1 teaspoon pink curing salt (aka Prague Powder #1)
apple or cherry wood chunks/chips
Steps
Start by curing the belly: In a small bowl, combine the pepper, sugar, paprika, salt & curing salt. Place belly on a foil lined tray and pat dry with paper towels. Using half of the cure mix, sprinkle evenly over the surface of the belly, and rub in gently. Turn over and repeat on other side with remaining mix. Place the entire belly and curing mix into a large zip top bag and place in refrigerator for 7 days. Each day the belly should be flipped onto the other side, and the contents (which will transform to a liquid) should be massaged around.
After 7 days, remove from the bag and rinse under water. Pat dry with paper towels, and place back in fridge uncovered (on a rack over a pan to catch any drips) for 24 hours.
Smoke the now cured belly using the apple or cherry wood for three hours at 200f, or until internal temperature reaches 150f.
Store bacon in an airtight plastic bag or container in refrigerator for up to a week, cutting and cooking as required (if you don’t eat it all at once!).
Reviews
Kyle Tucker on 2021-08-17 (5 stars): Addictingly delicious - and simple!!
Ken Moore on 2022-06-11 (2 stars): Never ever used foil to line curing container, it must always be a non-reactive container never metallic, which the cure will attack and contaminate the meat, use enamel, plastic, glass but never any metal like steel or Aluminium.
Jay on 2024-03-27 (5 stars): I used 5 pounds of pork belly, 3 tbsps ea Kosher Sea Salt and Brown Sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 4 cloves pressed Garlic, 2 tspns fresh ground pepper, 2 tspns smoked paprika, 2 tspns onion powder, 1 tbsp fresh German Thyme leaves, 3 bay leaves, and put it all in a pot with 2 cups water. Boiled and covered, simmered 5 minutes, put in ice bath. Took this brine and put it with the pork belly in a large zip lock bag, set in fridge and flipped daily. Rinsed, patted dry, and place on rack in fridge for 24 hrs to form pellicle, then coated fat and bottom side with a mix of ground pepper and a dash of smoke paprika. Smoked using hickory for 3 hours, internal temp was 150-160F. Came out awesome, best ever. Dry rub, or brine is about equal as far as results, brine is easier to apply. Smokey flavor, with maple sweetness, and the herbs and spices added a nice depth of character, better than anything you can buy for sure. Thanks!
Monty on 2021-08-19 (5 stars): Very simple easy to follow recipe. It has beco.e out favorite
Jackie on 2023-08-07 (5 stars): I’m trying your recipe and when I unwrapped the pork belly I had ordered instead of one 3 lb piece it’s 3 1lb pieces… they were curled up with twine which I removed but I’m wondering if the curing process will work right…do you think so or should I start over with one 3 lb piece?
Andrew Elkins on 2022-12-29 (5 stars): So I used This recipe a while back and used the 3lbs of belly. I found It was a touch salty but other than that a great recipe, I just used It again and made 10lbs of belly. I cut the salt back to 6tbsp for that 10lb’s and it came out perfectly salty. Love you recipes keep up the good work!
Rebecca on 2023-04-20 (3 stars): I had the opposite. All the salt and seasoning never soaked into the meat. We only have the smoked flavor
Rebecca Kneller on 2023-04-20 (3 stars): I had the opposite. All the salt and seasoning never soaked into the meat. We only have the smoked flavor
LLarson on 2023-05-08 (5 stars): I just cooked mine tonight. I did not find it salty, and it was slightly sweet. Did you wash off the cure?
Angelo on 2024-10-24 (4 stars): Agree cut back on the salt
Grant Morris on 2024-11-23 (5 stars): Absolutely the best bacon I’ve had and it’s enjoyable to do.
C.T. Loyd on 2021-08-31 (5 stars): Awesome recipe, easy to follow and it's delicious. I use the fat cap I trim off of pork shoulder, when making sausages or pulled pork. Still plenty of fat left for both. Leave about 1/2-3/4" of meat on it and it works great.
