How to Make Smye's Lightly Peppered Bacon - A Step-by-Step Guide

There's something about the smell and taste of sizzling bacon that never fails to get the mouth watering. And while there are countless ways to prepare and enjoy bacon, there's no denying the appeal of a perfectly crisp and lightly peppered slice of this beloved breakfast staple. Smye's Lightly Peppered Bacon is a simple yet delicious recipe that's easy to prepare and guaranteed to please even the most discerning bacon enthusiast.

What sets this recipe apart is the balance of flavors a...

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Ingredients

  • 5 pounds skinless pork belly
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 3 ¾ tablespoons non-iodized salt
  • 3 tablespoons paprika
  • 3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons pink curing salt
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 2 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
  • applewood chunks
  • hickory wood chunk

Information

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 3 hrs
  • Additional Time: 1 day
  • Total Time: 1 day 3 hrs 15 mins
  • Servings: 40
  • Yield: 5 pounds bacon

  • Rinse pork belly and pat dry. Mix brown sugar, salt, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper, curing salt, and cumin seeds together. Add maple syrup. Spread the cure mixture evenly over pork belly.
  • Vacuum-seal the pork belly or place it into a resealable plastic bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 7 to 10 days.
  • Remove pork belly from bag and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry and refrigerate while preheating your smoker to 220 degrees F (105 degrees C) according to manufacturers' instructions.
  • Place pork belly, fat-side down, onto the wire rack. Place the rack into the smoker. Add 1 fist-sized chunk of applewood and 1 chunk of hickory wood to the smoke pan according to manufacturer's directions. Smoke for 1 1/2 hours; add 2 more chunks of applewood. Continue smoking until pork belly reaches an internal temperature of about 150 degrees F (66 degrees C), about 1 1/2 hours more.
  • Remove pork belly from smoker and slice as desired. Store in the refrigerator for roughly 30 days. You can also portion out the finished bacon and freeze whatever you don't plan to consume right away, as you would any other meat product. To use, simply thaw in the refrigerator and you're good to go with little loss of texture.
  • Nutrition

    115 cal.

    • Total Fat: 8g
    • Saturated Fat: 3g
    • Cholesterol: 21mg
    • Sodium: 1213mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 3g
    • Dietary Fiber: 1g
    • Total Sugars: 2g
    • Protein: 7g
    • Vitamin C: 1mg
    • Calcium: 8mg
    • Iron: 1mg
    • Potassium: 142mg