I am searching the recipes section hoping to find recipe for making bacon by brining and smoking prok belly (after all, isn't that what bacon is?). I found this thread, but so far no recipes.
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My brother wet brines for 5 days with salt (no curing salt) and brown sugar and then smokes for 2-4 hours (he has his own hickory sticks supply). Technically not cured, but since he says that *everyone* rages over it I am tempted to go that way. Or after reviewing Meatheads chapter on bring (first book) quite possibly just dry brine it instead. I don't care if it has the pink color as long as it tastes good. Will be interested to see replies from you all. -
Having used @Meatheads bacon recipes they have all been on point. Moreover, I know they are food safe too. Would highly recommend. My friends all love the homemade bacon that I give them.
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You'll find a lot of that in the Salting, Brining, Curing section.Originally posted by RolfTaylor View Post
I've done a ton of bacon curing. I'll prolly put up 20-25lb to cure today in fact. Not sure, I bought about 30 or so, but I'll do some as just smoked pork belly probably.
I like to do a dry cure, in vacuum seal.
My cure:
My bacon cure:
400g kosher salt
60g pink curing salt #1
150g sugar
50g 16 mesh black pepper
24g granulated garlic
10g crushed red pepper
7g ground sage
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701g total
65.6% kosher+curing salt
I usually apply about 3.25% by weight
We like ours a little on the saltier side, so you could cut it down. I've done 3.0% by weight and it's good, too.
We do not like sweet bacon, so I don't do the maple flavorings a lot of guys go in for.
I let it cure for 7-10 days in the fridge in the bags, then pull it and cold smoke for anywhere from 8-16 hours. I might let it dry on racks in the fridge for a day or two before smoking, but it's not super necessary.
I DO find it quite a lot better to dry on racks in the fridge (AFTER cold smoking) for 2 days maybe, sometimes longer. Definitely helps mellow out the smoke flavor, set the outside a bit more to slice better, etc. I have left it as long as 2 weeks in the fridge drying. I do think this was too much.
Cold smoking gives me a better product, I get crispy bacon, instead of hot smoking, which leaves me with something a lot more like a ham texture. It is almost impossible to get truly 'crispy' - and I like to cook mine crispy.
The batch I left in to dry after smoking for 2 weeks really did shrink down and dry some, but for some reason it also doesn't get as crispy - it's like it is about the texture of the hot-smoked bacon. Weird, but there it is.
I've done several hundred pounds over the last couple of years and this is the method I've settled on, after numerous iterations. I know Meathead doesn't like cold smoking, there can be some dangers if you don't follow cure directions properly. None of the mods on this site can also offer advice on this, due to the risks. I, however, have no such restrictions, and I am a member of multiple groups on FB for bacon making and cold smoking (there are some serious assholes on those you have to block immediately, lol) and I've done it enough that I'm quite comfortable with it. And I DO find cold smoking yields a superior product.
But, I've done my share of hot smoking bacon as well, and it comes out great, the only thing is, you can't get it crispy, really.
Here's some of my hot smoked bacon:
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Ok, nm, it won't let me post pics this morning. Whatever...Comment
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I need to try smoking pork belly like a brisket. At a MeatUp in Spring, TX, I had the White Brisket at Tejas Chocolate & BBQ in Tomball, Texas and on Thursday, I had Bacon Brisket at Dayne's Craft BBQ in Aledo, TX. Both places the pork belly was great. Picture of ribs, sausage, hot Mexican street corn and Bacon Brisket is my lunch from Dayne's. They are currently ranked #7 in Texas BBQ by Texas Monthly.
Last edited by Purc; August 16, 2026, 12:55 PM.Comment
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Actually, I'm just kidding... you just have to have an image hosted elsewhere (meaning, you can't 'upload' one), and then you wrap IMG tags around it like so...
[img] image addy [/img] -
You use the same method to do bold text or italicized or underlined text.
Or you can do links in comments too, but it's a bit more work.
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I did eventually find meatheads article after starting this thread. Following my brother recipe, but modfying after reviewing various info. Why wet brine when dry will do!
I used salt and no nitrates. I dry brined with salt and brown sugar for 4 days. Then smoked till 160 degrees. Cooled and sliced and then froze. Since it is frozen I am not worried about longevity so OK not curing. Very tasty. I hope Aldis has the belly on sale again.Comment
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Briskeet is king, but Pork Belly is for the gods!Comment
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