Basic Unsmoked Bacon

This is a recipe for what’s called ‘green bacon,’ an unsmoked lightly cured pork belly made with just salt and spices, no nitrates. It’s not that I am against nitrates, but sometimes I like a lightly cured, fresher-tasting bacon with my sauteed greens, pasta or beans.

I adapted my recipe from Victoria Wise’s American Charcuterie, which is one of my favorite charcuterie books; Wise was one of the first chefs at Chez Panisse in Berkeley back in the early 1970s.

My version of this bacon really hinges on juniper berries, which are available in some good supermarkets, or you can order them online.

Because there is no smoke, no nitrate and such a short cure, this bacon only lasts about 10 days in the fridge, tightly wrapped. But it freezes fine.

Print Recipe

Unsmoked Bacon

A word on the pork belly: Buy the best quality you can find, preferably from a local farmer who raises high-quality pork. Older pigs make better bacon, and it goes without saying that fatter pigs make better bacon. 

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time4 hrs

Total Time4 hrs 20 mins

Course: Cured Meat

Cuisine: American

Servings: 5 pounds

Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

• 1 five-pound piece of pork belly
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 20 grams kosher salt, about 2 rounded tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 3 tablespoons of crushed juniper berries (optional)
• 2 tablespoons crushed dried sage
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Instructions

• Get a lidded container just about large enough to contain the pork belly. Cut the belly into a nice rectangular shape to fit. Use the trimmings in sausage, or slow-cook them.
• It is your choice to leave the skin on the belly or cut it off. If you are planning to slow-cook your finished bacon, like with beans or by itself, leave the rind on: It is delicious once cooked. But if you plan on this with sauteed greens or in place of commercial bacon, slice the rind off carefully with your sharpest knife.
• Mix the salt and all the spices and rub them into the pork belly. Coat the belly with any remaining spices.
• Put the belly in a large freezer bag or wrap in plastic wrap or butcher paper, and then put it into the fridge.
• Keep the bacon in the fridge for 5-6 days, depending on how thick it is. Really thick belly needs more time. Turn over the slab every day. It will weep moisture; this is a good thing. Just leave it in the container.
• After the bacon is cured, take it out and rinse it off with cold water. Pat the bacon dry with a paper towel and set it on a wire rack to dry a bit. You can leave it on the counter for a few hours, or overnight in the fridge.
• Cut it into pieces you think you'll use within 10 days and freeze the rest in plastic, then foil. Or, better yet, vacuum seal them.

Notes

Note that the prep time does not include curing time. 

Smoker Recipes

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