Home-Cured Bacon for Full GAPS: Salt-Only Method

Homemade salt-only bacon starts with fresh pork belly and coarse sea salt. This preparation stays in the refrigerator for two five-day periods, with a clean setup and fresh salt between them. After ten days, rinse, dry, and slice the pork, then keep it cold until you cook it.

The bacon is unsmoked and contains no added sugar, curing salt, or smoke flavor. It is an ingredient you prepare ahead for Full GAPS breakfasts and dinners. The curing time belongs on your calendar before the meal you want to make with it.

I work second shift and homeschool our children, so most of my cooking happens in the morning. A preparation that takes ten days needs a different kind of planning from a quick breakfast. Marking the first day, the five-day reset, and the finish date gives you something concrete to work around.

The Pork And Salt

• 1 pound fresh pork belly
• Coarse, additive-free sea salt, enough for a layer beneath the pork and to cover its surfaces and any layers

Start with fresh pork belly, rather than a package of already seasoned bacon. The meat should have its own alternating sections of fat and lean. Those are what give sliced bacon its texture when you cook it.

Coarse sea salt is the only curing ingredient here. The salt sits beneath and around the pork rather than being a pinch sprinkled over the top. Have enough ready to rebuild the salted layers after the first five days.

The amount needed depends on the shape of the pieces and the curing vessel. Use enough to cover the meat as described in the steps, and have more ready for the second five-day period.

This version uses plain coarse sea salt without sugar, maple sugar, commercial curing blends, or liquid smoke. When choosing the salt, look for that single ingredient rather than a premixed bacon seasoning.

Where Salt-Only Bacon Fits On Full GAPS

Dr. Natasha’s 2020 GAPS book includes bacon made with salt only. That is different from the commercially preserved meats discussed in the book’s avoid guidance, which can contain sugar, starch, preservatives, and other additives.

This preparation keeps pork and plain salt as the ingredients. It belongs with Full GAPS foods after they have been introduced. It is not a replacement for the boiled meats and soups used in early Intro.

The cure itself has no dairy, egg, nuts, or plant seasoning. If you add the finished bacon to another dish, that dish has its own ingredients and GAPS placement. A cauliflower-and-bacon dinner, for example, contains vegetables even though this bacon preparation does not.

Salting does not turn this into ready-to-eat bacon. Keep the finished pork refrigerated or frozen and cook the portions you use. This is a short refrigerator preparation for bacon that will be cooked, not a room-temperature hanging ham.

Set Up The Draining Vessels

You need a food-safe glazed ceramic colander or perforated insert supported over a deep glass catch bowl. Choose pieces that fit securely together. The upper vessel holds the pork while liquid drains into the lower one.

Glass and ceramic keep the salted meat away from reactive metal. The lower bowl needs enough depth for the draining liquid to collect below the meat. Check the fit before adding salt, so the colander rests securely and the pork does not sit in the liquid beneath it.

Wash and dry both vessels. Clear a level refrigerator shelf where they can stay without being tipped or crowded. This preparation remains refrigerated throughout both five-day periods. Keep the setup separate from foods that are ready to eat.

Have a clean plate ready for the reset, along with fresh coarse salt and a way to identify the lower and upper pieces. You will change their layer positions halfway through the cure. A date label on the outside of the catch bowl can help you keep track without handling the meat again.

How To Prepare Salt-Only Bacon

1. Salt the base. Put a layer of coarse sea salt in the perforated ceramic vessel. Set it securely over the glass catch bowl with drainage space underneath.
2. Arrange and salt the pork. Lay the pork belly on the salt, fat side down where that side is distinct. Add salt over the exposed surfaces. If arranging more than one layer, put salt between them and over the upper layer. Remember which pieces are underneath.
3. Refrigerate for five days. Keep the nested setup uncovered in the refrigerator. Liquid drawn from the meat will collect in the lower bowl while the meat stays above it.
4. Reset the setup. After five days, transfer the pork to a clean plate. Empty the catch bowl, wash both vessels, and dry them. Put a fresh salt layer in the upper vessel. Swap the upper and lower pork layers, then salt between and over them again. Changing layer positions is different from simply turning one slab over.
5. Refrigerate for five more days. Return the uncovered setup to the refrigerator for the second five-day period. Keep the drainage space clear.
6. Rinse, dry, and slice. After ten days total, rinse away the visible salt and pat the pork dry. Slice into bacon strips if it is not already sliced. Store cold until cooking.

The fat side looks mostly white, while the lean sections are pink. When stacking pieces, salt needs to reach the contact surfaces between them. A dry upper surface alone does not tell you whether the underneath pieces have been salted.

During the cure, the meat loses moisture and becomes firmer. The liquid in the catch bowl is expected. The draining insert matters because that liquid should collect below the pork rather than become a bath around it.

At the reset, move the bottom layer to the top and the top layer to the bottom. Keep the pieces organized while you wash and dry the vessels. Use fresh salt when rebuilding the layers. This makes the halfway step easy to follow even when several pieces look alike.

Cook The Bacon Before Serving

After rinsing and drying, cut even slices with a sharp knife or meat slicer. Put the portions you plan to cook in a cast-iron skillet or on a rimmed stainless-steel baking sheet. Keep the rest refrigerated.

Cook the bacon through, turning the pieces as needed. As the fat renders, the slices become smaller and the edges brown. Use the timing and finished texture required by the meal you are making. A recipe that roasts raw bacon over vegetables needs the raw prepared slices, while a recipe asking for cooked chopped bacon needs you to cook it first.

The sheet-pan Brussels sprouts with bacon recipe uses its own roasting sequence. Check that linked recipe’s amount and directions before cutting the bacon for the pan.

Refrigerating And Freezing The Bacon

Keep the finished uncooked bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days, or freeze it for up to three months. These storage periods begin after the ten-day preparation is finished. They are not instructions to keep the bacon on the counter.

Divide it into the portions you are likely to cook before freezing. Parchment between portions makes them easier to separate. Label the container with the finish date and the amount, then thaw a portion in the refrigerator when you need it.

The recipe starts with one pound of pork belly. Moisture leaves during curing, so the finished bacon will not necessarily weigh one pound. When another recipe calls for twelve ounces of prepared bacon, weigh the finished bacon rather than assuming the original package weight still applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Turn The Slab Over After Five Days?

The reset changes the positions of stacked layers. Move the lower pieces to the upper position and the upper pieces underneath. Simply turning a slab fat-side up describes a different action.

Can I Add Sugar Or Smoke It?

This version uses salt only and stays unsmoked. Sugar and smoking are not part of its ingredients or directions.

How Much Bacon Does One Batch Make?

One batch starts with one pound of pork belly. Some of that weight leaves as moisture during curing. Weigh the finished bacon when using a measured amount in another recipe.

Is The Bacon Ready To Eat After Curing?

No. Rinse, dry, slice, and keep it cold. Cook the portions before eating them or follow a dish’s directions for cooking the prepared raw bacon.

Can I Double The Batch?

Start with two pounds of pork belly and enough salt for the larger amount. Use a suitably sized supported draining setup, or two separate setups. Keep the two five-day periods and the layer reset. Doubling does not shorten the curing time.

Homemade Salt-Only Bacon Recipe

Planning Breakfast Ingredients Ahead

The planned Weekly Kitchen Rhythm Planner will help keep longer preparations and everyday meals in the same weekly plan. Find upcoming resources in the WFLI shop. For this bacon, write down the start date, the day-five reset, and the day-ten finish before you clear the refrigerator space.