Bacon. Homemade. Those 2 words should be enough to get your attention. (Actually, just “bacon” alone probably would have done the trick too, but I didn’t take any chances. 😉)
Bacon is life. Making your own bacon means enjoying life and tasting it even more!
And… you know, I love sharing my techniques and secrets so you can become BBQ pros. So I had no choice but to tell you more about one of the best things in the world: bacon! Mmmm !
And now, maybe some of you are thinking: "well, homemade bacon is the same as store-bought bacon!" Oh no. EVERYTHING is different between these 2 types of bacon. When you make it yourself, you have a higher percentage of protein; you won't be eating a slice of meat filled with water. Your bacon will cost you a lot less too and will be much better. You will also know where your meat comes from, which is super important!
Taste wise, you can do whatever you want with it, you're in control. You can inject your pork belly, smoke it... whether you're into root beer or beer, you can make it taste the way you like it. Homemade bacon has a different texture to the mouth too, it's less chewy than store-bought bacon usually.
But hey… before I tell you more about the subject, however, there are a few little points that you should know before you start preparing your homemade bacon:
- you have to be patient (it's a fairly long "slow cook" and I can understand that it's hard to resist the temptation to taste the bacon before it's ready 🙈);
- you must be able to properly control and maintain your smoker/BBQ at a low temperature (plan your fuel accordingly!); and
- You need a long, sharp knife and a cooking thermometer to cook bacon successfully.
Are you feeling up to it? “Let’s go!”
- The machine of choice you will choose
Typically, people want their bacon smoked. Yes, for the taste, but also because it preserves better. Indeed, by smoking, the meat seals itself a little, which helps protect it from bacteria.
I say that, but you can just as easily make your bacon in a smoker, an offset smoker, in a pellet, charcoal, electric, or gas BBQ, as long as you can maintain a low temperature. It's up to you and how you're equipped.
In fact, your choice of machine will impact 2 things: the size of the piece of meat you can take and the way you are going to cook it.
- The most beautiful meat of all you will select
To make bacon, you need pork belly. There are a few things to look at to choose the best piece, but I would say that the most important thing to consider is to take one that will fit in your smoker/BBQ. If you ever find THE piece you want on the other hand, the "HOLY GRAIL" of pork bellies, you can always cut your piece in 2 if necessary. 😉
Otherwise, the origin of the piece is also important to consider. I highly recommend that you choose a Quebec piece because here, we are lucky to have the best pork in the world. If you have already tasted wagyu beef and know how magical it tastes, well, our pork is of the same quality and comes from Quebec. (Our most beautiful pigs sell in Asia for almost 10 times the price, so if you are lucky enough to find a beautiful Quebec pork belly, treat yourself!)
Choose a piece that has nice marbling as well. Personally, when I select my pork belly, I always want to take one that is quite fatty. On the other hand, I make sure that the fat is not gathered in one place; I don't want a piece with "clumps" of fat.
As for the shape of the piece, I try to choose one that is as even as possible. When it has a nice rectangular shape, it cooks more evenly and is easier to work with. In the industry, pork belly is even compared to a "gold bar" because it is always cut the same way and is easy to transport. To choose your piece, you can therefore visualize a gold bar and take the one that most closely resembles one of them. (The English expression "bring home the bacon" is therefore very well chosen, especially if we know that by "bacon" they mean "money". 😉)
- Inject it, you will do (or not)
Once you have your pork belly in hand, you still have to decide whether or not to inject it. In fact, if you don't inject it, you can simply slice your piece of meat, season it and cook it. You may see where I'm going with this, if you do this, you will be making what is called "Valleyfield grilling".
You cut your meat into thick slices, about ¼ inch thick, and then season them with your favorite spices. Once that's done, all you have to do is cook them! (More on that below.)
Otherwise, if you have already tasted the famous Valleyfield grills, you can inject your pork belly with a miraculous product that will change the life of your bacon.
In fact, you can make your own original recipe, but if you're looking to create something that will make you dream for 36 hours online, that will make you get up at night because you think "I NEED MY BACON SLICES", inject your meat with Butcher BBQ's Sweeter than Sweet Ham and Bacon Brine Mix .
