There’s a saying I heard once that says “Software is never finished, only abandoned.” I’m starting to wonder if that might apply to recipes as well. With family coming into town and not a whole lot of time for curing, I held off on a bacon cure I wanted to try and went back to my “standard” recipe, but made some more tweaks based off of some feedback from Jen.
I added another 3/4c of maple syrup to the recipe. I trimmed back the smoked salt to a single tablespoon. Everything else remained the same. I cured for three days. Oh, those three days can always be so maddening when it comes to bacon!
However, once cooked up, the bacon really hit the sweet spot (not quite literally though). There was only a bit of saltiness to the taste (that good kind that you expect) and it was the first batch I was ready to make more of since everybody ate it up. Hazzah for diy recipes! The final step will be to try adding a cold smoke to this recipe, once I can cobble one together.
For those keeping score at home, here’s the final “abridged” directions of the recipe. Full directions can be found here:
- 2 quarts water
- 2-3/4 c cups maple syrup
- 1 c kosher salt
- 1 tbsp smoked salt (optional)
- 1 onion, cut into quarters
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- Put all of this into a large pot and bring nearly to a boil on medium high heat.
- Let cure/brine cool back down to room temperature.
- Complete submerge bacon in cure (I use ziploc bags) and place in refrigerator.
- Cure bacon for 3 days, rotating once per date and giving it a little rub to help the cure penetrate.
- Give a quick rinse to get loose brine off. Slice. Cook. Enjoy!
If you use this recipe, let me know. I’d love your feedback!