Thinking about making your own bacon? The oven is a fantastic way! It makes less mess than a pan and gives you great control. What is the best way to make bacon from pork belly? It starts with curing the meat right. Then, you bake it low and slow in the oven. Can I make bacon from pork belly in the oven? Absolutely yes! It’s a popular method for making homemade bacon recipe from pork belly. This guide will show you the simple steps. We will cover everything from getting the pork belly ready to slicing your own oven roasted pork belly bacon.
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Deciphering the Cure: Getting Started
Making bacon at home is not just cooking pork belly. The key first step is called curing. Curing pork belly for bacon makes it safe and gives it that special bacon taste and feel. You use salt, and often sugar and spices, to pull out moisture and stop bad germs from growing. This process also helps keep the bacon good longer.
There are two main ways to cure pork belly: wet curing and dry curing. For most home cooks, dry curing pork belly bacon is easier. It needs less special stuff and equipment. We will focus on the dry cure method here. It is part of a simple pork belly bacon recipe.
What You Need to Cure
To cure your pork belly, you need a few key things.
- Pork Belly: Get a nice piece of pork belly. It should have skin on or off, depending on what you like. Skin-on bacon is great for very crispy results. Skin-off is easier to slice. Look for a piece that is about 2-3 pounds. Too big might take longer to cure.
- Curing Mix: This is the magic part. It’s mostly salt, but it must include pork belly bacon curing salt. This is also called pink salt or InstaCure #1. IMPORTANT: This is NOT regular table salt mixed with pink food coloring. Curing salt has sodium nitrite in it. Nitrite does important things. It kills bad bacteria, gives bacon its pink color, and adds that classic cured flavor. You only need a tiny bit of this curing salt. Too much is not good. You also need regular salt (like kosher salt) and often brown sugar. Sugar helps with flavor and color during cooking. Black pepper, maple sugar, paprika, and other spices are also popular.
- Container: You need a bag or a dish to hold the pork belly while it cures. A large zip-top bag is easy. A non-reactive dish (like glass or plastic) covered well with plastic wrap works too.
- Scale: You must measure your curing salt carefully using a kitchen scale. This is very important for safety.
- Time: Curing takes time. It’s not a quick job. Plan for about 7-10 days in the fridge.
Your Basic Curing Mix
A good starting point for a dry cure mix is simple. Remember to measure carefully based on the weight of your pork belly.
Ratio Example (for 2 pounds of pork belly):
- 20 grams Kosher Salt (or sea salt)
- 5-6 grams Brown Sugar (optional, adjust for taste)
- 2-3 grams Pork Belly Bacon Curing Salt (InstaCure #1 or Pink Salt)
- Optional: 5 grams Black Pepper, pinch of cayenne, garlic powder, etc.
How to Figure Out Amounts:
A common way is to use percentages of the pork belly’s weight.
* 2% of the pork belly weight in Kosher Salt (or sea salt)
* 0.25% of the pork belly weight in Pork Belly Bacon Curing Salt (InstaCure #1 or Pink Salt)
* 0.5% to 1% of the pork belly weight in Brown Sugar (optional)
* Other spices to taste (these don’t need precise measurement for safety)
Example Calculation for a 2.5-pound (about 1134 grams) pork belly:
- Kosher Salt: 1134g * 0.02 = 22.68 grams
- Curing Salt: 1134g * 0.0025 = 2.835 grams (let’s say 3 grams to be safe, but close to 2.8 is better if your scale is precise)
- Brown Sugar: 1134g * 0.005 = 5.67 grams (or up to 11.34 grams if you like it sweeter)
Using a scale is key. Small kitchen scales that measure grams are cheap and very helpful for this.
The Steps for Dry Curing
Once you have your pork belly and curing mix ready, it’s time to cure.
- Weigh Your Pork Belly: Write down the exact weight. This is important for figuring out your cure mix amounts.
