Quick DIY bacon?

[moggle]

Would it be possible to make thin slices of pork belly bacon-esque by salting or brineing briefly before frying? I'm thinking no more than 30-60 minutes.

[Robin Strathdee]

Yes. In fact, I usually only season in the pan. But if you've got a little extra time:

1 gallon bag (or big container)

1lb pork belly

1/4 tsp liquid smoke, if you have it

Seasoning mixture (1/2 tsp each salt and celery salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika - this may make more than you need.)

Separate the slices of pork, add smoke and liberally season (you may not use the whole recipe, you can always add more after cooking). Smoosh around until coated and let it hang out at room temp. Add a little clarified butter or coconut oil to coat the bottom of your pan and fry over strong medium heat. The bacon will take a little while to cook, but to avoid curling, turn as little as possible. Once it starts to brown and crisp, it goes fast

[moggle]

OK, I'll give it a go. Thanks :-D

[Moluv]

Thanks moggle for asking and Robin for answering! I asked this a couple weeks ago but not in the right way because I just got recipes for braised pork bellies. But I CANNOT find real liquid smoke here- I may try amazon?

[Moluv]

Oh, and when I do get around to making it I'll call it "Baconesque"

[moggle]

No worries Moluv! I'm not sure where I can get liquid smoke here in Australia either, but I used to eat unsmoked bacon when I lived in the UK, so I'm sure I can cope if I don't find any :-D

[Susan W]

I made bacon a few times before I thought to grab the liquid smoke. It was still really good.

Wrights is a brand that has nothing but wood smoke and water in it in case you guys want to go on the hunt. I looked at a couple of fancy pants brands and they contained junk.

[moggle]

Thanks slw600, I'll remember to have a look at the ingredients if I manage to find some.

I did a quick internet search and one substitution that came up (for a non-bacon recipe) was ground chipotle. I have to say the idea of spicy bacon piqued my interest :-)

[Moluv]

Oooh yes the smokiness in that would be perfect! I also love smoked paprika. I was thinking about soaking some currants and pureeing them with smoked paprika and brushing the sliced pork belly and baking off in the oven on a cast iron griddle.

[Susan W]

Oooo yes, I use chipotle on half and smoked paprika on the other half. I always get my pork belly unsliced. Then I slather the spices all over it and let it marinate for 3 days. Sharon lets hers go for 7 but she, clearly, is more patient then I am. Then I wrap it in foil and bake it for 2 hours in a 250 degree oven. Then I slice and fry it up as needed. I may ask to have at least part of it sliced and do the sprinkle and fry method. It's not easy to slice it even with my sharp meat cleaver.

[moggle]

OK, so I made some this morning. In the end I sliced and made the brine the night before and left it for around 8-9 hours.

It was a bit too salty, but not that bad.

My slicing was a bit thick. Now I see why people cook the pork belly - to make it easier to slice!

I added a bit of sage and paprika to my brine. It wasn't exactly bacon, but certainly bacon-esque :-D

[moggle]

Tried slicing and dry-salting the other slice of pork belly. The result was more bacony than the brined pieces, even though I used some five spice powder as well. If I try five-spicing again I'll use less salt.

I think if I could get thinner slices it would crisp up better.

I have an old (cheap) food slicer. I might try slicing some on that in the future.