Smokehouse Bacon | How To Cure and Smoke Your Own Bacon

Chef Britt brings home the bacon by showing you exactly how to cure and smoke pork belly entirely from scratch!
VIEW FULL RECIPE HERE: www.atbbq.com/thesauce/bacon/

[@JerryNovak]

I miss Chef Britt videos. Hopefully she can find time to visit the ATBBQ studio sometime again.

[@nathanambers3093]

I'm a simple man. I weigh my pork belly in grams. Make my cure by dividing that weigh by .0225 for my salt & brown sugar and .0025 for my curing salt. Wood choice, Hickory every time. Tried Apple once and went right back to the Hickory. Btw, once you make homemade bacon and actually make it thick sliced you'll never buy store bought again. Super easy (just make sure to calculate the salt correctly) and super delicious.

[@barrettincognito]

I'm sure you mean multiply

[@nathanambers3093]

@Daniel Hostetler Buy it. Costco or a local butcher. I've used both

[@nathanambers3093]

@@barrettincognito your so smart. That would be an excessive amount of salt wouldn't it? Good news though there wouldn't be any bacteria within 100 miles of my bacon if I divided ;)

[@KOVAL17CHUK]

I'm a simple man, I read bacon, I click the video!

[@ivse9696]

Wonderful description step by step, again great Job Chef Britt 👍👍👍

[@scottsaunders6078]

Simply Amazing! I used my amazing smoking tube as well with hickory, great smoke flavor. This was my 3rd pork belly and the only one I have sliced and kept, it was great. Thanks Chef Britt

[@meatthecookk.2227]

Definitely will be trying this soon thanks for sharing.

[@kdcyyz]

Note to self: Keep Curing salt and pink Himalayan salt separate and well labeled.

[@rcger]

Kevin, you are so right. I'm amazed at the number of people who confuse the two. Cure #1, Prague Powder, Curing Salt will light you up!

[@simoneesposito2436]

just don't buy himalayan salt 'cause it's just bs

[@nelsonbrooks]

Hmmm, should I use this Himalayan pink salt, my Hawaiian pink salt, or this Prague powder pink salt... it all looks the same... decisions...

[@MyAdampaul]

@@simoneesposito2436 the medical aspect of it is the bullshit but for the level of saltiness it is real.

[@1bacq1]

An Excellent Video. My YS640 is from 6.'13 and I did a full upgrade last summer. My pork belly has been in the brine for 8 days already and this weekend I will make Bacon. I am truly looking forward to that. I will follow your video for the next time. Great video - thank you.

[@allthingsbbq]

Thanks for watching!

[@opwave79]

Excellent instructions! It really does look like a simple process. I’m gonna start curing and smoking my own bacon because it’s gotten too expensive to buy it these days.

[@TheButter202]

Words cannot express my love for chef Britt

[@lungbuster341]

I'm inspired to try this. Thanks

[@callpaul43]

Love it, Chef Britt! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@GratefullyNotYetDead]

I just LOVE the camera work. Really powerful stuff.

[@allthingsbbq]

We agree 😋

[@markreed9398]

Nice recipe. Never knew about weighing for the cure. I do a Smokey maple espresso cure.

[@crizz6397]

Thank you Chef brit I just made 30lbs of bacon, 4 slabs, 2 traditional as you did but I added black pepper One with honey powder One with thyme (holiday bacon, phenomenal)

[@allthingsbbq]

nice!

[@chefvic9472]

Good old bacon, just can't beat it. Delicious

[@BrysonBlt]

I audibly gasped when the first slice fell over. May have to try this on my Weber Kettle. That looks aabsolutely gorgeous.

[@justdan60]

I did to. Lol

[@headstone6723]

Nice "Happy Bacon Face" Brit. Looking forward to trying some of my own bacon soon.

[@CooldaddyBBQ]

That’s a great sound. Love it nothing compares to bacon frying.

[@allthingsbbq]

right?!

[@Dresden76]

Costco regularly sells pork belly if you don’t have a good pork vendor in your area. I often use a glaze of honey to bind the curing mixture and I’m 50/50 on hickory or apple (meaning we alternate not that we mix). I cure but don’t cook my bacon. I try to keep the smoker to under 100F degrees and let the smoke soak in. Cooking it as shown in the video starts to render the fat. When it’s time to eat, then we cook.