Adam on 2024-10-12 (4 stars): 1st time curing and smoking bacon. recipe and directions were easy easy. A bit salty, but still delicious. I used a half/half mix of white and brown sugar in the cure. and after smoking, I put cracked pepper over it. I would definitely use this recipe again, with a few minor tweaks for my taste
stanley johnson on 2021-09-22 (5 stars): I have used this recipe numerous times. YUMMY! I have given a bunch away and everyone says its the best bacon ever. I just added 2tbsps of brown sugar. thanks for the great recipe.
Deb on 2023-06-17 (5 stars): I made this recipe a couple weeks ago and my family said that it was the best bacon they ever had. I must agree I made 10 pounds. I am going to buy another pork belly this week and make 10 more pounds!!!
Scott on 2024-12-26 (4 stars): A couple notes: I add a bit off chili flakes during the curing process. It isnt a game changer, but my I like it. Also, after 3 times without any changes but dissapointed with the amount of salt i tasted, I dropped my curring time to 4 days to reduce the impact of the salt. I also freeze it in smaller servings because it probably isn't truly cured. I also par freeze it before slicing with my slicer so I don't end up with sweet sweet porky grease everywhere.
Connor Hamlet on 2021-10-07 (5 stars): This might just be the best bacon recipe I have ever tried. I have been following this recipe for over a year. A dry cure is hand down better than any bacon I've ever bought in the grocery store.
Mary on 2022-02-05 (5 stars): I’ve used several different recipes and this one is by far the best.
Andrew Elkins on 2022-12-29 (5 stars): So I used This recipe a while back and used the 3lbs of belly. I found It was a touch salty but other than that a great recipe, I just used It again and made 10lbs of belly. I cut the salt back to 6tbsp for that 10lb’s and it came out perfectly salty. Love you recipes keep up the good work!
Carole on 2024-12-15 (5 stars): Only recipe I will ever use. Making it now for the third time. I followed the recipe step by step. Added a bit of maple sugar. It’s amazing !
Edd on 2021-12-24 (5 stars): Sounds a lot like the uncured smoked jowl I get at an international grocery. I fry it with a good bit of black pepper ground over it. I avoid salty foods like bacon and I enjoy it. But its not bacon.
Mandy on 2024-03-26 (5 stars): made this recipe a few times now. It's incredibly delicious. we share and everyone says it's the best bacon they ever tried. we have no need to ever buy bacon again.
I think we read some comments here and adjusted the salt slightly but other then that it's perfection.
Jason Hardware on 2021-10-10 (5 stars): I smoked this at 185 using supersmoke on my ironwood 885. Used maple wood which gave it just a hint of sweetness. Absolutely delicious!
Dale D on 2021-10-14 (5 stars): This recipe is amazing!!! I finished the cure and smoking process yesterday I used Apple wood, and my Mastercraft smoker. I have to be honest I was a little leery using sugar as I am not a big fan of sweet Bacon. but this is not to sweet at all. it just has light hints of sweetness. And I can not believe how amazing the Bacon is. So much better than any Bacon I've ever had. cooked some of course the first day. and this morning bacon and Eggs!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. if you have any doubts I suggest you put them aside and try this recipe!!! I would give it 10 stars. P.S I did have to order the Prague Powered #1 off of amazon! could not find it locally. Bon Appetit. I will be making this again soon!!
Paul on 2021-10-25 (2 stars): Used the 6lb recipe and it turned out wayyy too salty. Indelibly salty. Don’t know what to with it. I’ll probably throw it out. Any advice would be appreciated.
Dan on 2021-11-06 (5 stars): We were looking for a recipe to make back bacon, something we have had in England, Cornwall, and Scotland, that we cannot find here. I chose this recipe and was very impressed. We use a pork loin rather than belly, and is very close to what we had in the UK. After curing and smoking, we sliced the back bacon, and vacuum sealed packages of 4 slices each and froze them. We now back bacon whenever we want, for a price comparable to what we would pay for regular store bought bacon.
