5 lbs. of lovely homemade bacon

Making bacon at home is easy. There are few things easier, but there are some barriers to entry. In order of importance:

Pork BellyEarly on in the bacon making process, I procured my pork at Peoria Meat Packing which is a fine establishment where you can buy nearly every cut on a pig as well as some beef, lamb, chicken, and turkey cuts. It is a giant fridge filled with unpackaged meats. As time wore on and we became more interested in sourcing locally, I was steered to Slagel Farms, a local farmer, by Rob Leavitt at Mado. The difference is really noticeable and the price difference is still not big enough to make making your own bacon more expensive than buying high quality bacon.

A Smoker

I use the Weber Smokey Mountain. Given that I am smoking on a deck in the city, the size and shape of this smoker is perfect. The smoker doubles as our grill and is relatively easy to find at hardware stores.

Jumbo Lump Charcoal and Smoking Wood

For me, grilling with charcoal is superior to gas and using lump charcoal is better than using briquettes. There are fewer additives that impact food taste and impact the environment negatively in lump charcoal. Smoking is no different. In contrast, for most smoking I use wood chunks, not chips, as I like a long slow burn on the wood. For bacon making, though, I prefer chips as I want as little heat as possible. I like apple or cherry wood. To buy both items, I make my way the Berger Bros. where they, in their limited hours, provide great grilling and smoking fuels.

Pink Salt

One thing that is slightly controversial about bacon is nitrate content. The pink salt (available at the Spice House) keeps the botulism away, provides color to the pork, and preserves the meat for later use. On the flipside, nitrates are not great for you. I use nitrates in the form of pink salt and suggest that if you are making bacon and choose to forgo the pink salt, that you find an appropriate recipe rather than simply omit the ingredient.

A slicer

Bacon Sword

Let’s face it, once the bacon is finished smoking, the last thing that you want to do is slice it. However, unless you own a restaurant or deli, it isn’t likely that you have a decent bacon slicer. In lieu of scouring Craigslist for used restaurant deli slicers, I decided to buy a scepter from NW Cutlery on Lake St. for $12. This slicer is terribly effective and is a conversation starter. It still isn’t fun slicing bacon, but it is so much easier with the right tool.

Remaining tools include 2 gallon zip loc bags, salt, sugar, and a few items that are pretty basic pantry items.