It's not complicated, you just have to follow the recipe on the bag and inject your pork belly. (You can also reduce the recipe by half if you want a bacon that is milder, less salty and less sweet. Be careful, however, the storage time will not be the same as if you had followed the original recipe.) If you are feeling a little more "wild", you can even replace the water with an ale or apple juice if you want. 😉
Is your preparation done? Place your meat in a dish, inject it with your mixture every inch of distance in a sort of grid pattern (visualize a checkerboard), then let it rest for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator with the lid closed. I even advise you to put it in a dish that is higher than its thickness, because, like that, the meat will be able to bathe in its excess injection, if there is any. Oh yessss! 😎
Thanks to the injection, you will save almost 1 week of time compared to if you had marinated your meat. Indeed, another way of doing it would be to marinate your meat in a dish filled with liquid and turn it every x number of hours, so that it soaks up the liquid, but it can be very long… And when it comes to bacon, it is better not to test a person's patience too much. 😜
- The seasoning you will use
When your pork belly is finally ready to be rubbed, there are several options available to you. I am thinking, in particular, of the Sweet Kansas BBQ Québec dry rub , Kansas BBQ Québec , Honey Chipotle Killer Bee Kosmos Q , the Sweet Pat BBQ spices , the Premium Rub Butcher BBQ and the All-purpose SJB rubs , which are all excellent with pork. My favorites, however, are Sweet Kansas and Kansas from BBQ Québec. And this is worth it whether you cook your bacon directly in slices (the "Valleyfield grilling" method) or in a flank.
These products are all amazing, so don't hesitate to put a nice little crust on your entire piece of meat/slices.
- You will master cooking
Once your meat is (possibly) injected and/or seasoned, it's time to cook it. This is also where the appliance you use will impact the cooking method.
If using a "regular" BBQ or smoker, place the meat fat side down so that it protects the rest of the meat from the rising heat.
Conversely, if you are using an "offset" smoker, place your pork belly as far away from the heat source as possible. Also make sure that its thicker side (if it has one) is placed on the side of the flames so that it protects the meat during cooking and that its fattier side is placed upwards.
Why? Because in an “offset” the heat comes as much on the top as on the bottom, so it is better to put the fat side up so that the fat runs down onto the meat while cooking and makes it even more delicious.
No matter what type of smoker you use, however, I also recommend using maple charcoal chunks to give your pork belly a nice smoky flavor.
Don't have a smoker? That doesn't have to stop you from giving your bacon an even crazier taste! You can use theCopeaunateur BBQ Québec with apple or maple wood chips in your gas BBQ or the Fumaniseur BBQ Québec in any kind of BBQ to give it a little extra touch.
In any case, whatever machine you choose, the meat will need to cook (without turning) at 200°F in the indirect cooking zone for about 4 to 6 hours (for a pork belly of about 10 lbs), or until it has an internal temperature of 140°F.
- The magic touch you can add
This step is optional, but oh so important for anyone looking to up their bacon game! The secret to doing this is to glaze your pork belly with your favorite beer or maple syrup in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Do this and your meat will have a PHENOMENAL crust. (Thank you, bacon god, for making such a crazy combination possible. 🙌)
- When resting, the meat will be entitled
Once your pork belly is at the correct internal temperature, remove it from the BBQ/smoker and let it rest for 1 hour on your counter. Then store it in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
- Share bacon with all you can (by cutting the meat)
When the pork belly is cold and hard, cut it into slices of the thickness you want. And there, you can treat yourself! No need to make thin slices like we usually see, make nice big ones to pay homage to the pork!
- The final cooking, you will succeed
Just like you would have done if you had grilled your bacon slices directly without having injected your pork belly first, once your beautiful slices are ready (your babies that you worked so hard for! 🥲), all you have to do is put them on the BBQ/smoker to enjoy them! To obtain an incredible result, you can cook the slices in an indirect cooking zone or grill them directly on the grill, in a pan or on a plancha. You let them become crispy by turning them from time to time.
- Honor the bacon you will do
Once your bacon is ready, you can enjoy it as is or add it to one of your favorite recipes. (We agree, EVERYTHING tastes good with bacon, so your recipes can only be better!)
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, bacon can be a part of any meal of the day. Yes, yes! I'm telling you! 😜 Here are even some of my bacon creations that you can add to your menu:
For the entrance:
For the meal:
For dessert:
- Bacon millefeuille (I even give you 3 different ways to make it!)
- The bananacoureurdesboisoreo
And there you have it! Now you can go for glory with your pork belly and go down in history as a bacon pro!
Happy BBQ!