Homemade Bacon: Cured, Smoked, & Grilled (Can It Get Any Better Than This?)

Finally made my own bacon from scratch by curing a pork belly, smoking it, and finally slicing and grilling it on my kamado. It was awesome! I'm making my own bacon from now on.

Be sure to follow the guidelines below to ensure the proper ratio of pink curing salt to meat.

Ingredients:
5 lb pork belly (2.3 kg)
2 oz kosher salt (57 g)
1 tsp prague powder #1 (5 mL) (I may have used upwards of 2 though.)
1 Tbsp garlic powder (15 mL)
1 Tbsp paprika (15 mL)
1 Tbsp molasses (15 mL)
2 Tbsp honey (30 mL)
1/2 cup white sugar (.24 L)
1/2 cup maple syrup (.24 L)

Directions:
1) Mix ingredients together in a bowl.
2) Rub all over the pork belly.
3) Put rubbed pork belly in a large zip lock plastic bag.
4) Put in fridge for 9 days turning it once or twice a day.
5) Take it out of fridge and plastic bag.
6) Rinse off excess rub and liquid.
7) Pat dry.
8) Set up grill/smoker/kamado for indirect cooking at 225 deg F (107 deg C).
9) Add wood chunks for smoke flavor. Pecan and hickory are great choices.
10) Cook until the internal temperture reaches 150 deg F (66 deg C).
11) Remove from grill. Let cool to room temperature.
12) Wrap in plastic wrap and put back in fridge to firm it up for slicing.
13) Slice into bacon strips.
14a) Fry in pan, or for even better bacon,
14b) Set up grill/kamado for indirect cooking at 350 deg F (177 deg C), and cook bacon directly on cooking grate until done.
15) Portion up leftovers, vacuum seal, and freeze for future meals.

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[GlenAndFriendsCooking]

Absolutely love making and eating homemade bacon! So much better than mass market bacon - #DIYBacon for the win!

[RayMacksKitchenandGrill]

*Hey Larry how are you my friend? You've really done a good job on this pork.. man that looks good.*

[Gquebbqco]

Nicely done - Thats something I have always wanted to try - Great video!

[rootboycooks]

Good tutorial! Cold smoking bacon is on my 2018 "to do " list. Rock On Larry!

[robmetzger]

The look on your face when you took a bite says it all. Awesome job!

[terryverstuyft]

Talk about a ZEN moment...when he tasted it for the first time....loved this vid and learned a lot...great vid...

[stevevantrigt]

Your face when eating was priceless lol. Thanks for adding metric convention much appreciated.

[riche]

Nothing better than homemade bacon...great job!

[unsaltedlife]

We used to do 12 hogs this time of the year, nothing better than the bacon you did a great job. We also do a smoked sugar cure and it is left for 30 days, the sugar cure also has maple solids which are like maple syrup but more like crystals. It’s making my mouth water.

[felixm]

Great Job! Welcome to homemade bacon. I have been making my own back for some time and once you go homemade​ you will never want the storebought stuff again. Thanks for sharing.

[daddynutz]

Good stuff. Who doesn't love bacon. Thanks for the video.

[welovecricket]

Good stuff mate ! awesome job, well done, I am inspired to make bacon.

[benregler]

Great video man I've got a pork belly curing as I'm writing this in the fridge for the first time.
Just one observation. You removed your belly from the grill, wrapped and put it in the fridge. Is this cooling process necessary or can you cut and eat slices once the belly is cooked to 150F straight from the grill?

[boatbuilder]

Larry You really know how to make a person 's mouth water don't you? Man did that ever look delicious!

[davezturbo]

Excellent, i may try this using my vacuum sealer.

[robkamminga]

hi larry. If you are just getting into curing i would recommend getting 2 books, "Charcuterie" and "Salumi". very detailed guides on the processes. I am just getting into it myself and its answers every question ive had....i was the guy asking you about the inkbird temp control unit on twitter the other day because im building a curing chamber....very fun stuff

[rollinslowbarbeque]

Larry, that looks like some fine bacon!! Good job! I have been wanting to make some myself. I would like to get in on your next live chat.

[RichsRiverSmokersWestVirginia]

Hey Larry I've done my own bacon before but next time if you don't mind I'll be using your spices on it! Love your reaction! Great video!

[eivindlystad]

Great video as always! Been wanting to try this myself for a long time, and your method seems a lot more approachable than others I've come across. Just a quick note on the metric conversion at 2:55 though, as I think you may have swapped the units when converting. 25 lb equals about 11.5 kg, and not 56.7 kg as shown in the video.

[BAreEhD]

Larry, I believe you have an error in the conversion to kg at 2:56 in the video. Just an FYI - You may have multiplied instead of divided.