Espresso Maple Berkshire Bacon

[Duntov]

I give credit to David Leite for this recipe.  This is the most expensive bacon I have ever made because I used Berkshire (Kurobuta) pork belly.  I normally wouldn't spend this much on bacon but it was on my bucket list along with skydiving over the Alps.  I chose the bacon first since it is less expensive and safer.  lol

I cold smoked using apple-wood pellets in my A-Maze-N smoker tube that works fantastic.  The result is a very nice mahogany color on the rind and a nice smoke ring.  The bacon cooks up well with very little shrinkage and tastes fantastic.  The amount of saltiness and smoke was just right for my taste.  High end pork belly isn't required obviously but I just had to try it.

Ingredients
•  5 to 6 pounds skinless Berkshire (Kurobuta) pork belly
•  1/3 cup dark brown sugar
•  1/3 cup maple syrup
•  1/3 cup kosher salt
•  1/3 cup instant espresso powder
•  1 teaspoon pink salt, also known as Prague Powder #1 or Curing Salt #1 (1 tsp. per 5 lbs. of meat)
•  2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
•  Water to thin rub
•  Apple-wood for smoking

Directions
1.  Rinse and pat dry the pork belly.  Square up as needed.
2.  In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, espresso powder, curing salt, pepper, and enough water to make a sludgy mess.
3.  Generously coat the belly with the rub and place in a Ziploc bag.  Place in refrigerator to cure for 7-10 days flipping daily.
4.  After curing, remove from bag, rinse, pat dry, place on rack in refrigerator for 24 hours.  This will dry out the belly and leave a pellicle (tacky) surface for the smoke.
5.  Cold or hot smoke to your preference for 3-6 hours.
6.  Chill in refrigerator before slicing.

[Al Lewis]

looks great John!!

[lovinglife]

ok, I find this very fascinating!  We are raising three pigs this year (my idea to use up some of my 4 gallons a day of goat milk), we will be selling at least one and butchering one or two.  I have never been happy with the bacon and thought about trying to cure it myself, I may just give this a try!  AND if I am going to do all that work, is there really a need for me to give good money to the butcher?  Maybe I should have my husband kill and clean and I could process.  I have cut and wrapped countless wild game, can't be THAT much different, can it?

[awakephd]

Used to happen all the time on the small family farms. I remember, when I was 9 or so, going with my Dad to a "hog killing" back at the farm where he grew up. No professional butchers were present, just experienced farmers!

[olikli]

Looks lovely. A cheese for your bacon.

[Duntov]

ok, I find this very fascinating!  We are raising three pigs this year (my idea to use up some of my 4 gallons a day of goat milk), we will be selling at least one and butchering one or two.  I have never been happy with the bacon and thought about trying to cure it myself, I may just give this a try!  AND if I am going to do all that work, is there really a need for me to give good money to the butcher?  Maybe I should have my husband kill and clean and I could process.  I have cut and wrapped countless wild game, can't be THAT much different, can it?

Bacon is so easy to do and well worth the results.  Even if your hubby doesn't want to do the slaughtering, ask the butcher to give you back the whole bellys.  If you not sure about the espresso, just leave it out of the recipe.  People even do bacon at home without a smoker by using liquid smoke.  You don't get the color but it isn't bad.  Liquid smoke is not made up of chemicals, just real smoke suspended in liquid.  If you are wanting a more mild version, brine for just 7 days and smoke for only 3 hours.

[lovinglife]

Since I have never been happy with the bacon they make at the butcher shop, this just is a given!  I am looking forward to making my own bacon, thank you for posting this!

[almabts]

I made this with wild hog belly and it came out amazing! It's the best bacon I've ever had. I'm getting ready to make it again. Thanks for a fantastic recipe.

[Duntov]

I made this with wild hog belly and it came out amazing! It's the best bacon I've ever had. I'm getting ready to make it again. Thanks for a fantastic recipe.

Glad you liked it.  Just curious, how long did you cure and smoke it?

[lovinglife]

I am so happy this post came back up!  I am going to save this recipe right now so I won't lose it.  We will take our pigs to butcher November 1st, so excited to give this a try!

[lovinglife]

OH MY!!!!  I got the bacon made!  I brined for 8 days and smoked with apple wood for 5 hours and it is fantastic!

[Duntov]

OH MY!!!!  I got the bacon made!  I brined for 8 days and smoked with apple wood for 5 hours and it is fantastic!

Fantastic!  Now you can try a variation by substituting a couple shots of bourbon for the espresso.

[reg]

Fantastic guys and girls, after that recipe you will never be able to eat store bought bacon again.

[lovinglife]

oh bourbon!  Yes will give that a try!  I should have another pork belly in the freezer, I will try that variation for sure!

[reg]

Method for using the thick end of the belly. Proceed to cure and smoke as usual but leave the thick end on without trimming. After the belly is finished cut a 6"x6" section of the thick end and put it in a ceramic or glass cooking vessel for baking. Put in enough apple cider to bring the liquid up to 3/4 of the slab then add a couple pieces of star anise, 1 Cinnamon stick about 2" long then cook for 2-3  hours @275*. At this point the belly will be super tender and has to be cooled down. After that cut 3/4" slabs and you are ready for deep frying or pan frying. You will make a lot of friends serving these things