Juniper Smoked Bacon

1w 3d 1h 40m

Smokey, juniper-forward bacon. Breakfast, lunch or dinner… there isn't much that doesn't benefit from a few slices of this pork belly bacon.

This particular bacon recipe was designed around the use of a particular pig that was fed "used" gin botanicals. It is a very simple recipe that utilizes a few key flavors, such as sugar and salt, but the most important aspect is the time to do all the hard work.

This recipe is by far one of my favorites. No one should ever have to live without fantastic bacon.

Coarsely grind 20 g of black peppercorns in a spice grinder. Transfer to a bowl
Coarsely grind 10 g of juniper berries and add them to the bowl
Coarsely grind 2 bay leaves and ¼ bunch of thyme. Add to the bowl
Add 14 g of instacure #1 to the bowl
Add 55 g of brown sugar
Add 110 g of salt. Mix to combine
Transfer half of the curing mixture to a plate and spread it out evenly
Place 1 kg of boneless pork belly on the curing mixture. Add the other half of the curing mixture on top. Rub it on all sides
Wrap the curing pork belly in multiple layers of cling film
Store in the refrigerator for 10d, flipping over each day, until cured
Gently rinse off the curing mix under cold water
Pat the cured bacon dry
Transfer the cured bacon to a steaming basket
Place a handful of hickory smoking chips into a wok or heavy-bottom pan over high heat. Use a torch to light the wood chips. Once they ignite, extinguish the flame using a lid
Remove the lid and place the steaming basket in the smoking pan. Reduce the heat to low and leave for 1h until smoked
Remove the steaming basket and clean the pan. Fill it with water and bring to a boil over low heat
Steam the pork belly until the internal temperature reaches 65 °C
Remove the pork belly from the basket
Cut it into thin slices. The pork belly bacon is ready
Enjoy this smokey and salty treat!