- American
- Side
Black Pepper, Garlic & Juniper Smoked Bacon
This homemade smoked bacon is built for thick-cut slices, diced bacon lardons, and especially pasta carbonara. Pork belly is cured with kosher salt, pink curing salt, black pepper, garlic powder, bay leaf, and crushed juniper berries, then lightly smoked until savory, aromatic, and pork-forward without becoming overly sweet or barbecue-like. The result is a clean, peppery, lightly smoky slab bacon that renders beautifully and gives pasta, eggs, cheese, and black pepper plenty of room to shine.
- Prep
- 8 d
- Cook
- 3 hr
- Total
- 1 wk 1 d
- Servings
- 20
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Instructions
Trim the pork belly
Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels. Trim any loose edges or ragged pieces. If the pork belly has skin, remove it before curing.
Mix the cure
In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt, pink curing salt #1, black pepper, garlic powder, crushed bay leaves, and crushed juniper berries. Mix thoroughly so the curing salt is evenly distributed.
Cure the pork belly
Rub the cure evenly over all sides of the pork belly, including the edges. Place the belly in a vacuum bag or large zip-top bag, scraping in any cure that falls off. Seal and refrigerate for 7 days, flipping the belly once per day.
Rinse and dry
After 7 days, remove the pork belly from the bag and briefly rinse off the surface cure. Pat very dry with paper towels.
Form the pellicle
Place the pork belly uncovered on a rack set over a sheet pan. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, until the surface feels tacky and dry. This helps the smoke adhere evenly.
Smoke the bacon
Preheat the smoker to 180°F with moderate smoke (smoke level 2 for indoor smokers) with apple wood. Smoke the pork belly until the internal temperature reaches about 150°F, usually 2–3 hours depending on thickness.
Cool and chill
Remove the bacon from the smoker and let it cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled before slicing. Chilling makes it much easier to cut clean slices or cubes.
Slice or dice
Slice thick for breakfast bacon, BLTs, or sandwiches, or cut into ½-inch dice or batons for carbonara, pasta dishes, beans, greens, roasted vegetables, or soups.
Recipe by
Russell Toris
@russell-toris