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Thinly sliced smoked beef bacon strips

Homemade Beef Bacon

Make homemade beef bacon from scratch with a simple 5-day dry cure and a low, slow smoke. Includes a full oven method too — no smoker required.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Curing Time + Dry Time 6 days
Servings 4 lbs

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • Meat Thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • 4 –5 lb beef belly or beef navel
  • ¼ cup kosher salt
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp pink curing salt Prague Powder #1
  • 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder

Instructions
 

  • Pat the beef belly completely dry with paper towels.
  • In a bowl, mix the kosher salt, brown sugar, pink curing salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and optional garlic powder and chili powder.
  • Rub the cure over every surface of the meat, making sure it's fully coated.
    Beef belly rubbed with dry cure seasoning in a lined tray
  • Seal the meat in a zip-top or vacuum-sealed bag and refrigerate.
  • Flip the bag daily for 5 days, gently massaging the cure into the meat each time.
  • On day 6, remove the meat from the bag and rinse off the cure thoroughly under cold water. Pat dry.
    Close-up of a sliced beef bacon strip showing fat marbling
  • Optional but recommended: air-dry uncovered on a wire rack in the fridge for 12–24 hours to form a pellicle.
    cured beef bacon slab cooling on a wire rack
  • Preheat your smoker to 200–215°F using hickory, oak, or applewood.
  • Smoke the belly until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F, about 2–3 hours.
    Cured beef belly on smoker grates with meat thermometer probes inserted
  • Remove from the smoker, let cool, then wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled.
  • Slice thin or thick, depending on preference, and pan-fry, oven-cook, or griddle like regular bacon.
    Thinly sliced smoked beef bacon strips

Notes

  • Slice before freezing so you can grab only what you need later.
  • Save the rendered fat from cooking — it's excellent for frying eggs or vegetables.
  • Taste your cure blend before it goes on the meat and adjust the pepper, paprika, garlic, or chili to your preference. This is your bacon — make it yours.