Jude on 2021-11-06 (5 stars): This was my first attempt at making bacon. I was was just tired of our butchers as it was way to salty. This recipe was easy to follow, and has an incredible flavor, sweet/salty ( but not to much) and Smokey. It’s a keeper for our family.
stanley johnson on 2021-12-14 (5 stars): awesome
Bryan on 2022-01-08 (5 stars): Did three pounds in October. Now getting ready to smoke ten pounds that I have finished curing. My Family loves this bacon.
Robert Keane on 2022-01-12 (5 stars): Delicious... Wouldn't change a thing. Was told by many people it was the best bacon they've had.
Terry Moore on 2022-01-23 (5 stars): Very easy recipe. About to pull it should it be sliced right after coming out or rest it again?
Jim longacre on 2022-02-01 (5 stars): Very easy to make this is my second batch ready to make my 3rd best bacon ever try it you'll love it.
Dono on 2022-02-12 (5 stars): The best and easiest recipe! Thanks you Jess. I have been using this and recommending to my friend for ages.
I have made many versions, sweeter, savory and chili. I alway come back to this.
BigDaddyDK on 2022-03-12 (5 stars): Very nice. I made this and smoked it with a combination of apple and cherry wood. I started with a 6 lb. slab and followed the recipe pretty precisely. Main difference is I used plain coarse ground (iodine free) salt instead of kosher. Just bought another slab of pork belly that weighs in at about 10 lbs. I'm going to split it and add a touch of maple syrup to half as a trial. But the family loves it.
Doug Rice on 2022-03-22 (5 stars): Well I just made this recipe with a few tweaks, i used a Apple spice & brown sugar and smoked it on my Oklahoma Joe offset stick burner and I’ll tell ya what this has become my new bacon recipe from here on out! The flavor with Apple &cherry wood smoke makes you want to just sit there and cook bacon 🥓 and eat it as it comes out of the cast iron skillet! Ms. Jess a Huge thank you for sharing your recipe! This was part of a test I was doing on bacon 🥓 and brine and vs wet brining this by far is my now go to! I went 5 days on the brine, set in fridge for 24 hrs then to the smoker, vs the wet brine which took min of 8-14 days brining, 24 hr set up in fridge then to the smoker so it dry brine and this recipe with the Apple spice brown sugar add ! 🙏♥️♥️♥️
Andrew on 2022-03-29 (5 stars): Tried 3 lbs a few weeks ago and everyone I have shared it with says its the best bacon they've ever had. Currently have 12 lbs curing cut into 3 lb slabs, on one slab I substituted brown sugar instead of white. Already thinking ahead to my next pork belly down the line and thinking about using maple sugar from a local sugar bush on one of the slabs. New into smoking but this bacon recipe made me look like a pro!!
V. September McCrady on 2022-04-04 (5 stars): I’ve done this three times with some of my own variations and no fail it’s fantastic
Pete on 2022-04-10 (5 stars): Great. I did the sugar 50/50 white & brown. After I took it out of the smoker I brushed on maple syrup & sprinkled with a little maple sugar. Mmmm good.
Tx Tom on 2022-04-12 (5 stars): So I bought a pork belly at Costco, cut it in half and used half to make a smoked pork belly on my Vision kamado smoker. I always wanted to try making my own bacon and found Jess Payless’ site. Followed the recipe exactly though I had to double it given the size of the belly I had. Used my electric smoker to maintain the exact temp needed and added a smoker tube for extra smoke filled with a 50/50 mix of hardwood pellets and cherry wood chips. Refilled the tube after about 5 hours with only cherry chips. I mug cherry chips in the normal smoking port a few times, but I don’t think it was really necessary.