[@rcger]

Thanks for the great video, Chef! I actually use 5 TBS of Morton TenderQuick and 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar for my cure. Those amounts are for a 5# slab of belly. After coating the entire slab, I place it in a 2 gallon Ziplock, and add 1/4 Cup of pure maple syrup. Then I allow it to cure for a week or so.

[@jimgrant8717]

Have done several slabs, hot smoked and they all come out to salty. What am I doing wrong?

[@kdstoffel7574]

Jim Grant - After the cure, soak the belly in water, changing the water about every hour or so. The water will pull some of the salt out of the meat. To test for saltiness, trim off a little sliver and fry it up. It won’t taste smoky, but you’ll get a sense of how salty it is. Still too salty? Soak it some more. I find about 2 - 3 hours is good for my taste. Once you’re satisfied with the salt, form the pellicle and smoke away.

[@towerscm33]

What heat protection gloves does ATBBQ use?

[@Littledragonliu]

“I can’t waiiit”, lol, she is adorable

[@cesardelgadillo7271]

Nice video, is the curing salt absolutely necessary? I had to Google Pellicle?lol

[@kevansmith5511]

cheers to you and your fam chef britt, stay well and keep kicking ass

[@peterweidl8706]

Oh man.... I wish they had "Scratch-n-Sniff" videos...lol You made me hungry. 😋

[@davesmith7906]

Cob do we adjust for the NE Cob bacon?

[@joeymurray563]

Bacon. Mmmmm. That’s a thing of beauty

[@bobbiesmith4670]

Do you have to put the sugar in the cure?

[@johnmiller8900]

I love making homemade bacon, i use maple sugar instead of brown, and when i smoke i cold smoke multiple times, 4 hrs per smoke with a day of rest in between each smoke. I typically smoke 3 separate times Tastes closer to traditional bacon unlike the hot smoke which is closer to a ham flavor.

[@allthingsbbq]

sounds awesome!

[@scottturnbull6313]

Same quantities of maple sugar to brown? Always wanted to try using maple but always hesitant on the amount

[@cannistershot2277]

Me too! I cold smoke 3-4 times at 10-12 hours per smoke session, using the AmaZen pellet smoker for smoking. I wet-brine my bacon 10-12 days. Easy set-and-forget with no flipping required.

[@jasonbryenton525]

@@cannistershot2277 can you elaborate please. Do you leave uncovered in fridge between cold smokes? Or do you cover?

[@cannistershot2277]

@@jasonbryenton525 I leave it uncovered so it can continue to dry. My last batch, I didn't even refrigerate it. Just let it sit out in the basement (about 70 degrees) during the day, then smoked at night. (I used Cure #1, so no worries about bacteria.)

[@shawnlockett4676]

Just picked up a 10 pound slab going to make one half hickory and the other with peach wood

[@glennpurvis3495]

Thankyou. And i like your style. Cool chic. Cute

[@christinebruce9549]

Chef Brit you weighed the meat in pounds and then calculated your salt, sugar and cure in grams can you explain more thoroughly because I am very confused please as to quantities.

[@ThePibebazooka]

I love bacon. Also, I think I'm falling in love with Chef Britt.

[@RaiseTheBar4Truth]

Who doesn't love bacon?! Excluding Vegans 🤪 Chef Britt nailed it! Hey that rhymed! Interesting process curing your own bacon. Will try this one!

[@allthingsbbq]

Post pics!

[@rodagerter7813]

Just wondering after you are done smoking, can you put it in the freezer?

[@dnyo]

Yes you can, I smoke a whole bunch and vacseal it, then freeze in portions.

[@yojimbo9]

go for it, its such a long process, so when i make bacon i do 100lbs at a time. vac seal in portions. i do both slices and chunks.

[@jimmygr720]

Do you have to use a pork belly or can you use a different cut that has less fat and more meat?

[@jacobwhitney5259]

No....pork belly is bacon

[@robertocasek5010]

@@jacobwhitney5259 Unless your Canadian, and use a center cut boneless pork loin to make Canadian Bacon.

[@susanpiotrowski1132]

Thank you! I recently started making my own bacon and I’d love some videos making flavored bacon - jalapeño, pepper, etc...

