How to Cure and Smoke Bacon on a Propane Smoker

Cure and smoke your own bacon in a propane smoker.

If you enjoy fresh bacon, then make your own at home in a propane smoker. Pork belly will allow you to make your own bacon with your preferred seasonings. Bacon purchased sliced in the stores often contains extra preservatives and unnecessary fillers. The backside of the pork belly allows you to create bacon in your smoker once you cure it in the refrigerator. Once you smoke the pork belly, you can then cut the bacon into your desired thickness.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pounds pork belly
• Sharp knife
• Paper towels
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons pink curing salt
• 1 tablespoons peppercorns
• Zipper locked bag
• Wire rack
• 4 cups soaked wood chips
• Bacon hangers
• Cooking thermometer

Instructions

1. Purchase a pork belly from your local butcher shop.

2. Rinse the pork belly off with cold water. Dry it with paper towels.

3. Trim off the excess fat from the pork belly using a sharp knife. You do not want to remove all of the fat from the pork belly since the fat enhances flavor. Remove any large areas of excess fat that appears white and in large clusters off the sides of the pork belly, and trim the fat down to your own preference.

4. Prepare the cure for the pork belly. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons curing salt and 1 tablespoon of peppercorns in a small bowl. Rub the cure on the pork belly and cover it completely.

5. Place the pork belly in a large plastic zipper bag. Place it in the refrigerator and rotate the bag every day for seven days.

6. Remove the pork belly from the zipper bag after it has cured for the full week. Rinse the pork belly off under cold water, and dry it with paper towels. Place it back in the refrigerator on a wire rack, and allow it to dry for 24 hours.

7. Prepare the propane smoker for the bacon. Preheat the smoker to a temperature between 80 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat the gas smoker and then add soaked wood chips.

8. Sit the pork belly in the gas smoker. Open the vents in the smoker and maintain a temperature of 200 degrees. You can regulate the temperature by opening or closing vents on the smoker. If the smoker temperature appears too hot, you can open it up and allow the air to circulate to help cool it off to maintain your temperature.

9. Use bacon hangers to hang the pork belly in the smoker. Allow the cured bacon to cook for eight hours.

10. Remove the bacon from the smoker. It needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit in order to be safely consumed, according to the USDA. Allow it to cool for half an hour, and then cut it into slices of your desired thickness. Store the bacon in a zipper locked bag and place it in either the refrigerator or freezer.

References

• 3 Men: Bacon Making
• The Last Appetite: Making Bacon
• Food Safety and Inspection Service: Fresh Pork... From Farm to Table

Resources

• The Paupered Chef: Real Homemade American Bacon