Dry cured bacon is pork belly rubbed with salt, sugar, curing salt, and seasonings, then left to cure for about a week with no added water. Most grocery store bacon is wet cured instead, by pumping or soaking the belly in a salty brine, and that one difference changes how the bacon tastes and cooks.
Our America’s Best Dry Cured Bacon is made the slow way, in small batches, from Heritage Duroc hogs. Here is how dry curing works, how it compares to wet curing, and what to expect in the pan.
- What it is
- How dry curing works, step by step
- Dry cured vs wet cured bacon
- Cooking and storing
- Questions people ask
What is dry cured bacon?
Curing is the old way to keep pork safe before refrigerators. Salt pulls water out of the meat. With less water, bacteria have a harder time growing, and the flavor gets stronger.
In a dry cure, the cure mix goes straight onto the pork belly. The belly rests in the cold for days while the salt works its way in. Then it is rinsed, dried, and smoked.
Nothing is injected, and no water is added. That is the whole idea. What you buy is pork, cure, and smoke, and not much else.
How dry curing works, step by step
Whether it happens in a smokehouse or a home fridge, the dry cure follows the same steps. Here is the plain version, with the safety points that matter.
- Chill the belly. Curing starts with cold, fresh pork belly. It stays below 40°F the whole time.
- Weigh the cure. The mix is salt, sugar, and a measured amount of curing salt. Curing salt carries sodium nitrite, which blocks the bacteria that cause botulism and gives bacon its pink color. The amount is tiny and regulated, so it is weighed, never eyeballed.
- Rub and rest. The cure is rubbed over every surface. The belly rests in the cold for about 7 days, turned now and then, while the salt pulls out water and moves inward.
- Rinse and dry. The cured belly is rinsed, patted dry, and left to form a dry, tacky surface. Smoke sticks to a dry surface, not a wet one.
- Smoke. Real wood smoke adds flavor and color. Ours is applewood.
- Cook before eating. Bacon is cured, not cooked. It still goes in the pan.
If you want to try this at home, use a tested guide and follow the cure amounts exactly. The University of Missouri Extension guide to home curing bacon walks through the 7 day cure and the smoking step. Too little curing salt is unsafe, and too much is unsafe too, so this is not a recipe to improvise.
How our bacon is made
It starts with the hog. Our Heritage Duroc pigs are raised by a network of small family farms in Iowa, crate free and with no antibiotics ever. Duroc pork has more marbling than most, and marbling is where bacon flavor lives.
Each belly is rubbed with brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and a measured cure of sodium nitrite with sodium erythorbate, then cured in small batches. After the cure, the bacon is smoked over real applewood chips. Applewood is mild and a little sweet, so it adds to the pork instead of covering it.
The result is our America’s Best Dry Cured Bacon, sold in 12 oz packs, six or eight to a box. Our process page shows more about how our meats are made, and it is the same slow thinking behind our dry aged pork.
Dry cured vs wet cured bacon: what changes?
Wet curing, also called brining or pumping, is faster. The belly is injected with a curing solution, or soaked in it, so the cure reaches the center in less time. Most large plants use it because it is quick and even.
Both methods make safe bacon. But they do not make the same bacon. Here is the plain comparison.
| Dry cured | Wet cured | |
|---|---|---|
| How the cure goes on | Rubbed on the surface | Injected or soaked as a curing brine |
| Water added | None | Some, as brine. By federal rule, anything labeled “bacon” cannot weigh more than the fresh belly did. |
| Time to cure | About a week | Usually much shorter |
| Flavor | Concentrated, more pork taste | Depends on the brine; usually milder |
| In the pan | Usually less spatter and less shrink | Usually more water cooks off |
The pan test is the one most people notice first. A wet cured slice tends to pop and spit as water leaves, while a dry cured slice usually cooks quieter and comes out closer to the size it went in. The federal definitions of curing, pumping, and green weight are on the USDA bacon and food safety page.
Cooking and storing it
Because there is less water, this bacon likes gentle heat. Start it in a cold pan over medium low. Let the fat melt out slowly, then turn the heat up a bit at the end to crisp it.
In the oven, lay slices on a rack over a sheet pan at 400°F. Most slices are done in 15 to 20 minutes, and thick slices take a little longer. Watch the last few minutes, because concentrated bacon browns fast.
Our bacon ships frozen, so keep it frozen until the week you want it. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and use it within seven days. The same USDA page has the full storage table.
One habit worth keeping: save the drippings. The fat is clean and full of applewood flavor. It is the best thing you can fry eggs in.
Questions people ask about dry cured bacon
Is dry cured bacon healthier?
Bacon is a treat, not a health food, and we will not tell you otherwise. The dry cure means less added water, so you get more pork per ounce. Sodium varies by brand and pack, so check the label on the one you buy.
Is it the same as smoked bacon?
No, they are two separate steps. Curing preserves the meat with salt, and smoking adds flavor and color afterward. Ours is both cured and smoked, over applewood.
Is it better to wet cure or dry cure bacon?
Wet curing is faster and easier to do at scale. Dry curing takes longer and gives a more concentrated flavor with less shrink. We think the slow way is better, and your skillet will tell you which you prefer.
Where can I buy dry cured bacon?
Right here. Ours ships frozen to your door, and you can compare it with our uncured and peppered bacon on the full bacon collection page. See our artisanal bacon guide for how the line fits together.
Taste the difference yourself. Dry cured bacon is not a trend. It is the way bacon was made before speed mattered more than flavor, and we still make ours that way, one small batch at a time.
Order America’s Best Dry Cured Bacon and cook a slice next to whatever is in your fridge now. You will taste it in the first bite.
Keep reading
- Wondering how long a pack keeps? Here is how long bacon lasts by USDA’s storage table.