Bring home the bacon: Make Dad a real treat this Father's Day
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup pure, grade A maple syrup
6 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoon crushed juniper berries
10 sprigs fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1 (2-pound) piece raw, uncured pork belly, skin removed (ask your butcher for the thickest piece available)
In a bowl, stir together the pink salt, kosher salt, pepper, nutmeg, maple syrup, garlic, juniper berries and thyme, and mix well to make a paste. Place the pork belly on a cutting board and massage the paste all over, making sure that the paste covers the entire surface of the pork belly. Place in a zip-top bag, seal, and refrigerate for seven days.
Preheat your smoker or grill to 225 F.
Remove the pork belly from the bag, rinse off the curing paste and pat dry. Place the pork belly in the smoker or outdoor grill and cook until it registers 155 F on a meat thermometer, 90 to 120 minutes, then remove and let cool.
You can slice your bacon and fry it like store-bought bacon, happy in the knowledge that yours is better. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to three months.
(Mario Batali is the chef behind 25 restaurants, including Eataly, Del Posto and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo.)