- Make Your Cure Mix: In a bowl, mix all your cure ingredients together. Make sure the curing salt is mixed in well.
- Coat the Pork Belly: Rub the cure mix all over the pork belly. Get into all the cracks and sides. Use all of the cure mix you measured for that piece of meat.
- Place in Container: Put the coated pork belly into your zip-top bag or dish. If using a dish, cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Make sure it’s sealed well.
- Refrigerate and Flip: Put the pork belly in the fridge. Once a day, flip the bag or container over. You will see liquid pull out of the meat. This is normal. The cure is working. The liquid will likely pool in the bag.
- Cure Time: How long to cure? A good rule is 7 days for every inch of thickness of the pork belly. Most pieces are about 1.5 to 2 inches thick. So, 7-10 days is common. If your pork belly is 1.5 inches thick, cure for 7 days. If it’s 2 inches thick, cure for 8-10 days. If it’s thicker, add more time. Too short a cure time might not be safe. Curing it too long can make it too salty.
- Check for Firmness: After the cure time is up, the pork belly should feel much firmer all the way through. It won’t be soft and jiggly like raw pork belly. It should feel hard like cooked meat. This means the cure has done its job.
This dry curing pork belly bacon step is the most important part of making bacon. Don’t rush it.
Getting Ready to Bake
After the curing is done, there’s one more step before baking: resting and drying.
Rinsing and Resting
- Rinse Off the Cure: Take the pork belly out of the bag or dish. It will look darker and firmer. There will be liquid. Rinse the pork belly well under cool running water. Rub off all the cure mix on the outside. You want to remove the excess salt.
- Pat Dry: Use paper towels to pat the pork belly very dry. Get it as dry as you can.
- Rest in the Fridge: Place the pork belly on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Put it back in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 4 hours, or even better, overnight (8-12 hours). This drying time is important. It helps form a surface called a pellicle. A pellicle is a slightly tacky or dry surface. This helps the bacon get smoky flavor better if you were smoking it (we are baking, but the drying is still good for texture). It also helps the outside get crispy when you cook it.
After this rest period, your pork belly is cured and dried. It’s now ready to be transformed into delicious oven roasted pork belly bacon.
Bake Pork Belly for Bacon: The Oven Method
Now comes the cooking part. Using the oven to bake pork belly for bacon is cleaner and often easier to get an even cook than pan-frying a whole piece.
Setting the Scene for Baking
You need a few things ready for baking:
- Cured and Dried Pork Belly: Your prepared meat piece.
- Baking Sheet: A standard baking sheet.
- Wire Rack: A rack that fits inside your baking sheet. This lets air move around the pork belly, helping it cook evenly and get crispy.
- Foil or Parchment Paper (Optional but Recommended): Line the baking sheet under the rack. This catches grease and makes cleanup much, much easier. Bacon makes a lot of grease!
- Oven: Your oven.
Pork Belly Oven Temperature Bacon
What is the right pork belly oven temperature bacon needs? You want to cook it low and slow. This melts the fat slowly, keeping the meat moist and giving you tender bacon.
- A good temperature range is 225°F to 250°F (107°C to 121°C).
- Some people start even lower, around 200°F (93°C), for the first hour or two, then slightly raise it. But 225°F-250°F works well for the whole time.
Preheat your oven to your chosen low temperature.
The Baking Process
- Place Pork Belly on Rack: Put the cured pork belly on the wire rack that is on the foil-lined baking sheet.
- Into the Oven: Carefully place the baking sheet with the pork belly into the preheated oven.
- Cook Time: How long does it take? This depends on the thickness of your pork belly and your oven. It will take several hours.
- For a 1.5 to 2-inch thick piece, it might take 2 to 4 hours at 225°F-250°F.
- You are cooking the meat until its internal temperature is safe and the fat is rendered (melted). The goal is to reach an internal temperature of about 150°F (65°C) in the thickest part of the meat. Use a meat thermometer to check.
