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Home Cured Bacon - Cowboy Kent Rollins

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 3 days 6 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 pound uncured pork belly skin off
  • cup kosher salt
  • ¼ cup apple sauce
  • 2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Red River Ranch Mesquite seasoning *see substitution
  • ¼ cup warm water

Instructions

  • Trim excess fat from the pork belly. You can keep or trim off as much as desired.
  • Place the pork on a flat baking sheet.
  • Place the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk well.
  • Pour half the marinade over the top side of the pork and rub all over with a spatula. Flip the pork over and repeat with the remaining marinade.
  • Cover and place in the icebox for 3 days. After 1 ½ days, flip the pork over, recover for the remaining 1 ½ days.
  • Remove the pork from the icebox and rinse all the marinade off.
  • Place the pork on the counter for about 45 minutes before smoking to let it warm.
  • Place two large handfuls of hardwood lump charcoal in a smoker on one side of the grate. Light the charcoal and when it turns white add 5 to 6 large pieces of chunked apple wood.
  • When the applewoods catches fire, close the air vents and place the pork on the indirect heat side of the smoker. Shut the lid and cook for 1 hour.Smoker temperature should be between 180 and 200 degrees F.
  • Flip the bacon over and cook for about 1 ½ hour or until the internal temp is 175 to 180 degrees F.
  • Remove the pork from smoker and place on a wire rack on a baking sheet and let cool for about 1 hour.
  • Cover and set the pork in the icebox for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • Slice the bacon to your preferred thickness. Fry up or this makes a good meat addition when cooking beans.

Notes

Substitute Mesquite seasoning (kentrollins.com)  with: Seasoned salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and ancho chili, to taste.
Can be stored covered in the icebox for 4 to 5 days.