Totally unrelated to programming, but I deem this worthy of a blog post. A few weeks ago I decided to make my own bacon.

 

Why? Don't ask stupid questions; bacon is an axiom.

How? turns out that it's actually not so complex:

  1. Buy some pork belly.
    • Any butcher (even the one inside the supermarket) will be able to get you a piece. I used about 1.5Kg worth (~3lbs).
  2. Brine it for a week in the fridge.
    • I used salt+sugar+pepper. Next time I'll add honey or maple syrup.
  3. Smoke it.
    • I had a little trouble here, since I don't have anything resembling a smoker. Next step is to build one.

The details are in this great book, and I recommend that you read it before you accidentally make your own botulism. The truth is that I didn't, but only because the bookstore was out of stock! But seriously, there are risks involved - the fridge temperature has to be just right.

Here are some photos from the adventure:

Before the brine

Salting the meat

The Poor-Man's Smoker. Yes, that's just a cast iron pan with wood in it.

Removing the skin

Sacrificial tasting slice

 

How was it? Delicious. You can slice it thick, giving a good combination of crunch and chew.

My next project will either be some salami, or perhaps a more complex Silverlight physics sample. Depends on how hungry I get, and whether the book store can get that Charcuterie book in stock!

 

I'm so hungry now.

 

Avi