[@danielbarrett3434]

I made this today

[@nismo613]

So forming the pellicle is not entirely necessary?

[@hoytmccloskey5967]

Lil hot on the sugar there Chef, looks very very good overall, sans them too much shoega 'burny edges'...first class video production -excellent job!!

[@KrizzleDrizzleFizzle]

What temp was the smoker set to?

[@rodeo11]

She said 200 degrees.

[@lxa71975]

Is that cure the same a Prague Powder #1?

[@palladini9718]

yes

[@lxa71975]

palladini971 Thanks!

[@kyleburkett5864]

Yeeeeesssss!!!

[@PilotDiggerdavid]

Wow sounds like a lot of work!

[@dheijnemans]

May it help you respect the bacon

[@rodeo11]

Especially when you can buy bacon cheaper than making it yourself.

[@bundesautobahn7]

You can never go wrong with some DIY bacon aka swine gold. Too bad I have neither the ingredients, nor a pellet smoker (or any smoker for that matter, not even a stick burner) to make some myself.

[@RaiseTheBar4Truth]

Dude, you can do this on a PK or an 18" Weber kettle grill. Both are not very expensive.

[@joeytierney7938]

If you are not going to eat your bacon with-in a couple of weeks add the pink salt cure. Other wise omit it and enjoy.

[@PilotDiggerdavid]

How do you store it?

[@candie1230]

In your stomach

[@TheDortmunderJungs]

I always struggle with the skin, whats the best way to remove it?

[@johnswiers7534]

Put your meat skin side down on a wooden block. get a sharp knife under the edge of the skin, then put pressure on the top of the meat with your spare hand. then make "swooping" motions with the knife, (ie. don't saw at it) trying to keep it as close to the skin as you can. If your knife isn't sharp, skinning something will be a chore. If you don't know how to sharpen a knife, I really suggest you learn. Sharp knives save time and are safer to use.

[@TheDortmunderJungs]

@@johnswiers7534 thank you for the Suggestion! I saw this trick a few days ago and will give it a try! I think my knife is Sharp :)

[@johnswiers7534]

@@TheDortmunderJungs - do you sharpen it? If you don't, its probably not very sharp and you'll be surprised how sharp a steel makes it.

[@TheDortmunderJungs]

@@johnswiers7534 i bought it quite recently and its still super sharp, the sharpest a knife i own has ever been, will start sharpening in a few weeks or so

[@ArkansasBadBoy]

😊

[@TheDoubleLR]

I dunno man. I do a wet brine and it takes way less salt. Way less spices overall and comes out wonderful. Easier too.

[@crizz6397]

Finally...

[@thespankster83]

Oh my goodness

[@lostpussycat1]

I would love to make my own bacon especially because I love bacon. I’m just hesistant that I won’t get the measurements of the season right Help😩

[@TheDoubleLR]

I do wet brine instead. Far easier. So damn good. 6tsp coarse kosher salt 5tsp fresh cracked black pepper 5TBsp brown sugar 1/4tsp dried thyme, crushed 1/2tsp Prague powder #1 3/4 cup distilled water Mix all in a ziploc, mix well. Add 3lb slab of pork belly no skin. Double bag. Refrigerate for 96 hours. Flip every 12 hours. Remove from brine, no rinse, smoke low and slow to 150 degrees F internal temp. Slice. Fry. Enjoy. I’ve done it 6 or 8 times so far and it comes out way better than in the vid. Easy too.

[@lostpussycat1]

TheDoubleLR thanks so much

[@nathan0717]

Y’all remember the French girl from Inglorious Bastards”?

[@paullmight42]

mmmmhm....bacon is life

[@rogerrtewwr4723]

BAAAAAAAAAACON!

[@MrVasmikey]

Bacon! Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!

[@harleyrdr1]

Good vid....but that traffic. Ughhh. 😞

[@MrBabelfish5]

9:15ish. Chef Britt of the asbestos hands.

[@GiarcMcDerp]

Can we all just appreciate how rad and cute Chef Brit's hair, makeup, and shirt are?

