Cinnamon Bacon

By erinstargirl

Cinnamon Bacon may be an unexpected new favorite!

Ingredients

• 3 lb piece local pasture raised, hormone free, steroid free and GM feed free raw pork belly {skin removed}
• 1/4 cup sea salt - I've had success with fine sea salt and coarse sea salt.
• 1 TB organic ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp organic ground cloves
• 1 tsp organic garlic powder

Details

Servings 3

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the salt and seasonings together. Set aside.
Rinse the pork belly and pat dry. Rub the cure mixture over the belly, massaging it in to all the nooks and crannies of the belly.
Dry cure in the fridge - first make sure your fridge is cold enough {>38° F}. Second, you have a couple options for how to store your curing belly. 1. Place it on a wire rack with a shammy lined underneath the rack to catch any drips. The salt cure will pull moisture from the belly {working as intended} and will drip. Flip the belly daily. 2. Place the belly in a large food safe seal-able bag and lay it flat in the fridge. Again, flip the bag daily. The OCD part of me would also recommend laying the bag on a sheet pan or shammy just in case the bag leaks; minimizing raw pork juice all over your fridge.
The belly will start to firm up; depending on the thickness, the curing process can take anywhere from 7-10 days. Once it is firm all over it is done.
Run the belly under cold water and rinse away the cure mixture. I do this a few times. Pat the belly dry.
If you're smoking your bacon, let the belly sit at room temperature or in the fridge on a rack for an hour to form its pellicle. Smoke at your discretion. I have yet to smoke my cinnamon bacon, but I'd suggest using a mild wood like cherry.
If you're not smoking your bacon, store it in the fridge. If you won't use it up within a week or so, freeze what you won't use.