Before refrigeration, salt curing was the primary way Amish families preserved pork. Many homesteads still cure their own bacon because the flavor is incomparably better.
Ingredients
- 5 lb slab of pork belly (about 2.25kg)
- 1 cup kosher salt (about 290g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (about 100g)
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Method
- Combine salt, sugar, pepper, and paprika. Rub generously into every surface of the pork belly.
- Place in a non-reactive container or zip-lock bag in the refrigerator (or root cellar around 36 to 40°F). Flip daily for 7 days.
- Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
- Smoke if you have the equipment, or slice and cook as-is.
No nitrites, no preservatives — you control exactly what goes into it.
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