- The bacon will continue to cook slightly after you take it out, so pulling it at 150°F is good. Don’t overcook it at this stage, or it might get dry.
- Check Temperature: Start checking the internal temperature after about 2 hours. Check every 30-45 minutes after that.
- Take Out of Oven: Once the internal temperature reaches 150°F (65°C), carefully take the baking sheet out of the oven.
Your kitchen will smell amazing right now! This is the smell of real homemade bacon recipe from pork belly.
Cooling and Slicing
After baking, the bacon is hot and the fat is soft. You can’t slice it well like this. It needs to cool down and firm up.
The Cooling Phase
- Let it Cool Slightly: Leave the pork belly on the rack on the baking sheet for 30-60 minutes at room temperature. This starts the cooling process safely.
- Chill Completely: This is a very important step for easy slicing pork belly for bacon. Once it’s cool enough to handle, wrap the pork belly tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container. Put it in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours, but ideally overnight. Getting it cold and firm makes slicing much, much easier and safer.
Don’t skip the chilling step! Trying to slice warm bacon is messy and gives you uneven slices.
Slicing Pork Belly for Bacon
Once your bacon is chilled and firm, it’s ready for slicing. This is where you turn the block of cured and cooked pork belly into bacon strips.
- Tools: A sharp knife is a must. A long slicing knife or a chef’s knife works well. If you plan to make a lot of bacon, a meat slicer is fantastic, but not needed for a single piece.
- Thickness: You get to choose how thick you want your bacon! Do you like thin, crispy slices? Or thick-cut, meaty pieces?
- Thin slices (about 1/16th inch) will cook faster and get very crispy.
- Standard slices (about 1/8th inch) are typical bacon thickness.
- Thick-cut slices (1/4 inch or more) are hearty and chewy.
- How to Slice:
- Place the cold bacon on a stable cutting board.
- If the bacon has skin, decide if you want to remove it now or cook with it on. It’s often easier to remove after baking but before slicing if you don’t want it on your strips. Just peel or slice it off.
- Using your sharp knife, start slicing across the short end of the pork belly.
- Try to keep the slices even. Go slowly and use smooth strokes.
- Be extra careful with your fingers!
- Store: Once sliced, your bacon is ready to cook or store.
Storing Your Homemade Bacon
You’ve made a batch of delicious homemade bacon recipe from pork belly! Now, how to keep it?
- Fridge: Keep sliced bacon in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the fridge for up to 7-10 days.
- Freezer: For longer storage, freezing is best.
- You can stack slices with parchment paper between them and wrap the stack tightly in plastic wrap, then foil. Put this in a freezer bag.
- You can also place individual slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, freeze them until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. This lets you grab just a few slices at a time.
- Frozen bacon is good for several months (3-6 months is a good rule).
Frying Your Oven Roasted Pork Belly Bacon
The bacon is cured, baked, chilled, and sliced. Now it’s time to cook a few slices and taste your hard work!
Getting Crispy Bacon from Pork Belly Oven
You already cooked the pork belly in the oven, but to get that classic crispy bacon from pork belly oven product for eating, you’ll usually cook the slices in a pan.
- Pan-Fry: The most common way. Place slices in a cold skillet (non-stick or cast iron work great). Turn the heat to medium-low. Cook slowly, turning slices often, until they are as crispy as you like. This slow cooking melts more fat and makes the bacon crispy. It usually takes 10-20 minutes depending on thickness and heat.
- Oven (Again!): Yes, you can cook the slices in the oven too! This is great for cooking large amounts at once and is less messy than pan-frying.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Lay bacon slices in a single layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes, checking often after 10 minutes. Thicker slices take longer. Bake until desired crispiness.
- Air Fryer: A quick way! Lay slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook at 350°F-400°F (175°C-200°C) for 8-15 minutes, flipping halfway, until crispy.
After cooking, place the crispy bacon from pork belly oven slices on paper towels to drain off excess fat.
