Smoking bacon yourself: pork belly step by step
Pork belly follows the raw ham process, just faster: the 4–5 cm thin belly cures with 35–40 g of nitrite curing salt per kg for only 7–8 days, equalizes for 3–4 days and then gets 5–6 cold smoke sessions – more than any ham, because bacon can handle and needs the strong smoke aroma. After one to two weeks of maturing, it is firm enough to slice. Anyone who has mastered raw ham can make bacon with their eyes closed – and for beginners, bacon is the fastest cold smoke meat project.
Last updated: 23 July 2026 · Author: Michael Vering, Beelonia GmbH · All prices: as of July 2026
Reading tip: The basics of each phase – curing, equalizing, maturing – are explained in detail in the Raw ham guide; bacon is its express variant.
The bacon schedule: 3 weeks from belly to breakfast bacon
| Phase | Duration | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Curing (vacuum) | 7–8 days | 2–7 °C, 35–40 g nitrite curing salt + sugar + spices per kg |
| 2 · Equalizing | 3–4 days | under 7 °C, washed off |
| 3 · Drying | 1–2 days | cool, airy, surface bone dry |
| 4 · Cold smoking | 5–6 sessions of 8–12 h | 15–25 °C, pauses 12–24 h |
| 5 · Maturing | 1–2 weeks | 12–15 °C, 70–75 % RH |
The classic "Tyrolean style" seasoning: juniper, bay leaf, pepper and garlic added to the curing salt. With very thin belly, practitioners report around 50 % weight loss after just 7–10 days – so the bacon is "finished" much earlier than any ham.
Why bacon can handle more smoke: The fat carries and buffers smoke aromas – what would be strong for lean ham after four sessions is only the middle for belly. Traditional recipes go up to 10 sessions; if you like it mild, stick to 4–5. Between sessions, the cold smoke rule applies: at least as much fresh air pause as smoking time, so the aroma soaks in instead of sitting on the surface.
American bacon is not traditional bacon: American breakfast bacon is the hot-smoked, cooked variant of the same belly – a different product. The cold-smoked pork belly described here remains raw, matures and keeps for weeks as a whole piece; the rules are in the Shelf life table.
Frequently asked questions about smoking bacon
Why is my bacon getting hard on the outside?
Case hardening – maturing air is too dry or draughty. Let it mature at 70–75 % humidity; mild cases will balance out again over 2–3 weeks in a vacuum.
Can I also hot smoke bacon?
Yes – this creates cooked bacon or American-style bacon, but not long-lasting bacon. For the classic, storable result, there is no way around cold smoke below 25 °C.
Which smoker is suitable for sides of bacon?
A cabinet smoker with a hanging height from F2 upwards – the sides hang freely on meat hooks without touching each other. How the professionals do the same on a large scale is shown in the example of the Reschauer family in the F6-100 with 160 kg per batch.
Reading tip: The salt question – why nitrite curing salt is mandatory for bacon – is answered in Nitrite curing salt or sea salt; the timing of the cold season is explained in Smoking in winter.
Bacon weeks from October
Double-walled smokers, meat hooks and cold smoke technology – the bacon setup from Beelonia GmbH, manufactured in Beelen since 1880.
Sources and technical basis: Meat dossier (pork belly: 35–40 g nitrite curing salt/kg, 1 day/cm + 2, equalizing ~½, 5–6 to 10 cold smoke sessions of 8–12 h, ~50 % loss with thin belly, Tyrolean seasoning, bacon differentiation). Prices: beelonia-shop.de, as of July 2026.
