Method
- It is very important to get the correct cut of pork for your bacon. French butchers are not used to producing the back cuts we are used to in the UK. You are far more likely to find streaky or belly pork being used for making bacon in France.French butchers are not used to producing the back cuts we are used to in the UK. You are far more likely to find streaky or belly pork being used for making bacon in France.
- What you need is côte de porc, taken off the bone. A few butchers will manage to keep the rind onbut that is not essential.
- To cure the pork You will need a bowl or container big enough that the piece of pork just fits it, with at least couple of centimetres of space at the top. I use the bowl of my slow cooker.
- Place about one centimetre depth of salt in the bottom of the container, then place the pork on top of that.
- Completely cover the pork in the salt, making sure to put some down all four sides, between the pork and the container.
- Cover the container with a lid or tea towel and leave it for 24 hours in a fridge or somewhere cool like a shady garage or cellar.
- After 24 hours, a good quantity of liquid will have drained out of the pork. Pour this away, turn the pork over and add more salt, so that it is again fully covered.
- Cover the container and leave for another 24 hours.
- After the pork has been in the salt for 48 hours in total (if you have a large piece - over about 800 gm - you might want to cure it for an extra 24 hours), pour away the remaining water, rinse the surplus salt off the pork, and then soak it in fresh, cold water for one hour. This will help remove the excess salt from the outer layer of the meat. You will notice that the pork has reduced in volume and now feels quite firm. It will also have lost some of its weight.
- After you have soaked the pork for an hour, throw away the water, dry it and wrap it in a clean tea towel or piece of muslin.
- Allow the salted meat to dry for 48-72 hours in a fridge or cool place, turning it over after 24/48 hours. It will form a sort of skin on the outside, called a pellicle. Once the pellicle has formed, have you have “dry-cured” back bacon.
- Once you have cured your bacon, you can cook it or smoke it. I recommend smoking it cold, then slicing it into batches which you can either freeze or keep in the fridge. The bacon has a long shelf life because the water has been removed, but it pays not to become complacent!
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