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

Salt-only homemade bacon for Full GAPS, made with fresh pork belly and coarse sea salt. Two five-day refrigerator periods produce an uncooked ingredient to slice, keep cold and cook before serving.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Refrigerator Cure 10 days
Total Time 10 days 30 minutes
Servings: 1 batch (starts with 1 lb pork)
Course: Breakfast, Full GAPS, Ingredient
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound fresh pork belly starting weight; sliced or in pieces arranged in salted layers
  • coarse additive-free sea salt enough beneath the pork, between layers and over the surfaces; more for the day-five reset

Equipment

  • Food-safe glazed ceramic colander or perforated insert
  • Deep glass catch bowl Securely supports the insert above the draining liquid.
  • Clean plate and kitchen towels
  • Sharp knife or meat slicer
  • Glass storage container

Method
 

  1. Wash and dry a food-safe glazed ceramic colander or perforated insert and a deep glass catch bowl. Fit them securely together with drainage space below the meat. Put a layer of coarse sea salt in the upper vessel.
  2. Arrange the pork belly on the salt, fat side down where distinct. Salt the exposed surfaces. If using more than one layer, put salt between layers and over the upper layer. Keep track of which pieces are underneath.
  3. Refrigerate the uncovered setup for five days. The pork stays above the liquid collecting in the catch bowl.
  4. After five days, transfer the pork to a clean plate. Empty the catch bowl, wash both vessels and dry them. Rebuild the salt base. Move the upper pork layer to the lower position and the lower layer to the upper position, then add fresh salt between and over the layers. This swaps layer positions rather than simply flipping a slab.
  5. Return the uncovered setup to the refrigerator for five more days, maintaining the drainage space.
  6. After ten days total, rinse away visible salt and pat the pork dry. Slice into bacon strips if needed. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to five days or freeze for up to three months. Cook before eating, or use the prepared raw bacon in a recipe that cooks it.

Notes

Yield: One batch starts with one pound of pork belly. Moisture leaves during curing; weigh the finished bacon when another recipe specifies ounces. The finished yield is not guaranteed to equal the starting weight.
Timing: Thirty minutes preparation plus ten days refrigerator curing. The halfway reset, final rinse, slicing and cooking require additional work. Cooking time is not included; this card prepares uncooked bacon.
Salt: Use enough to salt the base, cover the meat and separate the layers. The method supplies no fixed cup amount. Add fresh salt at the reset.
Vessels: Use supported food-safe glazed ceramic and glass for the cure, with the meat above the draining liquid. No metal or plastic food-contact curing vessel.
Full GAPS: Salt-only bacon after introduction; no sugar, commercial curing blend or smoke flavor. Not an early Intro preparation. No dairy, egg or nuts are added.
Storage: After the cure, refrigerate airtight up to five days or freeze up to three months. Cook before eating. This is not shelf-stable or ready-to-eat hanging ham.
Doubling: Two pounds starting pork and enough salt to cover the larger batch; use suitably sized supported vessels or two setups. Keep both five-day periods and the layer reset.

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