You will never buy bacon again after making this home cured pork belly.
I vowed when I gave up smoking that I would never become an ugly non smoker and that I would always remain a tolerant ex smoker. However, this has not been the case. We have a friend who is the most selfish smoker I have ever met. One night when we were at a restaurant the owner delayed each and every one of the courses as she kept getting up to smoke. Her husband was cross with the restaurant but I totally got where they were coming from as the food needed to be served hot, and we were a table of 12! Another night she got into the car with 3 of us who are non smokers and she lit up. I opened the window even though it was a bitterly cold evening and she told me I was pathetic for being affected by the smoke. I have had a few really bad bouts of bronchitis and the smoke from cigarettes and fires is intolerable as it affects my lungs. She further made her smoking uncomfortable for a group of us when she insisted on smoking in someone else’s apartment and I kept on walking away from where she was and she kept on following me. But this still did not make me cross until we went away! We were told that we could not smoke indoors and if anyone did, the barge would be stripped, cleaned and refitted, at our expense. As Dave had paid for the barge on his credit card this literally would have been at our expense, and not at hers! She lit up one night and as she was not actually smoking the cigarette told me she was not smoking inside. Being pedantic of course she was right, but it was still a smoking cigarette! And then she did it again after I asked her not to smoke, and she said they would never know as they could not see her! #FFS that very instant turned me into that non smoker. I explained the cost implication of her actions and she couldn’t care less! It totally got to me as I was never an inconsiderate smoker. And I tolerate considerate smokers but I will not tolerate her smoking ever again.
Thankfully, I did not need to light a smoker to make Home Cured Pork Belly (bacon) at home. Whereas pork can be smoked, curing it is more traditional and the Wiltshire cure appears to be the oldest known recipe for bacon. I have used some of those ingredients, together with Peter Goffe-Wood’s recipe for Home Cured Bacon that I downloaded from Mastering Meat 2 as inspiration. I have used celery seeds instead of saltpetre as they are a great source of natural nitrates.
Recipe For Home Cured Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 500 g pork belly bone out weight, the fat end if possible and it must be fresh, rind on
- 10 g celery seeds
- 5 g coriander seeds
- 2 g whole cloves
- 3 g black peppercorns
- 480 g coarse salt
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves picked
- 100 g fructose divided (you can use sugar if you prefer)
Method
- Place your pork onto a wire rack and place the wire rack over a dish
- Place the dish into the fridge and leave for 2 hours to dry
- Use kitchen roll to pat dry the pork belly
- Place the celery seeds, coriander seeds, cloves and peppercorns into a mortar and crush with a pestle
- Place the salt into a bowl and mix in the spices and thyme
- Remove 100g of the mix and add 20g fructose and mix well to make your curing mixture
- Sprinkle 50g of the curing mixture in a thin layer into a ceramic dish (suitable size for your pork)
- Place the pork rind side down on top of the cure mixture
- Cover the top of the pork with the remaining cure mixture, patting it down firmly and making sure the sides are covered as well
- Place into the fridge, uncovered, overnight
- The following day, remove the pork belly and wipe off the excess cure mixture using kitchen roll and pat dry
- Wash out your dish and dry thoroughly
- Repeat the curing process
- Do this for 5 days in total before rinsing the pork belly to remove all traces of the curing mixture
- Dry with kitchen roll and wrap in wax paper
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge
- Notes
- Your bacon can be frozen and needs to be defrosted in the fridge before using
Notes
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
Disclosure: Yuppiechef.com own the copyright to Pete’s recipe and it has been used with their permission. This post is in line with my blogging policy.
What I blogged:
- one year ago – Pappas Restaurant
I am on leave until the 8th of January. I will start replying to blog comments then. I wish you all a safe festive season.
Yikes that does not sound like a friend! On a happier note, this pork belly looks SO good! I’ve never made pork belly in the home, but I’m seriously inspired.
I am so glad to have inspired you 🙂
Wow she sounds terrible! I can’t abide smoke at all. It makes me very ill and I just couldn’t put up with it. This pork belly looks great. I so enjoyed making bacon this year!
I could not find your bacon post in a search! I wanted to share the link love 🙂
Hi Tandy, wow! I don’t think I have ever met anyone like the person you have described above. Unbelievable! Anyway, my husband would love this cured pork belly.
Consider yourself lucky!
Mmmm – delicious Tandy – must give this a try – thanks Tandy.
Hope you enjoy it Rachel 🙂
VERY impressed that you’re curing your own meat! It’s one of the things I really want to get into in the new year! Have been preserving fruit and veg more this year but still haven’t gone on to curing meat. Nice one, definitely saving this post. xx
I need to try and preserve more vegetables. Hope you enjoy trying this Shu 🙂
Very cool post. I am going to try this one day!
It is so worth making your own Tammy 🙂
Sounds yummy!
Thanks!
cool! I’ve never did that before! You inspired me to give it a try!
Hope you have great success Marcela 🙂
I am actually highly intolerant of smokers, but this woman sounds like THE WORST. Probably not worth being friends with anymore if she is so inconsiderate of you!!
Your use of caps is perfect here Joanne! She is the worst smoker I have ever come across.
I recently quit smoking, and I know what you mean. Lighting up does not being inconsiderate. Love that pork belly. Have a great blogging break. You’ve been busy throughout the year. Will look forward to your being back.
I seem to still be here – but I am restricting myself to an hour on the computer per day! Well done on giving up smoking, and hope you find it easy 🙂
Wow this is so classy, I didn’t know you could cure your own pork at home!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
It was so easy to do as well Uru 🙂
I’m with you on home made cured meat as you get to control what you put into. This may be just in time for the holidays!!
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
I hope you try this! I want to expand my repertoire a bit 🙂
Sounds kie your friend is a bit of a nightmare. I don’t think you are being intollerent at all. Love curing my own meats there is nothing like it
I really want to expand the range of meats I cure Tania 🙂
Ugh – I can’t stand smokers like that! It’s so rude. This home-cured pork belly sounds terrific! Kudos to you for making it yourself!
Thanks Amy 🙂
Looking forward to giving this a go as I tried a different method once in the past but had to chuck the meat away as it was way too salty!
That would have made me so mad!
i hope you got rid of this so-called “friend” tandy. not a friend at all by the sound of it. merry xmas to you and yours.
Sherry, it’s complicated! Merry Christmas to you as well 🙂