Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon
We’re kicking off a breakfast theme for a month with a recipe that will step-by-step teach you how to cure your own bacon.
I guarantee this will be among the best, if not THE best, bacon you will have in your life. Fresh really makes the difference.
This recipe is not difficult. In all honesty, the greatest challenge is that the curing bacon takes up a lot of fridge space for about 10 days.
I completely modified this from a Michael Symon recipe featured in Food Network Magazine, March 2014. The only way that I can buy pork belly locally is from Costco (for about $2.69 a lb!), so this is a Costco-sized recipe.
If you can buy a smaller pork belly slab, then just halve the ingredients. Otherwise, buy the big belly and follow all of the steps I provide… which means you’ll have another slab of frozen bacon already seasoned and prepped to cure in a few weeks or months.
After the meat is smoked, slice it up and use it however you want. I find that home-cured bacon cooks much faster than the store stuff, though it can be much thicker, and the bits that look burned aren’t usually burned.
The smoked meat also freezes and keeps for weeks or months. Just thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready, and use it however you wish.
You’ll wish to eat every last morsel. Trust me.
This recipe does require some supplies that you likely don’t have in the cupboard, and might be hard to find locally. Amazon, of course, has everything. I recommend them for buying 2-gallon zipper bags as well as pink curing salt (plus, you get enough salt to last through the apocalypse). Note that pink curing salt is essential here because it has salt and sodium nitrate, which keeps the meat pink and kills bacteria. Normal salts don’t pack that wallop.
Bready or Not: Cato Home-Cured Bacon
Ingredients
- 9 to 10 lb pork belly
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons pink curing salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup paprika sweet or smoky
Instructions
- Cut the pork belly slab in half and rinse and pat dry both pieces. Place them in separate re-sealable 2-gallon plastic bags.
- Mix together the spice rub. It'll form a thick paste. Roughly divide it into quarters, and use a quarter on each side of a pork piece. The rub will be very lumpy. Don't worry about a perfect, even coating; the pork will release juices and the flavors will seep in during the curing process.
- Close both bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Freeze one bag for later; as a precaution against holes getting torn in the bag, wrap it well in plastic wrap, too. When ready to start the curing process for this half, add another day or two to the curing time in the fridge to account for thawing time.
- As for the ready piece of pork belly, set that bag in the fridge for the next 7 to 10 days, until it feels firm. Flip the meat once a day.
- Remove the pork belly from the bag. Rinse it well and pat it dry. Set it on a rack on a small cookie sheet in the fridge and let it dry for another two days. No need to flip it at this point.
- Set up your smoker at 200-degrees. Applewood chips are a great choice, but maple and hickory are fantastic as well. Smoke the pork belly for about 3 hours, until the bacon reaches an internal temperature of about 150-degrees.
- From this point, slice and cook the meat as you would regular bacon, but note that this fresher, homemade variety will cook much faster. Use plastic wrap or plastic bags to store the sliced meat in the fridge for upwards of a week, or freeze for up to 2 months.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: No-Bake Cookie Butter Truffles
We’ll finish off the year with a sinfully sweet treat that acts in stark contrast to those diet ads already clogging the TV: No-Bake Cookie Butter Truffles.
I’ll be honest. I hate making truffles. No matter how many times I do it, or what equipment or chocolate I use, they never end up “pretty” like on other food blogs.
But heck, I’m posting pics and this recipe anyway, because these things are DELICIOUS.
White chocolate (with a touch of oil) is used to coat balls made of crushed graham crackers and cookie butter. Those are the ingredients. It’s that easy.
It’s also that good. You see those ingredients, you know exactly how this will taste.
Cookie butter has gone mainstream at this point. Speculoos and Biscoff are the traditional options, but Walmart is even carrying their own brand now! If you haven’t tried cookie butter yet… I’m sorry/not sorry about the joy I am introducing to your life.
Modified from No-Bake Speculoos Truffle Cookies in Foot Network Magazine, December 2015.
Bready or Not: No-Bake Cookie Butter Truffles
Ingredients
- 9 graham crackers 1 sleeve, about 8 ounces
- 1 1/3 cup creamy cookie butter spread
- 11 ounces white chocolate chips 1 bag
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening
- nonpareils or sprinkles for decoration
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground but not powdery. Add the cookie butter and pulse the two together, scraping down the sides as needed. If the mix isn't cohesive, add a touch more cookie butter.
