Homemade Bacon on the smoker
There’s bacon… and then there’s homemade smoked bacon. Once you try this recipe, store-bought will never be enough. This bacon is rich, smoky, and completely customizable—made with just a few ingredients, a little patience, and your favorite smoker.
Whether you’re a backyard BBQ expert or just getting into curing your own meat, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about making bacon from scratch.
🧂 Step 1: Cure the Pork Belly
Mix all the dry ingredients (salt, curing salt, sugar, pepper, paprika) and rub generously all over the pork belly. If you’re going sweet, drizzle on the maple syrup or honey before sealing it up.
Place the pork belly in a large zip-top bag or vacuum-seal it. Pop it in the fridge for 7 days, flipping it once a day to make sure the cure does its thing evenly.
Pro Tip: Mark your calendar or set a phone alarm. Day 6 You is gonna thank Day 1 You for staying on top of it.
🚿 Step 2: Rinse and Dry
After 7 days, take the pork belly out of the bag and rinse it well under cold water. You want to remove the excess cure but not the flavor it left behind.
Pat the pork belly dry and place it on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Let it sit uncovered in the fridge for 12–24 hours. This helps form the pellicle—a tacky surface that smoke loves to cling to.
🔥 Step 3: Smoke It Low and Slow
Set your smoker to 175–200°F and use your wood of choice (apple, hickory, or cherry are all solid). Smoke the pork belly until it hits an internal temp of 150°F—this usually takes around 2 to 3 hours.
Wood tip: Applewood gives a mild sweetness, hickory brings that classic bold flavor, and cherry adds a gorgeous mahogany color.
🧊 Step 4: Chill, Slice, and Fry
Let the smoked bacon cool, then wrap it up and refrigerate for a few hours (or overnight) before slicing. Use a sharp knife or meat slicer to cut thick or thin strips.
Fry it up and enjoy!
Homemade Bacon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 5- pound slab pork belly skin removed
Peppered Bacon Cure:
- 1 ¼ teaspoons Prague Powder #1
- 5 T.
coarse Kosher salt
- 3 T. plus 1 t. maple syrup
- 3 T. plus 1 t. cracked black pepper
- 1 ½ t. crushed red pepper flakes
- 5 T. Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the bacon cure in a bowl, it will be a thick paste.
- Place your slab of pork belly in a large plastic bag. Depending on the size of your slab, you can cut it in two pieces to make it fit.
- Thoroughly coat all sides of the bacon and use all of the cure. Seal the bag tightly, removing as much air as possible. Place the sealed pork belly package in the refrigerator and cure for the next 7 days. Flip and massage the pork belly once per day.
- After one week in the cure, remove the bacon from the bag. Gently rinse the pork belly to remove any thick slimy build-up. Place it on a wire rack above a baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Season the top with the tablespoon of fresh cracked black pepper. Place the bacon in the fridge (while still on the rack) and leave uncovered for 24 hours.
- Preheat your smoker to 160-170 degrees F using your favorite hardwood, I use apple but maple and hickory are good too. Place the pork belly directly on the grill grates and smoke for about 6 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork belly reads 155 degrees F.
- Let the bacon chill completely in the refrigerator before slicing. You can pop it in the freezer for a bit to make it easer to slice. Enjoy!