Took about 10 hours to get to the 150 degrees needed. (Okay, I admit I had 155 deg in my head so it actually got to 153 before I realized my mistake). Had about 8 hours of continuous extra smoke. I stuck it in the refrigerator last night and sliced some for dinner after work today. THE BEST bacon I ever tasted! Not really that difficult to make and well worth waiting for. Thank you so much for the recipe. Bookmarked your page ‘cause I’m making this again!
Matt on 2022-06-08 (5 stars): I have made this recipe several times using pork belly and pork lion. I cut it super thick and everyone raves about it! Hard to buy any bacon after making this. Have tried several different flavors like mixed berry, jalapeños and real maple syrup but find the regular the best. Have also tried the beef bacon as well with great results!
Bruce Andrews on 2022-06-15 (5 stars): Easy, don't skimp on the cure time, I will never buy bacon again!
Danny Kim on 2022-06-20 (5 stars): Hi, I'm on my way to trying this recipe in Asia.
I have one question. Can I heat the cured pork belly in the electric oven?
Just wondering cause I don't have a smoker.
Shannon Morgan on 2022-07-02 (5 stars): I have only used two other bacon recipes. The last time I made three different ones, (this one, a maple, and another recipe) at the same time. This one was by far the best! Perfect saltiness, tiny hint of maple, just perfect home smoked on pellet smoker w Traeger signature blend pellets. So delicious!
Nels Barhan on 2022-07-15 (5 stars): This is the 4th time making, I do about 10 lbs. at a time comes out to about 4:00$ a lb. Everyone loves it
Bruce Andrews on 2022-07-17 (5 stars): Made 15 lbs, oh my, complete with smoke ring, I'll never buy commercial bacon again!
Thanks Jess
Allen on 2022-07-21 (5 stars): Tried it last weekend...amazing. Just bought more pork belly to cure for weekend after next.
Mark on 2022-08-08 (5 stars): I'd tried to make bacon from another recipe, and it was so salty we couldn't eat it as bacon proper. I've done this recipe twice and It is AWESOME! Will do a couple of full pork bellies next time.
Scott Strickler on 2022-08-27 (5 stars): Fantastic recipe. I just finished curing, slicing, and vacuum packaging 22 pounds of applewood smoked bacon. Followed your recipe with the exception of replacing the white sugar with a 50-50 mix of white and brown sugars. Thanks for sharing.
Sabby on 2022-11-15 (5 stars): Excellent recipe for beginners and experienced folks alike. The first time I ever made bacon I used this recipe and now I play with ingredients a little but the recipe is so good it’s hard to change much. My friends all basically beg for bacon once it’s ready and it’s fun to treat others!
Jeremy on 2022-12-13 (5 stars): First time I tried this I thought it was a little too salty. I cut the kosher salt down to 2 Tbsp and used maple sugar instead of white sugar. Came out amazing. Also cooled to room temperature after smoking then tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight to set texture and flavor before slicing.
Sasikumar R on 2022-12-13 (5 stars): Are these level teaspoons and Tablespoons or heaped?
stanley johnson on 2022-12-16 (5 stars): Jess,
Sorry I haven't posted in awhile cause I have made bacon quite often using this recipe. I just did a 15 lb pork belly. I't was awesome as always.The reason i made so much is everybody loves it and the price was 3.98 a lb.
Edward Folliard on 2023-01-28 (5 stars): Easy to follow and it came out perfect. I used a meat slicer for perfect thick strips.
Joe on 2023-02-11 (5 stars): First time making bacon. This recipe was so easy to follow and the results were great!
Stan Johnson on 2023-03-01 (5 stars): Shot a wild hog and used your recipe as always. Came out awesome no one knew the difference. Beast recipe ever.Getting ready to do the other half. Thanks again Jess.
Jim on 2023-04-10 (5 stars): This is the third belly I’ve done and all have been excellent. Won’t buy store bacon again and now just waiting for some decent tomatoes for a bacon and tomato sandwich. Thanks for the recipe!