Using the Bacon Fat
Don’t throw away the bacon fat! It’s liquid gold for cooking. Once it cools slightly, pour it into a jar or container and keep it in the fridge. Use it to cook eggs, fry vegetables, make salad dressings, or add flavor to almost anything.
Simple Pork Belly Bacon Recipe: Putting It All Together
Here is a summary of the steps for a simple pork belly bacon recipe using the oven method.
Yields: About 1.5 – 2 pounds of bacon (depends on starting pork belly size)
Prep time: 30 minutes (active) + 7-10 days (curing) + 8-12 hours (drying)
Cook time: 2-4 hours (baking)
Chill time: 4-6 hours minimum
Ingredients:
- 1 piece pork belly (about 2-3 pounds), skin on or off
- Kosher salt (2% of pork belly weight)
- Pork belly bacon curing salt (InstaCure #1, 0.25% of pork belly weight)
- Brown sugar (0.5% – 1% of pork belly weight, optional)
- Optional spices: black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc.
Equipment:
- Kitchen scale (must weigh in grams)
- Large zip-top bag or non-reactive container
- Baking sheet
- Wire rack
- Plastic wrap
Instructions:
h4. Prepare the Pork Belly
- Weigh your pork belly carefully in grams. Note the weight.
- Calculate the exact amounts of kosher salt, curing salt, and sugar based on the pork belly’s weight using the percentages (2% kosher salt, 0.25% curing salt, 0.5%-1% sugar). Weigh these out.
- In a small bowl, mix the calculated amounts of kosher salt, curing salt, brown sugar (if using), and any other desired spices.
h4. Cure the Pork Belly (Dry Cure Method)
- Rub the cure mix all over the pork belly, making sure it’s evenly coated on all sides. Use all the cure mix you prepared for this piece of meat.
- Place the coated pork belly into a large zip-top bag or a non-reactive container. Seal the bag well or cover the container tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place in the refrigerator.
- Flip the bag or container once every day for the entire curing period.
- Cure for 7 days per inch of thickness of the pork belly. Most pieces take 7-10 days. The pork belly should feel firm when pressed.
h4. Rinse and Dry
- After curing, take the pork belly out of the bag/container. Rinse it thoroughly under cool running water to remove all the cure mix from the surface.
- Pat the pork belly completely dry with paper towels.
- Place the pork belly on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet. Leave it uncovered in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours (preferably overnight) to dry and form a pellicle.
h4. Bake the Pork Belly (Oven Roasted Pork Belly Bacon Step)
- Preheat your oven to 225°F to 250°F (107°C to 121°C).
- (Optional but recommended) Line the baking sheet under the wire rack with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Place the dried pork belly on the wire rack on the baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 2 to 4 hours, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 150°F (65°C). Check the temperature with a meat thermometer starting after about 2 hours.
- Once it reaches 150°F (65°C), remove the bacon from the oven.
h4. Cool and Chill
- Let the baked pork belly cool on the wire rack at room temperature for about an hour.
- Wrap the pork belly tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours, or preferably overnight, until it is very cold and firm. This is essential for easy slicing pork belly for bacon.
h4. Slice and Store
- Once chilled and firm, place the pork belly on a cutting board. If there’s skin you want to remove, do it now.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the bacon against the grain to your desired thickness (thin, standard, or thick-cut).
- Store the sliced bacon in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the fridge for up to 10 days, or freeze for longer storage.
h4. Cook and Enjoy!
- Cook your homemade bacon in a pan, oven, or air fryer until it reaches your preferred level of crispiness. This step gives you crispy bacon from pork belly oven style (if you use the oven here) or pan-fried perfection.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Enjoy your amazing homemade bacon!
This whole process, from curing to slicing, results in fantastic oven roasted pork belly bacon right from your kitchen.
Grasping the Science: Why This Works
Making bacon is part science, part cooking. The key is the curing process.
