Cottage Bacon

5 from 4 votes

Cottage bacon is a flavorful twist on traditional bacon, made with a meatier cured pork shoulder rather than pork belly.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Curing7

Total Time7 2 10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 39kcal

Author: Fox Valley Foodie

Ingredients

2 pounds pork shoulder
2.2 grams Prague powder
16 grams salt
14 grams brown sugar
12 grams black pepper
8 grams Sweet paprika (or use regular paprika with a dash of cayenne)
wood chips for smoking

Instructions

Prepare your pork shoulder by trimming off the fat cap and any large chunks of exterior fat.
Trim out the bone from the pork shoulder by carefully cutting around it to remove it, being careful not to cut up the surrounding meat excessively.
Slice the pork shoulder into flats 1-2" thick, similar to a pork belly.
Mix together all of the cure and seasonings until well combined then use the mixture to fully coat the meat.*
Place your pork in a large sealable bag and set in the refrigerator for 7-9 days. Flip the pork each day to ensure it cures evenly.
Remove the meat from the bag and rinse off the seasonings under cold water. Then pat it dry with paper towels.
Preheat your smoker to 200 degrees and add your favorite wood chips.
Smoke the cured pork until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. This will take approximately 2 hours, depending on how thick your meat has been cut.
Remove bacon from the smoker and let cool, then slice thinly with a meat slicer or chef knife.

Notes

*Don't worry if all of the seasonings won't stick to the meat initially. As the pork cures liquid will be released that will soak up the remaining seasoning.

Nutrition