Homemade Bacon

Homemade bacon... with store-bought biscuits! Oh no! If you'd seen my last few homemade biscuits, you'd understand. I made up for it by putting some scrambled egg and cheese fatties on them along with some sliced Tillamook sharp cheddar.

This was my first time making bacon. I was very happy with the results.


I started with a 3 or so pound pork belly. I trimmed it slightly. I then put it in a baggie with about 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of Morton Tender Quick. I put the baggie in a 36-40° F fridge for about 10 days, turning the baggie daily. I then rinsed the meat several times and dried it well.

I fired up the smoker to 225° F and smoked the pork over some apple wood for about 1 1/2-2 hours until the meat reached 150° F. I took the pork off, let it cool slightly, and sliced it. I ended up slicing it rather thick. I think next time I'll get a larger belly and use my meat slicer to get some nice slices that are just a tad thinner.

The bacon had a great smoked flavor with just a hint of brown sugar. We both really enjoyed the flavor. Anita thought the meat was a tad chewier then store-bought bacon. I'm not sure why that was other than maybe I need to cure the pork for another day or two. I fried up some more of the bacon the next night for burgers and it was outstanding. I wish I'd had more!

Oh, and I got the original idea for doing this from a great podcast I listen to, My life as a foodie. Check it out on iTunes. Really great stuff!