- Salt: Salt does two main things. It pulls water out of the meat (osmosis), making it a tougher place for bacteria to live. It also adds flavor.
- Curing Salt (Nitrite): This is the safety star. Sodium nitrite stops the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism. It also helps keep the meat from spoiling, gives bacon its pink color when cooked (otherwise it would be gray-brown), and adds to the classic cured taste. Because nitrite is potent, you MUST use only the small, specific amount needed based on the meat’s weight. Never guess with curing salt.
- Sugar: Sugar balances the saltiness and helps the surface brown nicely when cooked.
- Drying/Resting: The time in the fridge after rinsing helps create a dry surface. This is great for flavor (helps smoke stick if you smoke it) and for getting the outside nicely cooked in the oven.
- Low Oven Heat: Cooking slowly at a low pork belly oven temperature bacon needs melts the fat gently. This lets the meat cook without getting tough or dry. It renders the fat, making it easy to crisp up the slices later.
When you follow these steps, you take a raw piece of pork belly and turn it into safe, flavorful, and delicious bacon. It’s a rewarding process!
Troubleshooting and Tips
Even with a simple pork belly bacon recipe, things can happen. Here are some tips:
- Too Salty Bacon: This usually means either too much cure mix was used initially, or the pork belly wasn’t rinsed well enough after curing. Always measure cure ingredients precisely by weight. Rinsing is key.
- Not Firm After Curing: This means it didn’t cure long enough or wasn’t kept cold enough. Make sure your fridge is below 40°F (4°C). Add more curing time if needed.
- Bacon Too Dry: This could be from cooking the initial pork belly piece in the oven at too high a temperature or for too long. Use a thermometer and stick to the 150°F target. It could also be from overcooking the slices later when making them crispy.
- Bacon Not Getting Crispy: If the slices aren’t getting crispy when you cook them, try lowering the heat and cooking them slower in the pan, or increase the oven temperature slightly when cooking the slices. Ensure you let the baked pork belly chill completely before slicing; this helps structure.
- Storage: Always keep homemade bacon cold. Treat it like raw meat until you cook the slices.
- Skin On vs. Off: If you buy pork belly with the skin on, you can leave it on during curing and baking. Some people like to slice it off before slicing the bacon strips. Others cook the skin on and enjoy crackling along with their bacon. It’s up to you. Removing it is often easier after baking and chilling but before slicing the actual bacon strips.
Making oven roasted pork belly bacon might seem like a lot of steps, but each part is simple on its own. Taking your time results in a much better product than store-bought bacon.
Beyond the Basic Recipe
Once you are comfortable with the simple pork belly bacon recipe, you can experiment!
- Flavorings: Add maple syrup to the cure mix for maple bacon. Use smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne for spicy bacon. Add black pepper only after rinsing and drying if you don’t want “pepper bacon” but just a hint of pepper flavor. Try honey, different sugars, or other spices like juniper berries or bay leaves in the cure.
- Smoking: While this guide is about oven baking, you can smoke the cured pork belly instead of baking it. Smoke it at a low temperature (around 200°F-225°F / 93°C-107°C) until it reaches 150°F (65°C) internal temp. This adds another layer of flavor.
- Different Cuts: While pork belly is classic bacon, you can cure other pork cuts too, like pork loin (for Canadian bacon). The curing times and recipes will differ slightly.
Making your own bacon gives you control over the ingredients and the flavor. It’s a rewarding project that results in truly special homemade bacon recipe from pork belly.
Why Oven Baking is Great for Pork Belly Bacon
Why choose the oven over other methods for the initial cook after curing?
- Even Cooking: An oven gives very stable, even heat. This means the pork belly cooks uniformly from edge to center.
- Less Mess: Compared to cooking a large piece of pork belly in a pan or fryer, the oven contains splashes better. Especially if you use the foil-lined baking sheet setup. Most of the fat drips neatly below.
- Hands-Off: Once it’s in the oven, you just wait and check the temperature. No need to stand over it.
