Simple instructions on how to turn side pork into bacon
When most of us go to the grocery store to buy bacon, it is cured and smoked for us already. In fact by definition, bacon has already been smoked and usually cured. On the farm, we make our bacon fresh from side pork. This cut is sliced at the butcher but not cured or smoked. We prefer it this way because it lasts much longer than bacon does in the freezer. Also, if you are going to cook and eat it right away, there is no need to add nitrates or other preservatives to the recipe to prevent spoilage .
So, how do we work with this cut of pork? Take the side pork out of the freezer, and while it is still frozen, trim any rind that the butcher has not removed. Be sure to leave as much fat as possible without leaving any rind. The trimming on a 1 pound pack usually takes less than 5 minutes.
Once trimmed, thaw and marinade the meat in the refrigerator in approximately 1/2 cup of honey (or maple syrup) with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Leave the marinade for at least 4 hours and preferably over night. When you are ready to cook the meat, pan fry it with little or no oil over medium low heat until done. We think it is best cooked at a low temperature for 20 minutes. Turn once while cooking.
Enjoy!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Have you ever tried smoking this after marinading it?
Yes we have! For smoking, we often make a simple brine and then smoke the bacon. We like smoking the meat but often find that for simplicity, it is easer just to slow cook it in the oven. A some what cheating trick is to home make liquid smoke and add that to the marinade. This replicates the smoke flavor with an easier to do step. We will write about liquid smoke making at a later date. Enjoy!
This seems like a teeny amount of salt- does it taste like regular bacon? Any guesstimates as to how much liquid smoke you’d need to add?