After cooking, allow the meat to rest on a rack and baking sheet until cooled to room temperature. Wrap the meat in parchment and place in the refrigerator overnight. Using a long, sharp knife, cut the pork belly into bacon strips as thin or as thick as you like. Store uncooked bacon in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
The bottom line: All bacon is likely to contain nitrite and nitrate, whether added at the outset or formed naturally during processing. If you want to avoid these compounds, you’ll have to avoid baconand any other processed meats containing celery juicealtogether., and uncured bacon.
No, if you intend on keeping the bacon below 40F and cook it at above 200F. This includes pan-frying, baking, smoking at, say, 225F, etc.
You might be thinking “Is nitrate from Bacon harmful?”
Why they’re unhealthy: Nitrates have been linked to infant methemoglobinemia, a deficiency of oxygen in the blood. Nitrate can interact with the amines in protein to form nitrosamines, which have been linked to cancer in lab animals. What’s being done: The USDA now requires bacon processors to add antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E.
How to make bacon in your own home?
Choose the right pork belly. If you go to the time and trouble of curing and smoking your own bacon, start by procuring a pork belly worthy of your efforts. This means from organic hogs (or hogs raised humanely without hormones or antibiotics). Or from a heritage breed like Berkshire, Duroc, or Kurobuta.
How to cure and smoke Bacon at home?
After rinsing off the cure, place the bacon on a rack and let it dry for 1 to 2 hours to form a pellicle—a sticky surface layer of proteins that forms on the surface of the meat. This helps the smoke cling to it, resulting in more flavorful bacon.