• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Subscribe
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • Stories
  • About
    • Public Events
    • Privacy Policy
  • Wild Game
    • Venison Recipes
    • Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes
    • Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels
    • Pheasants, Turkey, Quail
    • Dove Recipes
    • Wild Pig and Bear Recipes
    • My Best Taco Recipes
    • Wild Game Sauces
  • Charcuterie
    • Homemade Sausage Recipes
    • Smoker Recipes
    • Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc
    • Salami Recipes
    • Confit, Pate, Terrines
  • Fish
    • General Fish Recipes
    • Salmon Recipes
    • Snapper Recipes
    • Crabs, Shellfish and Squid
    • Little Fish and Oddballs
  • Gathering
    • Preservation Recipes
    • Mushrooms
    • Sweet Things
    • Wild Greens and Herbs
    • Acorns, Nuts, Starches
  • Podcast
Home » Charcuterie » Unsmoked Bacon

Unsmoked Bacon

By Hank Shaw on May 27, 2021, Updated May 27, 2022 - Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
5 from 3 votes
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

This is a recipe for basic, unsmoked bacon, Called ‘green bacon,’ it is an unsmoked lightly cured pork belly made with just salt and spices, no nitrates.

Slices of unsmoked bacon in a bowl.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

It’s not that I am against nitrates, but sometimes I like a lightly cured, fresher-tasting bacon with my sautéed greens, pasta or beans.

A quick word on “uncured” bacon. It’s a lie. This product is a ruse by manufacturers exploiting a loophole with the USDA that states that if you make cured meat products with celery concentrate, not traditional sodium nitrite, it is somehow not considered cured.

Um… celery concentrate contains at least as much sodium nitrite as the traditional cure, and it is not always regulated — so you could be ingesting more nitrite with a so-called uncured product than with a traditionally cured one.

But I digress. This unsmoked bacon has neither.

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 unsmoked bacon really hinges on juniper berries, which are available in some good supermarkets, or you can order them online. If you can’t find them, rosemary is an OK substitute.

I use an equalization cure here. That means you need a kitchen scale. You measure the slab of pork belly, then measure out 2 percent of that weight in sea or kosher salt. Massage it into the meat and fat, then ideally you vacuum seal it and cure it in the fridge.

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

Note: This is, essentially, weakly cured salt pork. If you want to make salt pork double the salt or even bury the pork belly in salt. Salt pork is meant to be very stable over time, and it’s never really eaten on its own; it’s usually added to salt something else, like clam chowder or beans.

If you are looking for other sorts of bacon and bacon-like things, here are all my various bacon recipes for you to browse.

Slices of unsmoked bacon in a bowl.
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

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: 20
Calories: 373kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 1 kilo pork belly (2.2 pounds)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 20 grams sea salt, about 2 rounded tablespoons
  • 3 tablespoons black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons of crushed juniper berries (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons crushed dried rosemary
  • 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 sautéed greens or in place of commercial bacon, slice the rind off carefully with your sharpest knife.
  • Mix the salt and all the herbs and 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 vacuum seal it, then put it into the fridge. Keep the bacon in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. 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.

Notes

Note that the prep time does not include curing time. 

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @HuntGatherCook or tag #HankShaw!

Thanks for Sharing This!

6 shares

Filed Under: American Recipes, Charcuterie, How-To (DIY stuff), Recipe

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

More about Hank...

Featured Recipes

Closeup of sliced, smoked venison backstrap on a platter
Venison 101: How to Cook Venison
pickled pike recipe
Pickled Pike
Slices of smoked venison roast on a cutting board.
Smoked Venison Roast
Conejo en adobo on a plate
Conejo en Adobo
A platter of fried walleye with lemon.
Fried Walleye
A plate of pine nut cookies.
Pine Nut Cookies

As Seen In

As seen on CNN, New York Times, Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart, Food and Wine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and The Splendid Table

Never Miss a Recipe

Receive recipes direct to your inbox.

 

 

Back to Top
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Stories
  • Wild Game
  • Charcuterie
  • Fish
  • Gathering
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2023 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved.

Site built by: Site by Status Forward

6 shares
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Save
  • Email
6 shares