以前，培根的銷售會有淡季。在夏季的燒烤黃金時節，這種無處不在的漢堡配料及其母產品五花肉會迎來銷售旺季，而在冬季通常會進入淡季。

但這種情況正在發生變化。2017年7月，彭博社報道稱五花肉價格在上半年上漲了80%，并預測一直高居不下的培根價格還會繼續上漲。原因很簡單：需求持續增長，沒有受到季節的影響。

美國前500家連鎖餐廳有約80%在菜單中包括至少一種培根菜品。培根這種腌肉產品如此深入人心，專注于早餐文化的網站Extra Crispy甚至專門設立了一個“培根評論員”職位；金爵曼熟食店（Zingerman’s Deli）更是在密歇根州舉辦了為期五天的培根美食節；在活動上推出了完全免費的培根菜品，例如用培根碎作為配菜制作的“繽紛鱷梨色拉”。

甚至素培根也備受歡迎。現在，高品質的人造漢堡日益流行，素培根成為許多公司的“法寶”，例如比爾·蓋茨投資的Beyond Meat。

培根創造了無數的機會，但其中有一點你或許沒有注意到：自制培根。自制培根非常簡單，不需要專門的設備，只需要四種原料，而且都可以從超市買到。

培根專家

瑪麗安·森斯克的丈夫是加州納帕森斯克酒莊（Robert Sinskey Vineyards）的主人，她在酒莊擔任廚房總監。森斯克根據自己的經驗專門編寫了一本適合在家中烹制的食譜《威廉姆斯-索諾瑪家常菜：在廚房創造傳統》（Oxmoor House出版社）（Williams-Sonoma Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen）。

上世紀90年代，森斯克在Plump Jack Café餐廳擔任廚師期間，曾被《Food & Wine》評為“最佳新秀廚師”。她說道：“自制培根讓你可以完全掌控這種往往無法控制的食物。你可以買一塊上好的豬肉，根據自己的口味添加調味料，制作屬于你自己的培根。為什么不呢？”

制作過程非常簡單：將精心測量的各種調味料，涂抹在五花肉上。森斯克保證：“三天后你就能用自制的培根做早餐了。”她發現這種干腌法比濕腌法更容易，因為你不需要在容器里攪拌鹽水。

森斯克的培根充分入味，還帶有一點甜味。因為這種培根并非熏制，所以味道更濃郁均勻；她將這種培根比作意大利腌肉。它的用法與在商店購買的熏培根一樣，可以做色拉、三明治或者培根煎蛋，或者用來烹制需要用到培根的任何一道菜。

將其包好后放在冰箱，可以存放一周。如果希望長時間保存，將其切片，每片之間用牛皮紙隔開，用塑料包好放在冰箱里。這樣可存放幾個月，你可以隨用隨取。如果你喜歡煙熏味的培根，可以在戶外烹制，或者直接在爐灶上使用煙熏鍋熏制。也可以在腌制時用煙熏鹽代替粗鹽。

菜譜

這份菜譜節選自瑪麗安·森斯克的《威廉姆斯-索諾瑪家常菜：在廚房創造傳統》一書。注意：這種培根不含硝酸鹽；商店購買的多數培根用硝酸鹽形成粉色，并突出腌制的味道。而這種培根則是更直接的豬肉味道。

制作約2磅培根

1/2杯粗鹽，1/4杯紅糖，1茶匙甜椒粉（可選），2 1/2磅去皮五花肉，顆粒大小約1 1/2英寸的現磨粗黑胡椒（可選）

將鹽、糖和甜椒粉（可選）混合。將四分之三混合后的調味料涂抹在瘦肉部分，剩余四分之一涂抹在肥肉部分；肉的每一面都要涂抹均勻。如果使用黑胡椒，將黑胡椒輕輕拍到肥肉部分，然后再涂抹鹽糖調料。

用密封袋密封五花肉，排空空氣。在冰箱里放置3天，每天翻面。（液體用袋子收集；不要倒掉。）

用冷水簡單沖洗培根，用紙巾拍干。將培根放在架子上，將架子放在平底鍋上或冰箱里，不要覆蓋，陰干兩個小時。將培根切片煎制，可根據個人喜好選擇厚度。若要制作熏培根，請根據廠家的說明，使用室內煙熏鍋熏制，或在戶外烤架上熏制。

（提示：如果你想在兩天后嘗一下腌制的味道，可以切下一兩片。用冷水沖洗，輕拍至完全變干。煎一下就可以享用了。如果你喜歡更咸的口味，把五花肉放回到袋子里，在冰箱里再放一天。）（財富中文網）

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

Bacon used to have a slow season. Sales of the ubiquitous burger topping—and its parent product, pork belly—were known to heat up in the prime-time grilling months of summer, while in the winter, sales traditionally cooled off.

