Learn how to make bacon at home with this clear, step-by-step guide for curing and smoking homemade bacon. Follow this straightforward recipe to create exceptionally flavorful bacon—what I lovingly call “bacon gold.”
I made the fennel version and I love it. I’ve made bacon several times before and this is the best it has ever come out. The ice cube trick is brilliant. I’m going to make the maple today, I have a few more belly slabs left from my pigs I will probably stick with these recipes!
– Katie
Table of contents
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Cure the bacon
- Smoke the bacon
- Store or cook the bacon
- Recipe tips
- Storage instructions
- Ways to serve the bacon
- Tools you’ll need
- More recipes on the smoker
In 2019 my husband suggested we try making our own bacon, and I immediately loved the idea. After experimenting with techniques and refinements over several years, I’m excited to share this tested and perfected homemade bacon recipe. It takes planning, but the result is worth it: rich, tender bacon that melts in your mouth.
We typically buy a large pork belly, about 8–10 pounds, then split it in half to make two distinct flavors: classic maple and toasted fennel. The maple delivers a familiar sweet-salty balance while the fennel offers a bright, aromatic twist that elevates sandwiches and breakfasts alike. This bacon freezes well and keeps on hand for months—ideal for stocking up.
Ingredients
Below are ingredient groups for curing and flavoring the pork belly. The recipe card later in the article lists exact measurements for a 9-pound pork belly split into two 4.5-pound halves.
- To cure bacon:
- Pork belly – a large single piece (8–10 lb) is easiest to work with. Ask your butcher if you need a specific size.
- Prague powder #1 (also labeled curing salt or pink salt) – a small amount is required for a safe cure. Use the amount specified in the recipe card.
- Maple bacon flavor:
- Real maple syrup (not imitation)
- Brown sugar
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- Fennel bacon flavor:
- Fennel seeds – toast before mixing
- Brown sugar
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
I include clear, step-by-step directions below. Read through the full instructions before you begin so you can plan curing and smoking over the required days.
Cure the bacon
- Fennel cure: Toast fennel seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 5–7 minutes until fragrant. Combine the toasted seeds with brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper and the measured curing salt.
- Maple cure: In a small bowl, mix real maple syrup, brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper and the measured curing salt until combined.
- Place each 4.5-pound pork belly half into its own vacuum sealer bag or large zip-top bag. Add the appropriate cure mixture to each bag. If using a vacuum sealer, add ice cubes (about 24) to equal 1 1/8 cups water; the ice will melt and prevent too much liquid at sealing time. If using a zipper bag, add the water directly instead of ice.
- Seal the bags, removing as much air as possible. Store in the refrigerator fat-side down. For 10 days, flip each bag daily so the fat alternates between up and down; gently massage the cure into the meat when you flip it.
- After 10 days, remove pork bellies, pat them dry (do not rinse), and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours to form a pellicle (a tacky surface that helps smoke adhere).
Smoke the bacon
- Preheat a wood or pellet smoker to 225°F (107°C). Mild fruit woods such as apple, cherry or maple work very well with pork.
- Place the pork belly on the smoker with the fat side up. Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 150°F (65°C) in the thickest part; this typically takes about 1–3 hours depending on belly size and smoker conditions. Monitor temperature with a probe or instant-read thermometer.
- Remove from the smoker and let rest on a cutting board for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Wrap the rested belly tightly in foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is fine) before slicing, storing or cooking. Chilling firms the meat and makes it easier to slice neatly.
Store or cook the bacon
- To store: Slice into 1–2 pound slabs before freezing so you only defrost what you need. Vacuum seal or use freezer-safe bags, label with date and flavor, and freeze up to one year. Uncooked cured bacon can stay refrigerated up to two weeks.
- To cook: Slice to your preferred thickness. For thick-cut bacon, bake single-layer on a foil-lined sheet pan at 350°F (175°C) for 15–20 minutes, watching closely after 15 minutes. Alternatively, pan-fry slices over medium-high heat for several minutes per side until rendered and crisp to your liking.
