Do you dream of the ultimate bacon sandwich, but keep being disappointed by the porky offerings at your local butcher or supermarket? Ross & Ross Food have made it easier than ever to cure your own bacon at home with their unique curing kits. You could be just a week away from the best bacon that you've ever tasted...
It's a lot easier than you think to create mouthwatering artisan bacon in your own home. It doesn't take a lot of special knowledge and equipment to cure your own bacon - in fact, Ross and Ross have bundled everything you need into a single box. There's only seven steps between you and a bacon sandwich, so let's get started!
1) Order your homemade bacon curing kit
You can get all of the curing kit you need in a box, delivered to your door. Choose between our original and spicy curing kits, which include everything you need to get started. All our boxes include:- Our exclusive blends of curing mix
- Curing bags
- Muslin
- Plastic gloves
- Butchers hook
- Easy-to-follow instructions in a handy booklet
2) Pick your pork
The only thing we can't post you is pork. Sorry. But the better pork you choose, the nicer your bacon will be. Visit your local butcher in search of a lovely piece of pork belly. You can buy with or without the rind, but the rind needs to be removed before you begin curing to allow the wonderful flavours and salts to penetrate the meat. We recommend purchasing a 500g piece of pork belly that's about 4cm thick. If you tell your butcher that it's for streaky bacon, they should be able to point you in the right direction.
3) Prep is important!
Cleanliness is next to godliness - especially when you're making bacon. Scrub down your work area, wash your hands and make sure that you have all your tools to hand before you get started. You can thank us later.
4) Be patient!
However tempted you are to investigate the bacony magic occurring in your fridge, don't. After assembling the ingredients, you need to leave them undisturbed in the fridge for two days.
5) Make space in your fridge for your new hobby
It's important to make sure that you have space in your fridge to hang your muslin clad bacon after you've washed off the salt. This crucial step is when the deep flavours of your bacon begin to develop, and you don't want it tainted by anything else. Avoid letting your curing bacon share the fridge any other strongly flavoured food, and ensure there's room for it to hang freely from the shelf without being obstructed.
6) Time to eat!
After seven days, it is time to taste your bacon. Remove the pork belly from the muslin - no need to rinse again - and cut off the number of slices that you need. If you have access to a meat slicer, you can achieve beautiful pink slivers, but cutting a slightly chunkier and more rustic rasher will be equally delicious.
7) Saving your bacon
Your bacon will last in your fridge for five to seven days, so make sure you've eaten it all by then! Then it'll be time to cure your own bacon all over again - fortunately each kit allows you to make 3 x 500g slabs!