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5.0 from 42 votes

Jowl Bacon

This method is specifically for jowl bacon, not belly bacon. If you want recipes for normal bacon, check these out here. 

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 10
Calories: 160 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 hog jowl
  • salt (see below)
  • Instacure No. 1 (see below)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Weigh the jowl in grams. Now weigh out 2% of that weight in regular salt, and then 0.25% -- that's a quarter of 1 percent -- of curing salt. Very roughly speaking, this should be about 4 tablespoons of regular salt and a quarter teaspoon of curing salt. Mix these salts together. If you like sugar in your cure, mix this in as well. I like a half cup of brown sugar sometimes. 
  2. Massage the salts (and sugar, if using) into the jowl well. Put the jowl in a vacuum bag and add any stray salt. Seal the bag and put in the fridge for a week. If you don't have a vacuum bag, put the jowl in a sealable plastic bag and set that in the fridge for a week. In this case, flip the jowl over every day. 
  3. When the jowl has been cured, remove it from the bag, give it a quick rinse and pat dry. Set it on a rack in the fridge overnight. 
  4. Get your smoker ready. Set it at as close to 165F as you can, and you can go a little hotter and a lot cooler if you have that ability. Take the jowl out of the fridge and set it in the smoker. Smoke for at least 3 hours, and up to 8 hours if your smoker is below 120F. I like 4 hours at 165F.
  5. Remove the jowl bacon and set in the fridge to cool completely before storing. It will last a few weeks in the fridge, or more than a year vacuum sealed and in the freezer. 

Nutrition Information

Calories 160kcal (8%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 16g (25%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Cholesterol 22mg (7%) Sodium 10mg (0%) Potassium 57mg (2%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 2mg (0%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 160

% Daily Value*

Calories 160kcal 8%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 16g 25%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 10mg 0%
Potassium 57mg 1%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.