Homemade Ham/Bacon

Let's first make a large batch of spiced salt. You won't actually use this much—just spread a layer on the surface of the meat. Spiced salt can be stored for a long time, so if you decide to make it, make a bit more for future use. First, put the spices and sea salt into a pan and toast them over low heat until fragrant.

Pour the fried spices into a grinder and grind them into spice salt.

First, use kitchen paper to absorb the surface moisture of the meat, then evenly rub a layer of seasoned salt on the surface of the meat. Place a small draining rack inside a storage box and refrigerate to marinate. Make sure the storage box is clean, without water or oil. This way, the moisture released from the meat will drip to the bottom of the box without touching the meat, which is more convenient. If you don't have a draining rack, it's okay—just place the meat directly in the storage box. After marinating for one day, pour out the water that comes out the next day, use kitchen paper to pat the surface of the meat dry, and sprinkle a little seasoned salt on the parts of the meat that got wet.

After marinating the meat for three days, take it out, pat the surface dry with kitchen paper, and sprinkle some herbs you like. I used rosemary on one piece and thyme on another, two different flavors.

Wrap the two pieces of meat coated with herbs in kitchen paper, wrapping 2-3 layers, put them into a sealable bag, and place them in the refrigerator to chill for 3-4 days. Remember to check in the meantime, and if the kitchen paper becomes wet, replace it in time.

Take a pot with a slightly thick bottom that conducts heat evenly, lay a sheet of aluminum foil, take small tea bags like Lipton green tea bags, tear open the tea bag and pour the tea leaves onto the foil, then add brown sugar—10 grams of tea leaves, 30 grams of brown sugar—then place a rack on the aluminum foil, getting ready to start smoking the bacon.

Take the meat out of the refrigerator, remove the kitchen paper, place it on a small rack, cover it with a pot lid, start with medium heat, and after you see smoke, turn to low heat and smoke for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, turn off the heat and let the meat cool naturally, and it's ready. For the smoked meat, it's best to wrap it in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight for better flavor.

Cool the smoked meat, wrap it in aluminum foil, and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

The meat that was refrigerated overnight is taken out and ready to be cut up.

This is thyme-flavored, and the meat has a light pink color.

This is rosemary flavor, and the taste made from the two herbs is really great.

I cut them into small cubes, put them in a sealed bag, and whenever I cook fried rice or side dishes, I can sprinkle a handful anytime. It smells so good and tastes delicious~

Pack into sealed bags and store in the freezer; it can easily be kept for at least 3 months.

If you're too lazy to smoke it, you can put it directly into a food dehydrator at 65°C for 4-6 hours. Just make the surface feel dry to the touch, while the inside should still be soft. This is a piece of the dehydrated version I made before; look at this beautiful cross-section.

Place the slices in an airtight container and refrigerate. When you want to eat them, just take them out and pan-fry with a little oil. I plan to eat them within 3 days, so there’s no need to freeze them.