- Use a teaspoon scoop or spoon to form 1-inch balls. Arrange them on the cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let them set in fridge at least one hour or overnight.
- Melt the white chocolate chips and coconut oil by your preferred method, on stove top, a stand-alone melter, or microwave; note that white chocolate burns quickly, so take care!
- One at a time, drop cookie butter balls into the chocolate and flip to coat. Allow excess chocolate to drip off before returning the truffle to the wax paper sheet. Continue to coat truffles, warming chocolate as necessary. Decorate truffles with nonpareils or sprinkles.
- Let set in fridge at least 30 minutes, then transfer to a lidded container. Store in fridge. Truffles will keep at least a week.
- Recipe makes about 35 teaspoon-sized balls.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: No Bake Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Pie
If you need a dessert that is no bake and no fuss, here’s a pie recipe to come to the rescue: No Bake Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Pie!
This is chocolatey. Minty. Smooth. All the things.
The filling works with either graham cracker or Oreo crusts. You can’t go wrong with either, honestly.
There is something liberating about a good no-bake pie at this time of year. Oven space is at a premium–as is time. This pie comes together in about 15 minutes or so, depending on the speed of your burners.
Bready or Not Original: No Bake Chocolate Peppermint Pudding Pie
Ingredients
- 1 graham cracker crust or Oreo pie crust
- 2 boxes chocolate fudge pudding (NOT instant) or other chocolate pudding; 1.3-ounce
- 3 Tb cocoa powder sifted
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 1 Tb vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- 1 Tb butter
- 4 ounces Cool Whip about half small container
- crushed peppermints optional
Instructions
- Set out the crust so that it's ready.
- In a large saucepan at low heat, whisk together the two packs of chocolate pudding along with the cocoa powder, sugar, milk, and both extracts. Stir until it becomes smooth and thick, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the pat of butter, whisking until the pudding is silky. Pour everything into the pie crust.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes, then place it in fridge to set overnight (or place in freezer for a few hours, then set in fridge to thaw a few hours more).
- Cover the top with Cool Whip. Adorn individual pieces with peppermint bits, if desired.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: White Chocolate Peppermint Blondies
If you want a treat that is decadent, gorgeous, and loaded with peppermint, bake this up.
But once you put the peppermint bits on, eat them within a few hours. That’s right, this recipe has the same issue as the Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookie Sticks a few weeks ago.
See that picture above? That’s what the peppermint does, melting to look like stained glass. It’s a purely cosmetic issue; the bars still taste fine and the peppermint even retains a slight crunch.
The solution to this is pretty easy, though. Add the peppermint bits right before serving, or just omit them. Or be prepared to eat them with oozy peppermint on top, as they’ll still taste fine!
With that disclaimer done, I can say these things taste absolutely delicious. I mean, hello, blondies topped with cream cheese frosting! These are practically a cake.
Modified from County Living, December 2015.
Bready or Not: White Chocolate Peppermint Blondies
Ingredients
blondies
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, softened
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract divided
- 3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 3/4 cup white chocolate chips 1 bag
frosting
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2 boxes
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup peppermints crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Apply nonstick spray or butter to an aluminum foil-lined 9x13 baking pan.
- Beat together butter, both sugars, eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and peppermint extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir the dry mix into the butter mix. Add the chocolate chips. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake until golden brown and the middle passes the toothpick test, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack until room temperature, or place in fridge to chill.
- When the blondie base is no longer hot, beat together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until they are light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Spread frosting over blondies. Freeze for 30 minutes or chill in fridge for several hours to set.
- Add crushed peppermints just before serving. NOTE: after a few hours, the peppermints will melt, regardless of the temperature of the bars. It looks weird, but tastes the same, even retaining a slight crunch. Other than that, the bars keep fine in the fridge for at least 5 days.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
Do you love those peppermint meltaway candies that dissolve in your mouth with such refreshing flavor? Imagine that, in cookie form. Yes. Really.
This recipe essentially makes very lightly-textured shortbread cookies. That texture arises from the use of confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch. These are like cookie clouds.
