DIY bacon....home cure bacon in Bulgaria, Rapid bacon!

It is the one thing I miss, bacon!

You can buy strange meat labelled as Bacon...( бекоh ) , but what it is....what they do to it....Hmmmm it is not bacon!, in any form as I know it.....

So after a few experiments over the last few years I can make it quite easily,

but I still have no meat slicer, so.....bacon chops for me....

This is wet cure, as its done quickly, dry cure, works almost the same, but mix the ingredients and coat pork before putting in box with more mix

I buy slices of belly pork, streaky bacon style, about 10mm thick

Put them in a box with a lid that fits well....to stop stinky raw meat bacteria, curing juice getting everywhere!

So....the non scientific part!.....the right way would be to find a recipe to use correct amounts....measure.....

I fill a 600ml takeaway box half way up with cold water (should be boiled water) , I add a good dollop of salt, a about 50% o that volume of white sugar and a tiny pinch of pink Prague powder ( curing salt )

( I don't often add the curing salt....but it stops the bacon turning grey....grey bacon doesn't taste as good.....as it looks strange! ) ,

The correct way would be to mix that into boiled water, and let it cool to cold, but I do bacon overnight so don't store it , rapid cure so no bacteria will have time to grow!

To the box I squeeze in 4 of the 1/2 inch thick pork slices, put the lid on the box and shake well....holding lid on!

I put it in the fridge.....leave for 12 hours.....and its done!

I eat it like this...but of you think you may have used too much salt....you can wash it.....and most people do!

Take out, open box, it should have no real smell, like it was when it went in, the liquid should be clear brown-ish

pour the liquid away, wash bacon, leave water in box for 10 minutes, tip out then leave in fridge in box with no water for an hour....

Then....COOK IT!

Cooking the bacon chops in in the ceramic pan!

cooked DIY bacon chops