Have 1lb of pork belly - Anyone have a sugar free BACON recipe?

[Smiter Q]

Hi all,

My GF is having some white sugar intolerance issues. So I thought I would try to make her some bacon(or sort of bacon.) Just got back from the store with 1.25 pounds of pork belly. It was on sale at WHOLE FOODs for $3.50 a pound.

If someone can point me towards a post, recipe, book, or something else that may give me an idea of a sugar free bacon, that would be most helpful. If a sugar free bacon does not exist, than I am open to other suggestions as well. MY UDS is not complete, so I can not smoke it yet. Was thinking of a brine mixture.

She may be able to use some maple syrup as opposed to white sugar. We are checking into that.
But am also looking for a non sweetener of any type recipe.
Also without nitrate, nitrite, TNT, or similar items!

Thanks for any idea, tips, hints, or direction!

Seems someone besides my GF wanted to try the potential bacon as well!
http://i676.photobucket.com/albums/vv129/BWaustinTX/IMG_4498.jpg

[donmiller]

I've been reading the book "Charcuterie" in anticipation of curing my first bacon. I think that you are asking for something that isn't really bacon!

Pork Belly cured with salt, but no "pink salt" (nitrates) or sugar is really closer to a different product (= Salt Pork) than bacon.

The sugar added to the curing mixture helps offset the harseness of the salt. If you cure with salt only, you might not consider the end product palitable.

Fear you Nitrates? Do you plan to smoke the "bacon" after you cure it? The smoking process will add nitrates. A reaction with the smoke and meat produces nitrates that leaves as evidence the common "smoke ring".

If adding sweeteners or nitrates is truely a non-starter for you, you will find lots of pork belly recipes with a google search. It just won't be bacon.

Don

[Smiter Q]

Hi Don,

Thanks for the tip. Will do a search for pork belly recipies. I have found nitrate free bacon before, it was cured with apple juice. May not of been bacon as we know it, the flavor was softer... but still good enough to enjoy. I was thinking of trying to use frozen apple juice concentrate instead of white or brown sugar. This is definitely an experiment, so I am still fishing around. Thanks again.

[ushi]

on another note, since you're in austin, check out MT Supermarket on N. Lamar. They have fresh pork belly for $2/lb. Last one I did I had to roast because my grill got stolen. :( It was a hit, and probably some of the best pork I've ever made. ohhh the cracklins...
http://www.mtsupermarket.com/

followed this method for roasting the pork belly... I think you could rock this on a grill if you wanted, I'd love to try it out on a big green egg.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/pork-belly-roast

[jestridge]

Ate salt cure bacon and meat all my life , it good stuff , but you could use honey or molasses.

[bluetang]

Hey Smiter, I've racked my brain on this one too. I think that the sugar in the brine is negligible in the finished product, salt not so. In 2 pieces of typical store bought bacon, ie Black Forest, there is zero carbs per 2 pieces. The third ingredient listed is sugar. Have no comment on the nitrite thing.

[SmokinAussie]

If you don't use a nitrite, you will need to smoke it up to 152F. I have done it to 155F just to be sure. You then still need to cook it in the frypan before eating it.

I've done both ways. Using a curing agent is definitely better. Better taste, better colour.. but It's not VITAL.

The Sugar thing... well, I'd get that checked out. White or Brown Sugar is pretty important in balancing the saltiness of the brine / cure mix, but the only reason it would be causing an issues is if your GF has Diabetes. In this case, it's not just bacon she will have an issue with, it will be everything, and then you have to make some really life altering decisions about how you eat...

I can't see how this can just be a "bacon" thing.

As already mentioned here, you can use honey / molasses etc, and these will give the bacon a different flavour, but are not such a bad thing at all. The Sugars in these products are more complicated than sucrose / glucose and take longer to be broken down by the liver into useable energy. In the case of being a diabetic, or someone who is glucose intolerant it might help... but it might not either, so please do your research.

Bill