Bacon is made by curing pork belly, a boneless, fatty cut of meat from the bottom of the pig. Although this inexpensive cut of meat is widely used in pork products, it is not typically found in grocery stores. Butchers often carry the cut and it is easy to find in many Asian markets that carry meat products (pork belly is widely used in Asian cooking).
The other piece of the puzzle that is probably missing from your pantry is pink healing salt. A mixture of regular salt and nitrite, the bright pink ingredient is cheap and can be ordered online for just a few dollars. The pink salt can be left out and you'll still get something good, but this ingredient gives the bacon its familiar color and distinctive flavor. Without the pink curing salt, the result is meat that's brown instead of pink and tastes more like ribs than everyone's favorite breakfast meat (not bad, but not bacon).
Select a 4-5 pound pork belly (the thicker the better) and gather the ingredients. Pork belly isn't usually found in grocery stores, but butcher shops and Asian markets can usually provide this fatty, boneless cut of pork.
The other "exotic" ingredient used to make bacon is pink curing salt. Also called Prague powder, the mixture of table salt and nitrite is used to cure meats and gives bacon its distinctive color and flavor. Pink curing salt is cheap and easy to find online.
Mix 3-4 tablespoons of kosher salt, 2 teaspoons of healing pink salt n. 1, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons black pepper to create a "rub." Honey or maple syrup can substitute for brown sugar, though the group rub mix. Bacon can also be modified by adding other spices such as thyme, juniper berries, garlic, or bay leaves.
Rub mixture vigorously into 4-5 pound pork belly on all sides.
Place the pork belly and any remaining scraps in a large resealable, zip-top bag, and squeeze the air out of the bag. Once in the bag, massage the pork belly to continue working into the rub, then transfer to the refrigerator. Keep refrigerated for 7 days, massage once more after 3-4 days.
After 7 days, remove from the refrigerator and rinse well with cold water.
Pat dry and place on a wire rack supported by a baking sheet. Place in a 200 degree Farnheit oven for 90 to 120 minutes, until an internal temperature of 150 degrees is reached. If you have a smoker, even better. Just make sure you hit that 150 degree mark.
Once it's removed from the oven, let the bacon cool, then cut into thin slices against the grain. Bacon can be fried immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for several months.
