There are two ways to do this, but the recipe below calls for a simple all-in-one approach. Alternatively, you can simply cure the bacon with everything but the honey and then, once cured, cover with honey and leave for a few days to get the same effect.
For a really exotic bacon, cure the bacon without the honey and get your hands on some set honey (preferably from a local beekeeper) and gather some lavender flowers. Place the flowers over the surface of the meat and then smear with a liberal amount of honey,
INGREDIENTS
2kg piece of pork belly, ribs removed but the skin on. You can ask your butcher to do this for you or watch this video to learn how.
Per Kilo of meat use:
35g curing salt (Use Supacure or Pökel Salz)
1bsp chilli flakes
1bsp mustard powder
50g honey
1. Wash, dry and weigh the meat and work out the amount of cure you have to use by using 35g salt per kilo.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and rub all over the meat with your fingertips. Pour over the honey preferably doing so in a curing bag or a lidded plastic box.
3. Keep in the fridge for a week (do not cover), turning the meat over each day and rubbing the cure into the meat side - even if the skin is uppermost for that day. If your meat is less than 5cm thick it will be ready in a week, otherwise, leave it for two more days.
4. Remove from the cure, wash and pat dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper towel and its ready to slice. Place on a rack in the fridge for two to three weeks or you can freeze it too in a vacuum-sealed bag for up to three months.
Weschenfelder Top Tip - You can also smoke this bacon - hickory works well with this one.