PS. Got this belly for $2.99/lb. Which makes it even better.
Carl Johnson on 2023-04-14 (5 stars): The family loved this. Will be doing it again very soon in bulk.
Becky Kneller on 2023-04-19 (5 stars): Smells delicious
Becky Kneller on 2023-04-19 (5 stars): Smells delicious
Steve Dekker on 2023-06-04 (5 stars): I tried this recipe and it was fantastic.
My only comment is that the bacon should be smoked to an internal temperature of 75C to kill all trichinella spiralis parasites.
Howard on 2023-06-13 (5 stars): 5 star all the way. I used brown sugar, at half the amount. I also added ¼ c pure maple syrup and a big grind of coarse black pepper. Smoked on my OK Joe offset smoker, Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for the recipe.
Sharon H. on 2023-08-01 (4 stars): Easy to make, but I thought the finished product was very salty. I would slightly reduce the amount of salt the next time I make it, but the bacon did turn out very well!
KIERAN on 2023-08-02 (5 stars): This is my 4th pr 5th time using this. This recipe is a wonderful base you can scale to whatever size pork belly you have. It is fantastic as-is, and you can also do cool modifications like substitute brown sugar for the white sugar and add maple syrup to the bag. When I do that modification, I smoke it with maple wood chunks.....
John on 2023-09-05 (5 stars): First time using this cure and the bacon turned out absolutely fantastic. I used Hickory for smoke and was surprised that it wasn't smokier. This time around I used brown instead of white sugar and will try Cherrywood for smoke. cheers
Mark on 2023-09-30 (5 stars): Followed the recipe to a T but smoked it at 225 degrees, with a couple of racks of baby backs. Excellent! I sliced it thick so the final cook was low and slow.
Just started 6lbs but added brown sugar/white sugar half and half. I'll let you know.
Flo on 2023-12-26 (1 stars): Do not use sodium nitrate. It will eventually give you some type of cancer. That Prague crap is really bad for you. Just use Himalayan pink salt.
Bob on 2024-01-14 (4 stars): I have question, i did not get much liquid at all during the curing phase. I’d say the inside of the bag was moist w/ drops, but definitely not enough solution that it could be considered liquid. The meat i bought was at a decent store, although it wasn’t as fatty as much bacon - which is why i picked out out. Is this an issue?
It’s on the smoker now so hopefully it comes out OK!
Crystal on 2024-03-01 (5 stars): This is the BEST bacon recipe hands down if you are looking for a traditional delicious bacon! I have tried multiple recipes and this is the one! Not too sweet and the perfect saltiness! The only change was I used hickory to smoke. The final product cooks up great without burning, due to lots of sugars in the cure. This is my go to recipe!
Thomas Tigue on 2024-03-10 (5 stars): Can you provide pink salt quantity by weight?
Some of our spoons vary by volume, we want to be careful with curing salt.
Thank you and Aloha
Uncle Tom
Mark on 2024-03-17 (5 stars): I also added half brown sugar to a 5# pork belly. Used a rack in a Camp Chef pellet grill with Pecan pellets. 3 hours is pretty close at 200 degrees but use a Thermapen to check. Turned out better than other cure recipes that I’ve used. This one is my go to recipe!
Don on 2024-04-25 (5 stars): I have made this several times now. Have added bourbon, have added brown sugar, have added maple syrup on the cure. Have added black pepper before the smoke. Great every time! Thanks Jess.
Steve W. on 2024-05-22 (5 stars): Solid recipe. Just finished making a 5lb slab. Everyone loves it.
Personally, it’s a tad sweet for my palate. But when trying something new, I always stick to the original the first time.
I smoked with hickory on my Traeger Pro 22. I put it on an elevated wire rack and ran the smoker at the 180° setting, which floats up to almost 200°.
