No Need to Bring Home the Bacon…

We MAKE the bacon at home. :) It’s really, really easy. And it has absolutely no nitrates or preservatives other than salt, along with spices that give it added flavor. If you missed this old post in the archives that describe how to do it, it’s worth a visit. We made several kilos worth of bacon last week, and it turned out great. We have a home slicer so we cut the bacon into thick slices and vacuum packed them for easy and lengthy storage in the freezer… You may also slice this with a knife, but you’ll have more rustic pieces, which should taste just as good…

We trimmed the pieces of pork belly so that the slices would be reasonably uniform in shape and thickness, and the extra bits and pieces are PERFECT for sautes or addition to soups, fried up for salads, etc. Nothing goes to waste.

Here is one of the vacuum packed portions of bacon, we managed to make about 9 of these packages and they should last many months in our household. The Teen and friends just had a pack fried up and they enjoyed the thick bacon alongside some pancakes and other breakfast goodies. If you are concerned about the amount of preservatives and fillers and simply difficult to pronounce chemicals in your store-bought bacon, you might want to try making a batch of of your own at home. You may never go back to commercial… :)

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31 Responses

  1. i like the way you vacuum packed the bacon. may i know where you bought the plastic and the vacuum packer?

  2. One tasty recipe for thick cut bacon is to make them into candied bacon on a stick. Dessert offering at Zubuchon?

  3. I like to cook my bacon with sugar. So it really tastes good in my sandwich. Bread, mayo, sweet bacon and over easy egg makes a yummy sandwich.

  4. Divine G, have you tried baking it drizzled first with maple syrup? Sweet but perhaps a tad “healthier?” than sugar… :) FestiveRebel, I have been meaning to experiment with lechon skin and dulce de leche ice cream…hahaha. Not so farfetched, but I don’t think so… :) Jenny, I used a home model of an Oster vacuum sealer, a gift one Christmas… Mimac, Zubucon, I love it. :)

  5. I make my own bacon and ham too MM. I made the recipe to suit my taste. I want to market it but it but still looking for manpower. Nevertheless, my family and friends enjoy it so much year round! I also have chicken/turkey ham for healthier version.

  6. I missed these nitrates free-bacon that I buy from a small-town grocery store (Piggly-Wiggly) in Richlands, North Carolina. Thick cut and salted just right. You can really tell the difference.

  7. My family used to make bacon, with skin on, with just brown sugar and salt. We sliced it just thin enough not to shrink more and thick enough to to be meaty. Haven’t made them since we moved here. Will have to figure out how to smoke them here.

  8. MM, what’s the brand/model of your home model slicer. Have been wanting to buy one, but unsure what to get. your bacon looks good and must taste good. Difficult for me to give up pork because I can’t give up bacon!!!!

  9. MM, would be absolutely fab if you can make this available together with my new addiction (Zubuchon chicharon) in your restos in Cebu… Am sure a lot of Cebuanos would appreciate a more naturally tasting bacon…

  10. That’s a good idea.. but baking will take longer can’t I just cook it oven-top without using oil of course because the bacon will render fat anyway?

  11. Omg! I have some pork belly (from Gil Carandang) in the freezer and I was just thinking about making my own bacon but not really knowing how…this is a sign!!! Going to review your old post right now. Yay!!

  12. We’re making some bacon again tomorrow. We also use pig jowls which makes great bacon, though they’re quite fatty. Curing them for around 5 to 7 days, then will cold smoke with some hickory wood (the only one readily available in Manila aside from mesquite, which might be too strong) for around six hours.

  13. that recipe was the bomb! it was that post of yours that got me started on making our own cured meats (and homemade staples, for that matter)! thank you, thank you for that :)

    i never got around to figuring out how to smoke them, though — any tips on a smoking at home?

  14. MM, tried this home cured bacon and loved it! I too am trying to stay away from preservatives…so seeing this in one of your blogs was a blessing. Now I need to do the ham which my mom used to make during the holidays…

    As always, thank you for sharing your recipes.

  15. Hi MM,

    Nothing gets to me more than bacon. I’ve always wanted to make some of my own cured meats, particularly bacon.

    I read somewhere though that those nitrates, apart from preserving the color, prevents some nasty stuff from growing on the curing meat. Botulism poisoning or something. Anyway, you might have more literature about this than I do – what would be your opinion on it? Would it’s stint in the oven kill the buggers off?

  16. Wow MM! I really admire you. It must be nice to have dinner at your house. Your guests will really be able to feast on great homemade dishes. : )

  17. iking, the curing is done in the fridge, so not much bacteria growth in the cool conditions. Then the baking at low heat brings the meat up to a safe temperature, where cooties are killed, if any. So I wouldn’t worry about not using nitrates…

  18. I am definitely trying this! Although, I’m a bit worried on how it will keep… How are you storing your bacon – freeze it?

  19. I can’t recall where I stumbled upon this information (internet? tv news?), but a group of scientists studying human mating behavior were searching for that one universal scent that turns men on regardless of age, culture, territory, etc. It turned out to be the scent of bacon.
    =)

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