smoked molasses bacon

My husband is pretty much a badass and is good at whatever he puts his mind to. He's taught himself how to remodel houses, play the stock market, and build furniture. He bought a ceramic grill during the months before I got moved to Pittsburgh...and he's turned into a guru. We've had ribs, chicken, pork chops, crab, and more. The Man Friend, always an engineer, loves the science behind it and is always scoping out new recipes.

The Man Friend has wanted to do something with pork belly for the last few months. We tossed around "pork belly bits" (which is basically like the delicious ends pieces of ribs). However, we opted for homemade smoked bacon...and dammit if we didn't make the right decision.

smoked bacon (adapted from amazing ribs)

prep time: 10 minutes | cure time: 4 days | cook time: 3-5 hours  

experience level: medium-ish | specialty: barbecue

• 4 pounds of unsliced pork belly about 1 1/2" thick and 6 to 8 " wide
• 6 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp dark molasses
• 1 1/4 cup distilled water (don't. use. tap. water. - boil it, then cool it first)
• Prague powder (USE THIS CALCULATOR TO DETERMINE THE RIGHT AMOUNT - you have to calculate the right amount of curing salt and it's based on weigh and liquid don't skip this)
• Additional course ground black pepper (optional)

Remove the skin from the pork belly if it's still there. According to the pros at Amazing Ribs, the skin will get really gross when you fry it.

Mix salt, black pepper, granulated sugar, molasses, water, and Prague powder in a small mixing bowl. Place pork belly in a heavy duty zipper bag. Pour the liquid over the pork belly and seal, being sure to get out most of the air. Place in the refrigerator. 

Consult the Amazing Ribs handy dandy curing calculator to determine how long you need to cure the pork belly. During the curing period, shake the bag once daily.

When your curing period is over, heat your smoker to 225° Fahrenheit. Remove the pork belly from the bag and discard the liquid. Quickly rinse off the pork belly to remove any excess salt. Transfer to a cutting board and lightly pat dry. Sprinkle additional coarse pepper on top and pat into the meat.

Add wood chips to your smoker (the Man Friend used applewood this time, but any "flavor" would be delicious - mesquite, pecan, cherry, or hickory). Smoke the bacon on indirect heat for 2-4 hours, until the internal temperature of the meat is 150° Fahrenheit. Pull off of the smoker and transfer to a plate. Allow the bacon to cool in the refrigerator. Once cooled, wrap in plastic wrap, then wrap in foil (don't just wrap in foil, as it can chemically react with the salt in the bacon). 

When you're ready to serve, slice the pork belly into pan-sized strips and cook like "regular" bacon.

It's delicious. I promise. DO IT!