Total time on was about 3 hours to hit 150° internal.
If anyone has modified this for a bit more salt and less sweet, let me know. I’m thinking of cutting the sugar back and using brown sugar, additional salt, and possibly onion and garlic powder.
But thank you for the solid recipe Jess!
Kara on 2024-06-19 (1 stars): This was a waste of good meat! I read the comments before starting, a lot of people complained about how salty theirs ended up but I figured I would like it because I like extra salt on everything. I was wrong! The extreme salty flavor made this pretty much inedible and I checked my measurements multiple times before applying the rub. I don’t know what the difference was with my pork belly but it stayed dry the entire week of brining, no liquid whatsoever. I rinsed the pork belly off well before smoking it. I can tell the flavor would have been great had it not been so salty. I’m pretty disappointed.
Micheal Biglin on 2024-08-21 (5 stars): This is hands down the best bacon you’ve ever eaten!! I have made this recipe in varying quantities from 3lbs to 12 lbs and have smoked with , alder, cherry, hickory and apple. My family and I are addicted to this bacon, our favourite so far was the alder. When we run out, off to Costco I go for more pork belly.
I am still a beginner smoker by all respects and my first choice was to make bacon, quick interweb search and @jesspryles recipe came up first. Who makes bacon as a first ever task for a smoker?….. this guy did!!
I literally never want to try another recipe as this one is a banger!!
Thank you Jess 🙏
Mike Young on 2024-09-02 (5 stars): Tad too salty for us. So I just soaked overnight in water to draw out salt perfectly done. Smoking now.
Ryan on 2024-10-03 (5 stars): Just a quick question. Any big difference if you sub brown sugar for white?
Shawn on 2024-11-21 (5 stars): Beginner smoker here, I followed the recipe exactly and smoked at 200 for 3 hours. Some of the best bacon I've ever tasted. Despite the sugar and salt content it was not excessively sweet or salty. I'm off to get a few more to smoke and give out around Christmas. Thanks for the great recipe.
Noway2 on 2024-12-01 (5 stars): I was looking for a dry cure bacon recipe and this one came across at the top of the list. I followed it, by making the cure and leaving it in the fridge for about 7-8 days, flipping every day. I then let it drain, though no more liquid came out. I smoked it at 225F in a vertical pellet smoker with some other meats, till it hit 150F and put it back in the fridge for about two days. I sliced it, using a meat slicer and it came out looking VERY nice. I vacuum sealed about 3/4 of the whole belly for freezing and kept the rest fresh. Obviously, I cooked some up to try and it was delicious. A little, but not too salty. I’m looking forward to trying variations on the cure seasoning, but it was just really good as is and a definite win for a starting point,
Shawn on 2024-12-30 (5 stars): An excellent base curing powder. I've used it for about 20lbs of bacon now. One of the packages I currently have curing has garlic powder and chipotle chili pepper powder added but I still used the original exactly as printed. It has a mild sweetness to it that even one of my 'purist' friends agreed is great.
I don't trim any extra fat off and my preference is to cook it in a frying pan on low (2 or 3/10) for up to half an hour. The leftover bacon grease renders down into lard nicely and is beautiful for searing steaks/roasts.
Shawn M Hussin on 2025-01-13 (5 stars): My son got me a Pit Boss for Christmas!!! (he is such a good boy!!)
Excellent recipe!! I was nervous about to much salt so I reduced it to 3 Tbsp and used 1/2 brown sugar 1/2 white sugar. Turned out excellent!! I can't wait to try more variations of this recipe maybe use maple syrup next. So much fun!!
Stanley johnson on 2025-05-19 (1 stars): IT'S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I'VE COMMENTED,BUT THIS RECIPE IS ONE OF THE FEW THAT I'VE EVER FOUND THAT HITS THE MARK SPOT ON! HAVE MADE IT NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THE LAST TIME I CHIMED IN. PURE AWESOMENESS!
