Brown Sugar–Black Pepper Homemade Bacon

Name: Brown Sugar–Black Pepper Homemade Bacon
Yield: Serves 14 to 16 (Makes about 3½ pounds)
Ingredients: 1 cup, packed light brown sugar; ⅓ cup Diamond Crystal, kosher salt; 3 tablespoons coarsely ground, pepper, divided; ¾ teaspoon pink curing, salt; 1 , bay leaf, crumbled; 1 (4-pound) skinless, pork belly; 5 (3-inch), wood chunks; 1 (13 by 9-inch), disposable aluminum pan

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Appears in Cook's Country June/July 2023

Side Dishes

Pork

SERVES14 to 16 (Makes about 3½ pounds)

TIME2¾ hours, plus 7 days 3 hours curing and cooling

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For crispy, deeply seasoned bacon, we started by curing a 4-pound skinless pork belly with a mixture of seasonings, sugar, kosher salt, and pink curing salt. The curing salt preserved the belly longer, boosted the meaty flavor, and kept the...

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