Paleo Applewood Smoked Bacon

By erinstargirl

There are major bragging rights that come with making your own bacon. Especially if it is paleo bacon. #meatcandy lovers unite!

Ingredients

• 1 (5 lb) piece local pasture raised, hormone free, steroid free and GM feed free raw pork belly
• a shy half cup sea salt
• 4 teaspoons organic pork herb trio {http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/582081162/organic-pork-herb-trio/}

Details

Servings 5

Preparation

Step 1

Rub sea salt all over the belly and lay it on a raised rack with a towel underneath in the fridge. It is a good idea to place a thermometer in the fridge and keep an eye on the it, ensuring it stays >40° F.
Check on the belly daily, turning once a day. Some pork bellies will release a lot of liquid. Others won't. It just depends on the belly.
How firm the belly is to the touch is the deciding factor on whether or not it is ready for the smoker. Ours stayed in the fridge for six days before it felt firm enough. The center took the longest to firm up.
Once it is firm, remove it from the fridge, and rinse well.
Lay the pork belly in the protein box of a cold smoker and smoke for 3 hours. We used applewood for a mild, sweet flavor.
Let the belly come to room temperature before storing in the fridge. You can simply slice what you need and keep the rest in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
Enjoy your paleo meat candy!