LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- "I can bring home the bacon; fry it up in a pan…" While many have written or sang about the merits of bacon even using the term bacon as a metaphor for wealth, what is bacon? Cloverfields Farm and Kitchen's Janine Washle says it starts as a piece of pork belly that is cured with various spices and seasonings then smoked using an aromatic hardwood like apple, or hickory. It can be thinly sliced or thick cut depending on your preference. There are several varieties of bacon like side bacon, slab bacon, Canadian bacon, and pancetta.
Side bacon is the bacon we are most familiar with. The skin or rind has been removed, and it has been conveniently sliced and packaged. Slab bacon is an uncut cured pork belly. The slab can be cut to any preferred thickness or easily cubed for addition to braises and stews. Canadian bacon is a bit controversial in that it is from the loin. Canadian bacon starts as a center cut pork loin and is smoked. A variation, peameal bacon, is a center cut pork loin that is brined then coated with yellow cornmeal. Pancetta is Italian bacon that is not smoked. Pancetta can be seasoned with a variety of herbs and seasonings, rolled and tied, then air cured. It can be used just as American bacon. Bacon can be seasoned in several ways.
The seasonings are added during the curing process. Black pepper bacon is crusted on the outside with cracked peppercorns. Brown sugar bacon just as it sounds is cured with a greater ratio of molasses rich sugar. Once fried or baked, the bacon fat is a precious commodity. Bacon fat can be used to add flavor to vegetables like beans or corn, brushed on top of biscuits, or even used to make a delicious mayonnaise. Bacon strips can be wrapped around lean meat allowing the bacon fat to self baste the roast adding moisture and flavor. Bacon isn't limited to pork. The curing process associated with bacon can be applied to other meats.
Lean cuts of turkey can be cured, sliced, and cooked like bacon. The smoky flavor is reminiscent of bacon allowing those on restricted diets to enjoy the smoky goodness. Duck breasts can be cured and treated like a high end bacon. The smoky, crispy bacon-y goodness cannot be denied by even the most diehard vegetarians and vegans. Vegan bacon, also known as fakon, recipes made with mushrooms, wheat bran, buckwheat, even beans are out there.
Back to our song, "I can bring home the bacon…", while this was part of a perfume campaign back in the 80's, this term, 'bring home the bacon', refers to men and willpower. An English church back in the 1300s, offered husbands a side of bacon if they could withstand quarreling with their wives for 1 year and a day. Any husband that succeeded in this was held in high regard within the community and was able to bring home the bacon. Don't worry about bringing home the bacon, make it at home using the following easy recipe. Or, if bacon mayo has you wishing for a BLT, there is a recipe for it as well.
Home Cured Bacon (7 days)
Makes: Approximately a 1# slab
Ingredients:
3/4# - 1# pork belly (this could be a couple pieces to equal that weight)
Basic salt cure:
1 TB + 1 tsp sea salt, kosher salt, or pickling salt (do not use table salt; iodine is bitter)
1 TB light or dark brown sugar
1/2 - 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional:
Add the following (about 2 tsp of each) if you want to add a custom touch:
Rosemary, and minced fresh garlic
Orange zest, and ground cinnamon
Maple syrup in place of brown sugar
Sriracha
Preparation:
Wash and pat dry the pork belly. Mix the salt, brown sugar, black pepper, and any desired herbs and spices. Rub (really rub) the mixture all over and into any cuts or depressions of the pork belly.
Place the rubbed pork belly into a quart size zip top plastic bag, and place in the refrigerator.
Every day for 7 days, flip the bag to redistribute the curing mixture. After 7 days, the pork belly should feel firm like a well cooked steak. If you do not have a firm piece of pork belly, add 1-2 tsp sea salt, seal the bag, and wait an additional 1-2 days. I have never had to do this, but it is good to know the trick if you have a problem.
Remove the cured pork belly from the bag and rinse under cool water. Pat dry. Cut a thin sliver off and fry in a pan. If it is too salt or sweet for your taste, soak the pork belly in a bowl of cool water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Cut, fry, taste again. I've never had too salty bacon, but if you do, this is the trick to correct it. Now it is time to cook it.
If you do not want to smoke it, put the cured pork belly into a pan and cover with foil. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Bake for about 2 hours, or until the internal temperature is 150 degrees using an instant read thermometer. Remove from pan, pat dry, wrap in wax paper or parchment paper, refrigerate overnight. The next day, slice to desired thickness and fry up like store bought bacon.
To smoke it, start a fire using real wood charcoal (no briquettes). Once the charcoal has stopped blazing, scoot the coals over to the side. Add a handful of dampened hickory chips (you can use apple, or any other you like) on top of the prepared coals. Smoke over indirect heat for 3-5 hours or until the internal temperature is 150 degrees using an instant read thermometer. Using a charcoal chimney, replenish the coals as necessary to maintain heat in the grill.
Use a gas grill by creating a packet of dampened chips. Punch several holes in it and place on grates. Light one side of the grill (the side with the chips), and place the cured pork belly on the unlit side (indirect method). Cook on low heat for 3 hours. Check temperature, and continue to cook until 150 degrees internal temperature is achieved.
Once cooked either by oven or smoking, remove bacon, pat it dry, wrap it in parchment paper, or wax paper, and thoroughly chill before slicing.
Slice it to desired thickness, and fry up in a skillet.
Bacon Mayonnaise
Makes: About 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cold water
1/4 cup bacon grease, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Preparation:
Add yolk, lemon juice, salt, and cold water to a blender container. Turn to high and process until smooth and frothy. Working from the hole in the center of the blender top, gradually spoon in bacon grease, or if it is loose enough, dribble it in. Follow with gradually dribbling in the vegetable oil. Process a minute more until silky, and thickened (don't worry it will appear a little soupy because of the heat of mixing it). Spoon bacon mayo into a lidded container and store in the refrigerator. Mixture will firm up quite a bit once cool. It is thicker than store bought mayo. Will keep refrigerated for a couple weeks.
For a stronger bacon flavor: Increase bacon grease to 1/2 cup, and decrease vegetable oil to 1/4 cup.
For a custom taste: Add 2 tsp sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, or steak sauce, or 1 tsp minced fresh garlic before adding the bacon grease.
FREE BACON RECIPES BY EMAIL!
Cloverfields Farm and Kitchen also has a special Bacon Recipe Booklet available by email. To ask for a complimentary copy, just email Janine Washle at cloverfields.farm.ky@gmail.com
To find Cloverfields Farm & Kitchen on Facebook: CLICK HERE. Â
Janine Washle's CloverFields Farm & Kitchen
Hardin Springs Area
Big Clifty, KY 42712
About Janine Washle:
CloverFields Farm & Kitchen is primarily an on-line destination. They are not open to drop-in visitors as it is a private residence.
"Authentically from Farm to Table"
CloverFields Kitchen researches and reinterprets many traditional recipes using local produce, much from their own gardens, and adding a global perspective.
"Exploring Global Tastes through Local Foods"
Janine is working on her first cookbook, but she also has a long resume developing recipes for several companies. She has also won several contests and cook-offs with her original recipes.
Copyright 2014 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