[@dheijnemans]

Yeah but we can do so without making a comment about it. Or do you also point out Chef Tom's beautifully clipped nails and impressive ear lobes? Let's keep it all about bbq please. ✌️

[@GiarcMcDerp]

@@dheijnemans I have commented on Chef Tom's awesome beard before, and am a fan of his style. We're all here for different things, for example I appreciate the people involved in this channel as much as the content. My appreciation in no way detracts from the content and what you enjoy from this channel. ✌️

[@dheijnemans]

@@GiarcMcDerp 😁🍻

[@rsmiff]

bacon = good

[@chucktwnkid]

If you aren't singing about your bacon then do you even really love it? lol

[@darktoadone5068]

I'd love to do this but inflation is so crazy now I stopped buy Bacon, it's too expensive.

[@johnyoung2702]

Bacteria knows its math better than we do

[@nathan0717]

Ron Swanson would be proud

[@steeltoe8477]

Sup Britt?!!🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰🥰

[@TheRealBeardedFetus]

If I am making homemade bacon, it is to stay away from nitrites and nitrates. I may as well just buy a high-end brand of bacon.

[@skoomskaa]

So how do you cure it?

[@TheRealBeardedFetus]

@@skoomskaa the same way people have been curing meat for hundreds of years, with sea salt(Do not use iodized salt). Curing salt is completely unnecessary because the process of curing is just preservation by the removal of moisture which can be done with only sea salt but it may take a little longer.

[@SG-ig2th]

TheBeardedFetus enjoy your botulism

[@TheRealBeardedFetus]

@@SG-ig2th I haven't had any issues yet and I have been curing meat for years. Nitrites damage cells in the human body which eventually leads to cancer.

[@tonydiablo6976]

❤ A cutie with Pretty eyes and bacon! 😍 I found my new favorite channel

[@KevinRoehler]

Chef Tom appreciates that

[@hemantkapoor3306]

She is good version Harley Quinn

[@jonathanhadden8199]

I've never seem anyone weight out the cure mixture before. To be honest it doesn't seem necessary since you have to rinse the belly off after curing it. Also the amount of cure used definitely didn't look like enough.

[@tewlbocks3362]

Seriously? You understand that the cure penetrates the surface, right? In fact, it's not fully cured unless the cure reaches all the way to the center. I don't know what kind of fly-by-night curing operations you've seen, but you always measure out the cure either by weight or volume. And any chef will tell you weight is ALWAYS more accurate than volume.

[@jonathanhadden8199]

@@tewlbocks3362 I was referring to weighting the amount of cure she was putting on the meat after making the large cure batch. Im not a idiot bud obviously you need to weigh our ingredients when making a cure batch. The amount of cure she used wasn't even enough to cover the entire surface of the meat.

[@palladini9718]

@@jonathanhadden8199 It was enough to cure that piece of meat. Using more cure only increase the salt levels, and it would take multiple soakings to get the salt level down and your bacon would still be very salty

[@USA__2023]

@@jonathanhadden8199 I always seems that way especially when you only use salt, sugar, and cure#1 with an EQ cure. If you use more than the correct percentages you stand the chance of having too much Cure#1, which is VERY dangerous, and it'll be way too salty. As long as you go by percentages and use all of the cure mixture you'll be fine. I've done many batches using the EQ method. A good start is salt = 2.25%, sugar = 1.75% and cure#1 is always 0.25%. Mix cure using meat weight Xs each percentage. You should use a gram scale that has 2 decimal points to get the cure#1 correct. For example, meat weighs 900g, so 900 Xs .0025 = cure#1 weight for that belly. Salt .0225 Xs 900g, sugar 0.0175 Xs 900g.

[@TSnomula]

Thats the first time i have seen her smile when she ate that...

[@KevinRoehler]

That's what she says

[@nelsonbrooks]

Bacon, Britt... what’s not to love... sigh.

[@Lightworkps]

Are you chef toms wife?

[@KevinRoehler]

Sister

[@Automedon2]

All the people who claim to be animal lovers oohing and aahing over the flesh of tortured pigs

[@KevinRoehler]

She's Tom's sister for sure

[@allthingsbbq]

Haha, nope not related!

[@KevinRoehler]

@@allthingsbbq say whaaaaat? I remember that there is something there.

[@abduhmaulana5607]

Watching this while eating my halal food

[@RaiseTheBar4Truth]

That's just wrong!

