By the The UK Home Smokehouse Team · Updated May 2026 · Independent, reader-supported

How to Smoke Bacon at Home UK – Cure, Smoke & Slice Like a Pro

Making your own bacon is one of the most rewarding kitchen projects—better flavour, full control over smoke intensity, and a fraction of what you'd pay for premium stuff. The process isn't complicated, but it does require patience and proper curing. Here's how to do it right.

Choosing Your Pork Belly

Start with quality pork belly from a good butcher or farmers' market. Look for even thickness (roughly 5–7 cm) with a decent fat cap. You want about 1–1.5 kg for a manageable first batch. Ask your butcher to skin it—saves you time and removes an unnecessary barrier to salt penetration. Avoid pre-packed belly from supermarkets if you can; they often come vacuum-sealed in brine, which confuses your curing process.

The meat should smell fresh and clean. Pink flesh with white fat is what you're after. If it's been frozen, that's fine—just allow it to thaw properly in the fridge before starting.

The Curing Process (4–7 Days)

Curing is where bacon actually becomes bacon. You're using salt and nitrates to preserve the meat, break down proteins, and develop that characteristic pink colour and savoury depth.

Use a cure made from sea salt, caster sugar, and pink curing salt (sodium nitrite). The ratio that works: 100 g sea salt, 50 g caster sugar, and 5 g pink curing salt per 1 kg belly. If pink curing salt feels intimidating, it's worth getting; it's what separates home-cured bacon from a bland piece of salted pork. You can order it online or find it at charcuterie suppliers.

Mix your dry ingredients thoroughly, then rub every surface of the belly with about half the mixture. Place it skin-side down in a glass dish or vacuum-seal bag, scatter the remaining cure over the top, cover it, and refrigerate. The belly will begin weeping liquid within hours—this is normal.

Turn it daily for 4–7 days, depending on thickness. Four days works for thinner pieces; closer to seven for full 1.5 kg cuts. You'll notice the meat firming as the salt draws out moisture. On the final day, rinse the belly under cold water, pat it dry thoroughly with kitchen roll, and move to the next step. If you have a thermometer, the meat should feel firm to the touch.

Smoking Setup and Technique

Before smoking, leave your cured belly on a clean rack in the fridge for 24 hours. This dries the surface (called pellicle formation), which helps smoke adhere properly and prevents the meat sweating during smoking.

For smoking, you have two main options. A dedicated cold-smoking setup (if you're serious about charcuterie generally—see our guide to building a home smokehouse) lets you maintain temperatures below 30°C. This takes longer (12–48 hours depending on desired intensity) but produces the traditional flavour and chewy texture. Alternatively, a simple smoke generator over ice in a standard smoker, or even a cardboard box with sawdust smouldering underneath, works if you manage temperature carefully.

Choose oak or hickory sawdust. Avoid softwoods and treated wood entirely. Apple and cherry add sweetness that can overpower bacon; oak gives a cleaner smoke flavour.

If cold-smoking: run the smoker for 2–3 hours daily over several days until you achieve the colour and intensity you want. Start conservatively—you can always smoke more, but you can't unsmokebacon.

If hot-smoking (around 60–80°C): 3–5 hours is usually enough. The meat cooks slightly, giving a softer texture than traditional bacon.

Throughout smoking, maintain good airflow and monitor temperature. A digital thermometer is essential.

Resting and Storage

After smoking, let the bacon rest in the fridge for at least 48 hours before slicing. This firms it up and lets the smoke flavour mellow slightly. Slice to your preferred thickness—most people go for 3–5 mm. A sharp knife or a deli slicer does the job, though slicing while slightly frozen helps.

Wrapped properly, your bacon lasts 2–3 weeks in the fridge, or up to three months vacuum-sealed in the freezer. Use it like any bacon: fried, grilled, or crumbled into breakfast dishes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Skipping the pellicle stage means patchy smoke absorption and a wet surface. Don't rush the drying step. Oversalting makes inedible bacon—weigh your cure ingredients properly rather than guessing. And resist smoking too hard too soon; you can layer flavour over multiple sessions, but burnt bacon is just waste.

Next Steps

If you're hooked, explore making different cured meats. The same technique works for pancetta, speck, and proper charcuterie. And if you're planning regular smoking projects, a dedicated cold-smoking setup at home costs surprisingly little to build.

For your first batch, set aside a weekend, follow the timeline, and be patient. Homemade bacon tastes better because you've earned it.