Homesteaders, Make Your Own Bacon

My home-schooled daughter and I (you may remember mention of her as a small child in two previous Skyhorse books) have recently become interested in bacon.

Yes, bacon.

Initially, because we love to eat it. Yet we had been hearing some distressing news over the use of nitrates in bacon, concerns over the high fat content, and the unpleasant manner in which commercial pork is being raised. Since we have moved off the hobby farm it is now quite difficult to raise our own pigs. For the record, I don’t think it will be long until we are back on the farm again.

It is important to note that no more than six months after being off the farm we both started gaining weight. She is 20 and I am 50 so the gain isn’t due to age and hormones. It also isn’t due to exercise or lifestyle. We still spend about the same amount of time out of doors, and the same amount of time performing chores, heavy lifting, etc. No, it’s all about the quality of food we’ve been eating.

For months we dug into some research to understand nutrition on a higher level. Once we understood that our bodies were getting far more carbohydrates than fats, we adjusted and lost weight! We lost weight eating good cheeses, grass fed beef, and lots of home made bacon.

The first time we turned fresh pork into bacon we followed a simple dry rub recipe, cured for 7 days, roasted in the oven, then sliced and cooked to order. Since then we’ve brined pork, we’ve smoked it on the barbeque and in a smoker, and we’ve tried all sorts of spice combinations. The easy method is still a fine way to make bacon, but recently we’ve perfected the process and I’d like to tell you about it so you can make your own bacon, too!

Whether you’ve raised your own pig or not, you’ll be starting with fresh pork belly. We buy ours in 2-4 pound pieces from a local butcher who only purchases pork from a local farm. (If you’ve ever seen a truckload of pigs doing a long haul down the highway, you’ll know why this is important to us.) We buy it skin-on but that is because we like to snack on home made pork rinds which are perfect for our low carb high fat diet. If you’re not planning on making pork rinds, ask your butcher to remove the skin for you – it is an unnecessary expense and weight.

In the photo above you’ll see three types of bacon. Top left is our Asian-Inspired recipe. Center is a spicy version. Bottom-right is a pretty standard home made bacon. We had six taste testers in this recent cook off and the Asian-Inspired version took first place so that is the recipe I’ll share with you today.

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh, locally grown, pork belly
4 tsp celtic sea salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
2 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp sriracha sauce (chinese hot pepper sauce)
4 tbsp cold water, preferably distilled

Method:

1. Wash and drain the pork belly.
2. Mix all ingredients in a large, food safe, zipper-lock plastic bag.
3. Add pork belly to bag, seal, and refrigerate for 7-10 days.
4. Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Remove pork belly from the bag and place fat side up onto a baking sheet and roast to an internal temperature of 160F (about 2 hours).
6. Remove roasted pork belly from the oven, and refrigerate.
7. Slice and cook as needed or freeze for a later date.

That’s all there is to it!

I hope you enjoy your home made bacon. Now that you know the process and have experienced for yourself how delicious this is, I just know you’ll be experimenting with more versions. Be sure to ask any questions you might have in the comments below or visit our newest site for more Low Carb High Fat Diet info and recipes.

Yours in health and happiness,

Laura Childs
Author of “The Joy of Keeping Farm Animals” and “The Joy of Keeping Goats”
Skyhorse Publishing