Bacontoffeeii Recipes

HOMEMADE BACON

Steps:

• Start by mixing the dry cure, mustard powder, brown sugar, and ground pepper together. Rub the entire pork belly with the mixture, including the sides.
• Pour the maple syrup on the pork belly and rub it in, making sure to get your hands all nice and gooey. Put the pork belly in a ziplock bag and store it in the fridge for around a week, flipping it every day or so.
• The bacon is ready to smoke when it is firm to the touch. When you take the bacon out of the bag, give it a good rinse under the sink and pat it dry.
• We like to smoke the bacon with apple or hickory for two to three hours at around 200℉. It also can be slow roasted in the oven. The bacon is done when its internal temperature reaches 150℉.
• Once the bacon has been smoked, slice it and cook it the way you would any other bacon.

HOMEMADE BACON

Steps:

• Rinse the pork belly and pat dry. Transfer to a resealable 2-gallon plastic bag. To make the spice rub, mix the kosher salt, pink salt, brown sugar, honey, red pepper flakes, paprika and cumin in a bowl. Coat the pork belly all over with the mixture.
• Close the bag and refrigerate 7 to 10 days, flipping once a day, until the pork belly feels firm. It should take 7 days for a thin belly that is about 11/2 inches thick, longer for a belly that's 2 to 3 inches thick.
• Remove the pork belly from the bag, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Refrigerate the belly on a rack, uncovered, 48 hours.
• Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions using applewood chips, and set to 200 degrees F. Smoke the pork belly 3 hours, or until the bacon reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F.
• Remove the rind (optional), then slice and cook as desired. To store, wrap the bacon in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months.
• Pink curing salt is a mix of salt and sodium nitrite. It keeps the meat pink and protects it from bacteria. You can find it at specialty food stores or online.

BACON TOFFEE

Steps:

• In a heavy medium saucepan, combine cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, and allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes being careful not to let it get too hot and bubble over.
• Remove from heat and whisk in butter followed by bacon fat; stir until thoroughly combined. Serve sauce warm. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 10 days.

BACON TOFFEE

Steps:

• Line a baking tray with a silpat, or oil it very well.
• Crisp bacon in a skillet or under a broiler and drain on paper towels. Break or chop them into 1/4" bits and set aside. Don't go too small, because you want them to have personality in your mouth. Use a smoky bacon, ideally lightly cured.
• Place in a heavy saucepan, in this order: 1/4 cup water, 1 stick butter, a large pinch of salt, and 1 cup sugar.
• Over medium-high heat, cook till the mixture reaches 285F, stirring often. In practice, this means that you cook it until it's a good toffee color, about the same color as the old tan m&ms. I'm not kidding about the stirring, though.
• Pull it off heat, mix in the bacon bits, and pour onto the baking sheet. Spread quickly to about 1/4" thick, and let cool for 2 hours.
• Using a hammer or the handle of a large knife, break the toffee into shards. This is best accomplished by whacking it through a folded paper towel.

BACON TOFFEE II

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients except the bacon into a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Go with a larger pot than you think you'll need because the toffee has a tendency to boil up the sides. You really don't want that to happen. Have you ever had hot toffee on your skin or tried to clean it off the stove? Don't go there.
• Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook until the mixture hits 300F on a candy thermometer. This goes fast once you hit about 200F, so don't walk away from the pan. You will regret it if you do. Trust me and the big, sooty, burned sugar mess I had to clean up once.
• Once the toffee mixture hits 300F, stir the crispy bacon in and pour immediately into the prepared pan. Use a silicone or offset spatula to gently spread the toffee into an even layer. And do not, no matter how BADLY you want to, lick that spatula if you want to keep your tongue. Again, I ask you to trust me here!
• Allow to rest at room temperature until the toffee has cooled and firmed completely. When completely cool, break into pieces with your hands. Store, refrigerated, in a zipper top bag in the back of the fridge to discourage people from snitching it when they think you're not looking.
• One comment on the blog: "As if this recipe wasn't already decadent enough, I just topped my bacon toffee with dark chocolate & cayenne-dusted pecans. it's obscenely good. Talk about a new guilty pleasure!".