Then you top those small cookies with a smear of frosting and some crushed peppermint bits. The combo… yeah. These are called meltaways, and that’s exactly what they do.
Plus, these things literally LOOK like the holiday season. Like snow and peppermints.
If you’re searching for a recipe to wow everyone in a cookie exchange, these are your cookies, and they don’t even taste or act like cookies. They’ll blow your mind. Blow the minds of everyone there.
Modified from Taste of Home, November 2015.
Bready or Not: Peppermint Meltaway Cookies
Ingredients
cookie dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
frosting
- 2 Tb unsalted butter softened
- 2 Tb milk or half & half
- 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup peppermint candies crushed
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, then add peppermint extract. Gradually beat in the flour and cornstarch.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or so, until the dough is firm enough to work with.
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Using a teaspoon scoop, dole out dough onto a cookie sheet. Use a spatula or the bottom of a glass to lightly compress the cookies, as they may not spread much while baking.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until set. Let cool on sheet for 10 minutes, then move to a rack to finish cooling.
- When the cookies are room temperature, prepare the frosting. Mash the two tablespoons butter until creamy; add the milk and peppermint extract. Beat in the confectioners' sugar until it is smooth. Add more sugar or milk, if necessary, to reach a thick yet spreadable consistency.
- Use the back of a spoon to frost the cookies then sprinkle with peppermint candies. Store in an airtight container with waxed paper or parchment between layers. Makes about 25 teaspoon-sized cookies.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Peppermint Oreo Truffle Brownies
If you’ve ever had Oreo Truffles–those luscious bon-bons of pulverized Oreo encased in chocolate–you’ll love my original take, which is a heck of a lot easier and prettier, too.
The original Oreo Truffles always irritate me because I can never get a nice, smooth chocolate covering on the balls. You’ll see what I mean next month when I feature a different take on such truffles.
Therefore, I removed the balls from the equation. This recipe has a brownie base, topped with an Oreo-cream cheese mix, then topped with a ganache. Oreo crumbs and peppermint bits give it a showy finish.
No dipping balls in chocolate for an hour. No mess everywhere. This recipe is easy-peasy.
Plus, the cut-up bars will keep for as long as a week if they are sealed in the fridge. That makes them convenient to make-ahead for holiday gatherings… and lets you finish them off at your leisure afterward.
You can use a number of different kinds of Oreos here, too. Mint Oreos are great, but regular Oreos are fine if you add some extra peppermint extract. You can use all-chocolate kinds of Oreos–even the new Thin Oreo version–but I don’t advise using Double Stuf. You do want a lot of cookie crumbs.
Bready or Not Original: Peppermint Oreo Truffle Brownies
Ingredients
brownie base
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 2 cups white sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa sifted
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder optional but awesome
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Oreo layer
- 1 package Cool Mint Oreos* or Peppermint Oreos
- 8 ounces cream cheese 1 block, softened
topping
- 10 - 12 ounces chocolate chips mint, semi-sweet, dark, or milk; add more peppermint extract if desired
- 1/4 cup crushed peppermint bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick spray or butter well.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, followed by the two extracts, salt, cocoa, and flour. Don't overbeat.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 22 to 27 minutes. Cool completely.
- While the brownies are cooling, make the Oreo truffle layer. Crush Oreos in a food processor or by putting them in a sealed gallon bag and smashing them with a rolling pin until rendered to crumbs.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of Oreo crumbs for topping. Place the rest of the crumbs in a large bowl, and use a big spoon to mash the Oreos into the softened cream cheese until the color is consistently black.
- Smooth the Oreo-cream cheese mix atop the cooled brownies, using an offset spatula to get right to the edges.
- To finish off the truffles, melt the chocolate either on the stovetop or in the microwave, and pour it over the Oreo layer. Smooth it out evenly. Immediately top with the reserved Oreo crumbs and peppermint bits.
- Refrigerate until set, about 15 to 20 minutes. If it's too soft, and it will smear when cut; too hard, and it will crack. Use the foil to lift the brownies onto a cutting board, then slice into bars.
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge, with waxed paper between the stacked layers. Keeps for at least a week.
- OM NOM NOM!
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