BMR Bacon - Cold Smoked Honey Maple

This recipe will cure 10 lbs of meat

Ingredients

1 Cp  Salt

4 Tablespoons  #1 Cure Salt (pink Salt)

1 Cp  Brown Sugar

1 Cp  Maple Syrup (not maple flavored pancake syrup!)

1 Cp  Honey (I use Mesquite honey)

Method

1.      Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine evenly.

2.      Add the honey and  maple syrup whisk together.

3.      Rub the mixture all over the slab of pork belly and place in a ziplock bag that is slightly larger than the slab. Place the bag in the fridge and rotate once every other day. The meat will release a fair amount of liquid which will help in the curing process. When you flip make sure to keep the liquid in contact with the pork when you place it back in the fridge. Leave the belly to cure for 7 days.

4.      After 7 days take the pork belly out and rinse all of the cure from the meat. Pat dry with paper towels and place on a drying rack over a sheet pan. Place back in the fridge 12-24 hours uncovered. This will dry out the meat and cause the fat to have a springy almost spongy texture with the meat being firm and dry to the touch.

5.      Cold smoke the pork at around 128°f for 6 to 12 hours, depending on desired end result.

6.      Chill well/par-freeze before slicing.