140F. Allow to cool to room temp. Cut into blocks and wrap; store some in fridge for up to 4 weeks… freeze extra.

Here is my favorite all-purpose bacon cure:

1 cup brown sugar

4 oz Salt (Sea or Kosher)

2 tsp pink salt

8 TB, black pepper

8 bay leaf, crushed

2 tsp grated nutmeg

10 garlic cloves, smashed

1 bunch fresh thyme, , leaves stripped

2 TB juniper, crushed

Simply mix all the ingredients until well blended.

The Best Bacon You’ve never heard of:

French cuisine will always hold a near and dear place in my heart. Masters of pig cookery I stumbled on to a French bacon that uses only sea salt and coarse cracked black peppercorn. It is quick cured, then rolled, tied and smoked.

It’s amazing

A delight of rich and Lucious pork with the pleasant piquancy of cracked pepper…

I Give You:

VENTRECHE

This recipe is easily scaled so as long as you use approx 2.5% salt to pork belly, you’re in good shape.

Eg: 1,000g pork belly (approx 2lbs), would have you use 24g sea salt. (Can use kosher as well, but I prefer the fine sea salt). And black pepper to taste. I use approx 1/3 cup of coarse black pepper for 1000g of pork belly. Totally up to you!

Evenly distribute the salt and wrap or put in a plastic ziplock. Allow to cure for 3-5 days, flipping daily.

When the belly has firmed slightly (between 3-5 days), remove, give a quick rinse and pat dry.

With the fat side down, generously sprinkle the pepper on the lean side.

Tightly roll into a log, and secure by tying the pork belly tight.

Smoke at 225F for approx 4 hours (or until internal temp of 140-155F).

Allow to cool to room temperature.

Wrap and store in the fridge.

Autist Note: The absence of curing salt decreases the shelf life of ventreche. 10 days in the fridge is fine. You can also cut and freeze but not ideal.

This is absolutely insane shave thin and eaten as charcuterie… or layered into a sandwich with grainy mustard. You could even griddle a stack and make a killer Melt.

Try this… you’ll love it!

Cooking Your Bacon

The best part of making your own bacon is that you control the cut and thickness… consider these 3.

Thin & Crispy:

Preheat your oven to 375F. Slice your bacon in 1/8-1/4 inch slices… Line a baking sheet with parchment and lay your bacon slices across in a single layer. Cover with another parchment sheet and put another baking sheet on top. (Ideally put a cast iron pan on top to weigh it down). Cook for 20 mins, and check, rotate, and cook until golden brown, checking every 10 mins…

Slab Bacon:

This is probably my favorite style. Cut your bacon into 1inch thick slices and put into a medium hot pan. No fat or oil necessary. Give it a light press and let it cook. The fat will render out, and after 3-5 minutes give it a flip (when golden brown), and cook the other side. When finished you’ll have a crisp outside and juicy meaty interior which, with properly made bacon, is like heaven.

Lardon:

Don’t get scared… this is just a French term for crispy bacon batons. Better than bacon bits, and perfect on a Salad (Salad Lyonaisse is my weakness). Cut the bacon as you would slap, 1in thick… then cut across each piece every 1/2 inch to give you small batons. Place those in a saute pan and let the fat render. Once you hear a sizzle start to stir, occasionally, to cook the lardon on all sides until they take a very nice deep golden brown color… remove to a rack or paper towels to drain. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for on-demand needs!