That’s changing, though. In July 2017, Bloomberg reported that pork belly prices had increased 80 percent for the first half of the year, and that bacon prices, already high, were projected to continue to climb. The major reason was simple: ongoing demand, no matter what time of year it is.

Approximately 80 percent of the top 500 restaurant chains in the U.S. offer at least one bacon item on the menu. The cured meat has become so pervasive that a “bacon critic” position was created at the breakfast-oriented website, Extra Crispy; five-day bacon camps are put on by Zingerman’s Deli in Michigan; and completely gratuitous bacon dishes like “fully loaded guacamole” with a crumbled bacon garnish, are pushed out.

Even fake bacon is prized. Now that high-quality plant-based burgers are getting more popular, faux bacon is the holy grail for such companies as Bill Gates-backed Beyond Meat.

In this time of overwhelming bacon opportunities, there’s one you don’t see much of: the kind you make yourself. Yet makin’ bacon is supremely easy, requiring just four ingredients—all available at the supermarket—and no specialized equipment.

The Expert

Maria Sinskey, the culinary director at her husband’s Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa, Calif., created an especially home-friendly version for her cookbook, Williams-Sonoma Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen (Oxmoor House).

“Making your own bacon gives you total control over a food that is frequently out of control,” says Sinskey, who was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine when she cooked at Plump Jack Café in San Francisco in the 1990s. “You get good-quality pork, customize the seasonings to your taste, and make it your own. Why not?”

The procedure is simple: Rub a carefully measured mix of seasoning on a pork belly. “Three days later, you’ll wake up to bacon,” promises Sinskey. She notes that a dry cure like this is easier than a wet cure, so you don’t have to deal with sloshing containers of brine solution.

Sinskey’s bacon is nicely salted, with a hint of sweetness. Because it is not smoked, the flavor shines through; she compares it to Italian pancetta. Use it as you would store-bought smoked bacon, whether for salads and sandwiches, as a side for eggs, or in any recipe that could use a bacon boost.

Store it, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator for a week. For longer life, slice it, place parchment paper between the slices, wrap them in plastic, and store in the freezer; you’ll have bacon on demand for months. If you like your bacon on the smoky side, cook it on an outdoor or stove-top smoker. Or just replace some of the kosher salt with smoked salt for the cure.

The Recipe

This recipe is adapted from Maria Sinskey’s Williams-Sonoma Family Meals: Creating Traditions in the Kitchen. Note: This bacon is nitrate free; nitrates pump up the pink color of most store-bought bacon and also accentuate the cured flavor. This bacon has a more direct pork flavor.

Makes About 2 Pounds

1/2 cup kosher salt1/4 cup packed brown sugar1 tsp. sweet pimenton (optional)2 1/2 lbs. skinless pork belly, about 1 ? inches thickCoarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Mix the salt, sugar, and pimenton (if using). Rub three-quarters of the mix into the meat side and the remaining one-quarter into the fat side; rub it in around the sides of the slab, too. If using black pepper, pat into the fat side of the meat before adding the salt-sugar mixture.

Seal the belly in a Ziploc bag, pressing the air out. Refrigerate for 3 days, turning each day. (Liquid will collect in the bag; do not pour it out.)

Rinse the bacon briefly with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place it on a rack over a pan and refrigerate, uncovered, to dry for two hours. Slice the bacon from the slab—thick or thin, according to your preference—and fry it up. For smoky bacon, cook according to manufacturer’s directions over an indoor smoker or smoke it on an outdoor grill.

(Testers note: If you want to test the cure after two days, cut off a couple of slices. Rinse them with cold water and pat completely dry. Fry the slices and taste. If you want the bacon saltier, return the pork belly to the bag and refrigerate for one additional day.)