How to Make Homemade Bacon - Frequently Asked Questions

Does the kit include the meat?
No, it doesn’t include the meat, but this is the only item you’ll need to buy separately. You can find pork belly at most butcher shops and grocery stores with a meat department. Whole Foods is a good bet. If you have questions or are having a hard time finding it use our contact form and we’ll help you.

I don’t know how to cook, am I screwed?
In life, yes, you probably are. But not with baconkit. We’ve made it incredibly easy in a few simple steps to make your own bacon (all kits include detailed instructions sheet).

I don’t own a BBQ or a smoker, can I still make bacon?
Yes! Baconkit works great prepared in the oven without smoke or in a smoker if you have one.

Where can I find pork belly?
Lots of grocery stores and every butcher we’ve ever asked carries pork belly. Chains such as Whole Foods are a good bet. If you need help finding pork belly let us know and we’ll help. Keep in mind when ordering you don’t need any fancy pork belly like kurobuta or berkshire. In our experience pork belly usually ranges from $3.00 - $7.00 per pound. When you see kurobuta or berkshire you’ll generally see them costing 2-3x this much.

Does it matter if the pork belly I use has skin on it?
Nope. Skin on or off, both work great. We like skin off since it’s just one less step in making your bacon. If you have skin on just slice it off after you cook the bacon and before you slice it.

Does my bacon contain nitrites?
Yes, and so does most bacon you buy even if it’s a little tricky to understand the label. When you see labels such as “no nitrites added” often when you read the fine print they’ve used celery powder or other products which contain naturally occurring nitrites. So since they didn’t add any extra nitrites, only the ones that occur in their seasonings, they can legally say “no nitrites added” even though the product does indeed contain nitrites. If you are interested in extra reading we thought this article had a good perspective.

How do I slice the bacon into strips?
Good news, all you need is a decent knife. We find that having the pork cooled down slightly after cooking, but not cold makes for the easiest slicing. You can choose if you want it thick or thin and slice to your liking. You can also invest in a slicer if you prefer. We used this one for a while and were quite happy with it.

Can I smoke the bacon?
Yes! We like cherry and/or apple wood, but you can use whatever you prefer. These woods tend to lend a lighter smoke flavor. For heavier smoke try hickory.

Something went wrong and I want to return my baconkit. How do I do that?
Bummer! Can we send you another kit instead of a return? Contact us here, and we’ll work out an acceptable replacement kit or refund.

Are there other uses for the fat that renders?
We’ve been waiting on someone to ask this. Yes, there are other delicious uses. You can use it in your favorite bourbon or other spirit to flavor it. This is a good walkthrough. Or put a bit into your green beans for some unexpected bacon flavor.

What is the best way to cook the bacon?
This all boils down to personal taste. We like our bacon crispy, but not dried out. Some people on the other hand like their bacon what we would consider burnt. Different strokes for different folks. We like cooking the bacon on moderate heat, giving it time to render some fat. It usually takes about 8 minutes.

I used the maple sugar and when I cook the bacon it develops some black around the edges. What’s the deal?
Don’t worry, that’s just the natural sugar burning a little bit. Most commercial bacon doesn’t use natural sugar so that’s why you haven’t seen that before.

How do I store my bacon?
As much as we all love bacon, five pounds of bacon is a lot to eat in one sitting. Once you have cooked and cooled your bacon you can safely freeze it for several months. Break into smaller packages for easy keeping. You only want to defrost what you are going to immediately use.

Interested in selling The Original Baconkit in your store?
Contact us at sales@originalkits.com to discuss the details and obtain wholesale pricing.