Just over 10 days ago, we began the process of crafting Maple Cured Bacon. Now, it’s time to take it out of the refrigerator, give it a final preparation, and get it ready for cooking. There are three main methods for cooking this bacon:
- Smoking the bacon at a very low heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
- Oven-cooking the bacon at a very low heat until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
- Slicing and pan-cooking it without additional processing, which is straightforward and not covered in detail here.
The pork belly you refrigerated 10 days ago should now have a lovely, bright pinkish-red color and feel quite firm to the touch. Occasionally, bellies may remain softer, but they typically turn out just fine.
Keep reading and enjoy!
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Maple Cured Bacon – Part 2
This isn't a recipe as much as it is a description of how to take your cured belly, clean it and get it ready for cooking.
Equipment
- Pair of scissors or sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
- Cured Pork Belly from Fridge after 10 days curing
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker or oven. For a smoker, set it between 200-225°F, and for an oven, set it at 200°F for convection or 225°F for a non-convection oven. If you’re using a smoker, assume you know how to manage smoke, wood, and charcoal to maintain temperature. Longer heating to an internal temperature of 150°F results in more tender bacon, but prolonged heating risks drying it out. Typically, it takes about 3 hours at these temperatures to reach an internal temperature of 150°F.
- Remove the cured pork belly from the fridge and discard the curing bag along with any contents in the container. No need to save them.
- Wash the cured pork belly under running potable water to remove excess salt and cure. Leaving them may result in overly salty bacon.
- Dry off the cured belly.
- Once your smoker/oven reaches the desired temperature, begin cooking. For smokers, lay the belly across the cooking surface or hang it on bacon hooks. In the oven, place the bacon on a sheet pan with a cooling rack on top to allow fat to render and promote air circulation.
- If you have a thermometer for monitoring meat temperature throughout cooking, insert it into the belly as close to the center as possible from the side.
- Once the belly reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, remove it from the oven/smoker. Let it cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate until internal temperatures reach 32-35°F. For immediate enjoyment, slice off a couple of warm slices right after cooking.
- Your bacon is ready! Enjoy it in any meal, slicing it thin or thick, and cooking it to your preference. It's fully cooked, so you can also enjoy it straight from the fridge without further cooking.We cut our bacon pieces in half as they are wide, then vacuum pack them into individual bags and freeze them until needed. We end up with 6-8 slabs of bacon and it will do us for several days each.
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