Learn what you need to know about curing bacon at home. We’ll show you how easy it is to cure meat, give you the tools you need, and answer your most-asked questions about cured bacon.
Brandon Sheard from The Farmstead Meatsmith is joining us on the Pantry Chat today. On their homestead in Oklahoma, he and his wife Lauren teach workshops on how to cure meat. They also have online courses.
Brandon taught Carolyn and me how to traditionally salt cure our bacon at home. Traditional eating and consuming whole-food ingredients is important to our health journey.
This is how we’ve been storing our pork belly ever since (when we’re not making tasty pork rillette with it). This bacon served up with sweet pepper hash makes a great breakfast.
Making your own bacon at home is incredibly rewarding and allows you full control over the quality and flavor. While it takes some time and effort, the process is actually quite straightforward. Curing the pork belly in a basic salt brine ensures you get beautifully cured bacon every time.
In this step-by-step guide, I’ll share my easy method for how to salt cure bacon yourself and end up with the tastiest homemade bacon you’ve ever tried!
An Overview of Salt Cured Bacon
Salt curing is one of the oldest preservation methods used for meats like pork. It works by drawing moisture out of the meat making it impossible for bacteria to grow. The salt also permeates the meat infusing it with flavor. When done correctly, salt curing gives bacon a firm yet tender texture and salty, savory taste.
While buying bacon at the store is convenient, making your own with a salt cure allows you to use high-quality pork, avoid unhealthy chemicals like nitrates, and customize the flavoring exactly to your taste. The process takes about 2 weeks from start to finish.
Benefits of Salt Cured Bacon
Here are some benefits of using a salt cure for homemade bacon:
- All natural – No artificial preservatives or chemicals needed
- Flavor control – Tailor the saltiness and seasoning
- Economical – Basic ingredients and easy process
- Customizable – Experiment with different flavor additions
- Long storage – Keeps refrigerated for months
Ingredients Needed
- Pork belly
- Kosher or sea salt
- Cure #1 pink salt (contains nitrite)
- Brown sugar or maple syrup (optional)
- Spices and aromatics (optional)
Equipment
- Large container with lid
- Knife and cutting board
- Meat thermometer
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these simple steps for amazing homemade salt cured bacon:
1. Prepare the Pork Belly
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Start with a high-quality pork belly, preferably from pastured pigs.
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Remove the skin and trim excess fat.
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Cut into manageable sizes if needed to fit your container.
2. Make the Curing Brine
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For the best results, weigh the pork belly.
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Combine 2% of the pork’s weight in kosher salt and 0.25% of its weight in cure #1 pink salt.
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For example, for a 3 lb pork belly, use 3 oz kosher salt and 0.75 oz pink salt.
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Dissolve the salts in enough water to cover the meat. Cool completely before using.
3. Cure the Pork
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Place the pork in the container in a single layer and cover completely with the chilled brine.
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Weigh down the pork to keep fully submerged.
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Cure for 7-10 days in the fridge, flipping halfway through. Up to 2 weeks is fine for stronger flavor.
4. Rinse and Rest
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After curing, remove the pork from the brine and rinse off any surface salt. Pat dry.
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Optionally apply spices, sugar, or aromatics and return to the fridge uncovered for 1-2 days.
5. Slice and Cook
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Slice the cured pork belly into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices.
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Cook until crispy in a skillet, oven, or air fryer.
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Enjoy your incredible homemade bacon!
Tips and Variations
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Add brown sugar, maple syrup, peppers, herbs or spices to the cure.
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Hot smoke the bacon after curing for extra flavor.
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Try curing pork shoulder or loin using the same salt brine method.
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Adjust salt and cure #1 amounts based on weight for perfect results every time.
FAQs
How long does salt cured bacon last?
Properly cured and stored, bacon keeps 3-4 weeks refrigerated or 4-6 months frozen.
Can I use table salt?
No – use kosher or sea salt. Table salt contains additives that can lead to off-flavors.
Do I really need cure #1?
Yes, the nitrites in cure #1 prevent bacterial growth and give bacon its characteristic color and flavor.
Can I reuse the curing brine?
No, always make fresh brine each time for food safety.
Why does my bacon taste too salty?
Reduce the salt to 1.5% of the pork’s weight. Rinse well after curing.
Make Your Own Delicious Bacon at Home
Making bacon from scratch using a simple salt cure gives you control over ingredients and flavors for the best tasting bacon ever. All you need is pork belly, salt, cure #1, and time. Follow the steps to cure the pork, then slice and cook for incredible homemade bacon far superior to store-bought.
How to Cure Bacon
The basics of learning how to cure bacon are simple. Wet the meat with paper towels, sprinkle it with salt, let the juices drain, rinse and dry the meat completely, and then hang it to age or until you’re ready to eat it.
- After giving the pork belly a good rinse and pat dry, make sure to cut off any loose pieces of meat.
- You should set up your curing vessel so that liquid can drain out the bottom. Make sure there is a pan or something else under there to catch the liquids.
- Spread a 50/50 mix of salt and sugar out in a large container with a lid so that it covers the whole bottom and is at least two inches deep.
- Put the pork belly in the salt and sugar mixture and press it down so that the mixture covers all of the meat. If the skin is still on your pork, you don’t need to salt the skin side. If the skin is gone, though, flip the pork over and salt all sides.
- After taking the pork out of the salt and sugar mix, put it in the clean jar for curing.
- Put the curing vessel in the fridge or somewhere cold that is between 35° F and 41° F.
- Let the pork cure for 5 days.
- Rinse the pork well with water to get rid of the salt and sugar mix.
- Dry off the pork belly and hang it up in the kitchen or pantry. We like to hang it using bacon hooks.
To learn how to cure meat at home, the hardest thing is to believe that the process is as easy as it really is.
Best Time to Cure Bacon
Traditionally, our great-grandparents utilized the winter months as the months to process pork. We can use the fridge to let us kill our Kune Kune pigs whenever it works for us. But the cold temperatures were what was traditionally used for the curing of the pork.
If you live in the north, you can mimic these traditional methods using the cold winter temperatures. The best way to keep flies away from cured meat that doesn’t have a fridge is to do this.
If you can’t keep your meat in a cold place, you should have a refrigerator with enough space to cure it between 35° F and 41° F.
After taking out everything else, all you need to cure bacon is a healthy pork belly, natural sea salt, and a container that won’t react with the salt. But if you want to get more detailed, here’s a list of supplies you can use:
- When it comes to pork belly, we always suggest getting your meat from a good source or raising your own so you can see how the animal was treated and what it was fed.
- We use sea salt 20%E2%80%93%20Redmond%20Real%20Salt%20and%20Brandon%20explainsthatitwillleaveasmallresidue%20ontheporkbecauseitismineralsandnotwater-soluble. There is a coarser grind that makes it harder to salt the pork too much. It’s great to use. Brandon uses simple fine-grain sea salt. Because it dissolves so quickly, kosher salt shouldn’t be used because it’s easy to add too much salt to the pork.
- The curing vessel should not be made of aluminum. Instead, it should be made of plastic, glass, or stainless steel. It works best to get two plastic restaurant bussing tubs and drill holes in one that is stacked on top of the other to catch the juices that run off the meat. If you let your meat sit in the liquid that is drained from it for too long, it will taste too salty.
- Adding more ingredients—Along with salt, you can add other things that will give your cured meat flavor. Brandon puts equal parts salt and sugar on his bacon. Alternatively, you could add in herbs, seasonings, etc.
