See how easy it is to make bacon with the help of the Epicurean range of Bacon Cures. These cures have been designed with the beginner in mind. You don't need access to a smokehouse or smoker oven with these bacon cures. All you need is access to a kitchen, a fridge and an oven and you can become a master at making bacon at home.

What you will need:

• 4.5kg of Pork Belly or Pork Loin
• a large curing container with lid (the Smokey Maple Bacon Kit comes with a curing container)
• a sharp knife
• a fridge
• an oven capable of going as low as 65C°

How to make bacon:

1. Rub the contents of the dry cure pack over the entire surface of the meat. Place skin side down in the curing container. (The salt in the cure will extract moisture from the pork, creating a brine solution. The pork must remain in contact with the brine solution for the duration of the curing process)
2. Refrigerate, turning the meat and redistributing the cure every day or two for 7 days, until the meat is firm to the touch.
3. Remove the meat from the cure, rinse it thoroughly with water and use paper towelling to pat it dry. Place it on a rack set over a baking tray and dry in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 95C° and heat the meat in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 65C°, about 3 hours. Let cool slightly, and when the meat is cool enough to handle but still warm, cut the skin off by sliding a sharp knife between the fat and the skin, leaving as much fat on the bacon as possible. (Discard the skin or cut it into pieces and save to add to soups, stews or beans, as you would a smoked ham hock)
5. Let the bacon cool completely, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.