Congratulations! You have your first slab of traditionally-cured bacon! … now what? Keep reading to find out how to store and enjoy this new-old, fan favorite.
Bacon Storage
Once you receive your share of bacon, be sure to unwrap it and let it breathe as soon as you can. Your slab has been made shelf-stable (no refrigeration necessary) through traditional curing with salt and a touch of unrefined sugar. The only thing it needs is some air exposure and (if you have it) a nice dark and cool place to hang. We keep ours hanging from the rafters in our basement. If you don’t have a basement though, you could hang it in a closet, a corner of your kitchen, or even keep it on your kitchen counter to use when the fancy strikes. We should warn you though, that - depending on the pig - the fat may be more unsaturated, so drippage at room temperature is a possibility. Just don’t hang it above your favorite cocktail dress.
“But what do I hang it with?” you may ask. You can simply thread some string through one or more of the pre-made holes, or if - you want a more permanent, reusable option for your next bacon share - you can ask us to order for you a metal bacon hook, like the ones we use, with your next share.
Bacon Cookery
You will be slicing bacon off the slab like you would a block of cheese. The first step to enjoying your bacon is making sure you have a very sharp knife with which to slice it. You’ll probably be eating this bacon thick-cut (just under 1/4” thick), but even still you want your knife to be sharp enough so it slides through and doesn’t require sawing. Anthony hand sharpens our knives on whetstones to make them “scary sharp.” If you would like Anthony to sharpen a knife or two for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out about pricing. We want you to enjoy your bacon to its fullest, and that includes the actual cutting of it.
Alright, you have several slices of bacon just under 1/4” thick. Now start heating up your favorite, large pan (we prefer cast-iron) on medium heat, add the bacon so there’s at least half an inch between slices, and watch as the fat melts, greasing the pan for you. Cook until the fat slices start to appear golden brown, and flip. The second side will cook faster than the first, so don’t walk away too far. Once both sides are gently browned, place the cooked slices of bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly. Don’t let that clean, good fat leftover in the pan go to waste! If you want some unctious toast to go with your bacon, fry up a slice of crusty bread in it until golden brown.
Bacon Experience
Traditionally cured bacon is a totally different product from the nitrite-filled bacon you might buy at the grocery store, so go into it expecting a different experience. Firstly, it will look different. Rather than the meat having a vivid pink color, a product of the nitrites, the color will be darker and slightly muted. Perhaps even gray. Don’t let this concern you. Nitrites cause the vivid pink color you see in store-bought bacon. Your bacon is aged with grace - without botox or plastic surgery.
I remember my dad teaching me at the grocery store to inspect several different packets of bacon and choose the one that had the most meat and the least fat, avoiding what he considered filler. You won’t feel that way about this bacon; the fat is succulent - it explodes in your mouth with juice when you bite it. The flavor doesn’t depend on the tang produced by nitrates or nitrites; the salt-forward and smoky simplicity allow you to actually taste the pork, and it will taste nutritious and delicious.
Lard pigs, like the Kunekune, build huge stores of fat rather than putting on very much muscle. If you get bacon from a lard pig (like what we use with our sausage shares), expect to see mostly fat, and not very much meat in the cross-section. Meat pigs, like the Duroc or Hereford, will have the inverse ratios.
Your bacon will not go bad, but it will age. As it ages, it will get dried, more difficult to slice, and the fat will begin to go rancid. Rancidification is not “going bad;” it is simply the oxidation of fat which makes it taste more oily and nutty. Light exposure hastens this process. After a certain point (depending on your own personal taste), it will become too bitter. At no point is it unsafe to eat. Only its purpose has changed. Instead of thick-sliced breakfast bacon, it will be better suited for chopping up and flavoring casseroles and soups. Our family finds the bacon best for breakfast within about three months of curing. Good luck making it last that long though!
If you have any questions or concerns about your bacon, please don’t hesitate to ask.