Recipe tips
- Use ice cubes to aid vacuum sealing. Adding ice cubes rather than liquid makes it much easier to vacuum-seal bags without excessive liquid. About 24 ice cubes ≈ 1 1/8 cups water.
- Flip daily during the cure. Turning the bag each day for 10 days ensures even cure penetration and better flavor development.
- Smoke to temperature, not time. Monitor internal temperature and remove at 150°F. Smoking time varies with belly thickness and smoker behavior.
- Choose mild fruit woods. Apple, cherry or maple woods complement pork beautifully without overpowering it.
Storage instructions
- Uncooked cured bacon (whole or sliced) can be stored in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks; for longer storage freeze it.
- Cooked bacon should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and is best within 5 days.
- Frozen bacon (uncooked, vacuum sealed) keeps up to 1 year. Freezing cooked bacon is not recommended for best texture.
Ways to serve the bacon
This bacon shines everywhere: enjoy it beside eggs, folded into omelettes, layered on a BLT, tossed with Brussels sprouts, or wrapped around meat for added richness. Thick-cut slices make an indulgent breakfast; chopped bacon is fantastic in salads, pastas and side dishes.
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, omelettes, pancakes or toast
- Lunch: sandwiches, grilled cheese with tomato and avocado
- Dinner: wrapped around pork or chicken, or as an ingredient in hearty pasta dishes
- Sides: Brussels sprouts with maple bacon, bacon and blue cheese green beans, or bacon jam
Tools you’ll need
- Vacuum sealer or sturdy freezer-grade zip-top bags
- Large vacuum sealer bags or rolls to fit full pork belly pieces
- Smoker (wood or pellet) with a temperature gauge
- Wood chips or pellets such as apple, cherry or maple
- Instant-read thermometer or probe thermometer to monitor internal temperature
- Wire rack and foil-lined baking sheet for pellicle formation and resting
- Sharp knife or electric slicer for cutting even bacon slices
More recipes on the smoker
If you’re firing up the smoker for bacon, consider smoking other favorites at the same time—pulled pork, smoked mac and cheese, pork chops or a turkey breast all pair nicely with the same wood flavors.
Homemade Bacon
A straightforward recipe for curing and smoking pork belly into rich, flavorful bacon. Make maple and fennel variations by splitting a large pork belly in two.
Servings: 9 pounds bacon (total)
Prep time: 12 days (includes 10-day cure and resting)
Cook time: 15–20 minutes to cook slices, 1–3 hours to smoke until 150°F
Author: Whitney Bond
Ingredients (for 9 lb pork belly, split into two 4.5 lb halves)
- 9 lb pork belly, halved for two flavors
Maple Bacon Cure (per 4.5 lb pork belly)
- 3/8 cup maple syrup
- 4 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 1/4 tablespoons salt
- 2 1/4 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon Prague powder #1 (curing salt)
- 1 1/8 cups water (or 24 ice cubes for vacuum sealing)
Fennel Bacon Cure (per 4.5 lb pork belly)
- 3 tablespoons fennel seeds (toast first)
- 9 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 1/4 tablespoons salt
- 2 1/4 tablespoons ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon Prague powder #1 (curing salt)
- 1 1/8 cups water (or 24 ice cubes)
Key instructions (summary)
- Mix each cure and add to its pork belly half in a sealed bag with water or ice cubes. Cure in the fridge 10 days, flipping daily.
- After curing, pat dry and refrigerate uncovered 24 hours to form a pellicle.
- Smoke at 225°F until internal temp reaches 150°F, then rest 30 minutes and chill at least 4 hours.
- Slice and cook as desired, or vacuum-seal and freeze in 1–2 lb portions for up to one year.
Notes
- Nutritional information varies with slice thickness. One pound of thick-cut bacon equals roughly 10–12 slices; thin-cut yields 16–20 slices.
- You can choose to make only maple or only fennel by doubling that cure’s ingredients for the full belly.
- Cooked bacon stores in the refrigerator up to 5 days.