Soy Honey Bacon
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 3 days 6 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 1 pound
Software
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 11/2 cups honey
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 quarts apple juice
- 1 pound pork belly
Specialized Hardware
- Smoker
Procedure
- In a 2-quart, non-reactive sauce pan, combine the soy sauce, honey, and salt, and simmer until solids are dissolved. In a large heat-proof container, add the soy mixture to the apple juice, cool, and submerge the pork belly in mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- After 3 days, remove the pork from the brine, rinse the belly, and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a wire rack-lined half-sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle (thin crust). Lay the pork in the protein box of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Place the strips of bacon onto a wire rack-lined half-sheet pan and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400ºF and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels. Enjoy.