Maple-Bourbon Bacon - kosher

Method

• Wearing gloves, mix the salts in a small bowl.
• Rub the salt cure all over the pork belly and place it in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag in a single layer (cut the meat into 2 large pieces if necessary).
• Stir together the coffee, maple syrup, and liquor in a small bowl and add to the bag.
• Seal the bag and smoosh the liquid around.
• Open the bag slightly and press out the excess air, then zip it closed and lay it flat on a middle shelf in the refrigerator.
• Let the bacon cure for 7 days.
• Every day, turn the bag over to redistribute the cure, and rub the belly through the bag, introducing all those nice flavors.
• Over the course of the week, the meat will exude juice and the cure will move through the cells of the meat; turning the bag ensures an even cure.
• Count the days and imagine the bacon.
• After 7 days, remove the pork belly from the bag.
• It will be firmer than it was a week ago, a sign the cure has worked.
• Rinse the meat thoroughly and dry with paper towels.
• (Discard the cure.)
• Place the soon-to-be bacon on a rack set over a baking sheet and place it, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• This resting period helps move the cure through the meat and equalize the salt and flavors.
• Preheat the oven to the lowest setting, usually around 200F.
• Place the bacon, still on the rack on the baking sheet, in the center of the oven and cook for about 1 hour, until the internal temperature measures 150F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the bacon from the oven and let cool, then wrap well in butchers paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
• Once the bacon has chilled, slice it thick or thin, as you like it.
• Stack the slices on butchers paper or parchment, then vacuum-seal or place in zip-lock bags in portion sizes to suit your household.
• Bacon is always cooked before eating.
• The bacon will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.