Instructions

In a clean, non-metallic container, thoroughly mix the salt and sugar and any of the flavouring ingredients you want to use (none are essential). Put a thin layer of this cure in the base of a clean box or tray, big enough to hold the belly. Add the first piece of belly, skin side down, and lightly rub another handful of cure into it. Put the next belly on top, rub it with cure, then repeat with the final piece.



Leave the box, covered, in a cool place safe from flies. Keep the leftover cure mix in an airtight container. After 24 hours you’ll see that the meat has leached salty liquid into the container. Remove the bellies, pour off this liquid, and rub the bellies lightly again with fresh cure mix. Re-stack the bellies, preferably moving the one from the bottom to the top. Repeat daily. Your bacon will be ready after just 4 days, though if you cure it for longer (up to 2 weeks) it will keep for longer.

Wash all the cure from the bellies under a cold running tap then clean their surfaces with a cloth soaked in malt vinegar and pat them dry. Hang the bellies in a well-ventilated, cool, dry place to dry for 7-10 days and they are then ready to use.

You can keep the bacon hanging in a cool place, or store it in the fridge for around a month. Take slices as you need them, removing the bones as you come to them.

Cook the bacon in a pan set over the hot plate of the Esse, or in the top oven with the dial reading the lower side of ‘very hot’ until just starting to crisp.