- Great for Rendering Fat: The low, slow heat in the oven is perfect for melting the fat within the pork belly slowly. This results in meat that is tender and flavorful, and lots of rendered fat to save for cooking.
So, when you bake pork belly for bacon, you are choosing a reliable, clean, and effective way to cook the cured meat before slicing and crisping the final strips.
FAQ: Common Questions About Making Bacon at Home
h5. What is the difference between pork belly and bacon?
Pork belly is a raw cut of meat from the pig’s belly. Bacon is pork belly that has been cured (with salt and often nitrite) and then typically smoked or cooked. So, bacon is a processed form of pork belly.
h5. Is homemade bacon safe?
Yes, if you follow the steps carefully, especially the curing part. Using the correct amount of pork belly bacon curing salt (pink salt) and curing for the right amount of time based on the meat’s thickness is crucial for safety. Cooking it to an internal temperature of at least 150°F (65°C) is also important.
h5. Where do I buy pink curing salt?
You can find pink curing salt (InstaCure #1 or Prague Powder #1) at specialty cooking stores, butcher shops, or online retailers. Remember, it is different from Himalayan pink salt or regular table salt. It contains sodium nitrite.
h5. Can I skip the curing salt?
No. For a safe, traditional bacon that stores well, you need the curing salt (sodium nitrite). It protects against dangerous bacteria like botulism and gives bacon its unique flavor and color. If you just cook plain pork belly, it’s more like pork belly roast, not bacon.
h5. How long does it take to cure pork belly for bacon?
A good rule of thumb for curing pork belly for bacon using the dry cure method is 7 days per inch of thickness of the pork belly. Most pieces take 7-10 days in the refrigerator.
h5. How do I know when the pork belly is done curing?
The pork belly should feel significantly firmer all the way through compared to when you started. It should feel solid, not soft and raw.
h5. What is the right pork belly oven temperature bacon should be cooked at?
For the initial bake after curing, a low temperature is best, like 225°F to 250°F (107°C to 121°C). You cook it until the internal temperature reaches 150°F (65°C).
h5. How long does it take to bake pork belly for bacon?
At 225°F-250°F (107°C-121°C), it typically takes 2 to 4 hours for a 1.5 to 2-inch thick piece to reach 150°F (65°C) internal temperature. Use a thermometer!
h5. Do I have to dry the pork belly in the fridge after rinsing?
It’s highly recommended. Resting it uncovered on a rack in the fridge for several hours helps the surface dry out. This helps with texture and browning when you eventually cook the slices to get crispy bacon from pork belly oven style (or pan-fried).
h5. Is slicing pork belly for bacon hard?
It’s easiest when the pork belly is very cold and firm after chilling in the fridge overnight. Use a sharp knife and go slowly. If you have a meat slicer, it makes the job simple.
h5. How long does homemade bacon last?
Sliced homemade bacon stored in the fridge will last about 7-10 days. In the freezer, it can last 3-6 months if wrapped well.
h5. Can I smoke the bacon instead of baking?
Yes! After curing and drying, you can smoke the pork belly at a low temperature (200°F-225°F / 93°C-107°C) until it reaches 150°F (65°C) internal temperature. This adds smoky flavor. This guide focuses on the oven method, but smoking is another great option for homemade bacon recipe from pork belly.
Conclusion
Making bacon from pork belly in the oven is a rewarding process. It takes time and patience, especially during the curing phase with pork belly bacon curing salt, but the steps are quite simple. You cure the pork belly, rinse and dry it, then bake pork belly for bacon slowly at a low pork belly oven temperature bacon likes until it’s cooked through. After chilling it well, slicing pork belly for bacon becomes easy. Finally, you cook the slices to get delicious crispy bacon from pork belly oven style (or pan-fried). This simple pork belly bacon recipe results in amazing oven roasted pork belly bacon you made yourself. Enjoy your homemade creation!