[@heavydhit56]

Who are you, and what have you done with Tom?!

[@derpizzadieb]

She's on here frequently for some time though

[@heavydhit56]

@@derpizzadieb boooooo

[@mattc7311]

Make sure you hide that from chef Tom!

[@allthingsbbq]

He got a hold of it and made this: www.atbbq.com/thesauce/carbonara-bucatini/

[@tonydiablo6976]

8:20 I love her style! 😍😳 marry me please 😚

[@tewlbocks3362]

OK, creeper, settle down.

[@YouTubeYouTube-qg6vl]

People eat their pets

[@rodeo11]

Don’t name your pet pig....that makes it easier in the end.

[@smoothsteve8331]

Screw all this - I will just buy it from my local butcher

[@timo5698]

Could you also leave out the pink salt and just use celery in some way? I know, there is no research which states that curing salt is harmful, but personally I would just feel safer not using it.

[@thebigv8644]

I've done it without the pink salt, just using kosher salt, sugar and maple syrup. If you are gonna cold smoke the bacon that's were you can get botulism without the curing salt

[@rjmerriweather9024]

Just for info, celery is a great source of sodium nitrite, and the source of some of the so called natural cured meats. Cure with salt and sugar for natural. The nitrites prevent botulism.

[@mash5oo692]

My man transformed into a female!!!

[@sandman6617]

That sucked

[@chrismartin5166]

Respectfully disagree with washing. You are spreading bacteria from the pork around your kitchen / sink. The cure will take care of the bacteria. Also suggest the ‘EQ method’ for curing. Keeps from over salting the bacon and you don’t have to soak it.

[@RaiseTheBar4Truth]

Where is your show? By the way, if you sanitize properly after the wash, which is a must, there are no problems with bacteria contamination. But, my man, you do it however you like as your criticism is totally unnecessary!

[@TheRealBeardedFetus]

I was thinking the same thing. The CDC highly recommends against washing raw meat of any kind because the tiniest droplets can travel very very far to places where you would not think to sanitize. The salt will kill all of the bacteria on contact anyway so it is pointless.

[@chrismartin5166]

@@RaiseTheBar4Truth To each his own sir. Was just trying to help and did not mean to be disrespectful.

[@RaiseTheBar4Truth]

@@chrismartin5166 "To each his or "her" own." My point exactly! I simply appreciated Chef Britt's presentation on how to cure a pork belly at home to make your own bacon. I was intrigued by her method of curing pork belly and thought she had done a 5 star performance. If there are other methods of curing meats, she chose to use her method, probably because of process time or it's just the method that she preferred. Either way, it was well done!!! Interestingly, I will research the method you mentioned to formulate my own comparisons. Since you stated in your comment you were just trying to be helpful, I will retract my comment as a misunderstanding. I acknowledge your statement to be of constructive criticism in line with what the CDC makes recommendations for "not to wash any raw meats." In light of the fact that the CDC makes many recommendations directed at the general public only to cover their behinds. A one size fits all approach to a potential problem whereas there are some real controversies about washing raw meats. There are some culinary experts that would challenge the CDC recommendations which applies to all raw meats eggs and vegetables. There are many high end chef's in the culinary profession that absolutely wash certain meats and veggies for several reasons. Whether it has to do with where their products come from or providing a certain taste profile and or texture for presentation. For example, brining is one method used in the culinary field to tenderize and add some flavor to raw meats for the cooking process. It can also be considered a cleansing method by many since most brines contain salt. If not done properly it can be a real contamination problem. The washing or rinsing of raw meats can be done safely, if you are aware of the proper methods that prevent contamination. So, the CDC targets their recommendations in this case, to the general public who are mostly unaware of the professional and safe methods. A one size fits all approach for safety without getting too complicated. No harm done! Go Chef Britt!

[@chrismartin5166]

Wayne Bennett ha! To each Her own indeed! I enjoyed the video too. Made my mouth water. The method she used for curing is simpler than EQ. Neither are complicated but with EQ (equilibrium method) you use scales to deliver the same weigh of salt and cure per weight of pork. This the consistency. No soaking afterwards.

[@rhchapman96]

She clearly knows her stuff, but lacks camera presence and the presentation falls flat.

[@rsmiff]

bacon = good