Bacon Curing Calculator
Exact cure amounts for dry-curing bacon at home, by meat weight.
Cure Mix for Your Belly
How to Use This Bacon Curing Calculator
Weigh your pork belly and enter the weight in pounds. Pick a salt level and a sugar level, then enter the thickest part of the belly in inches so the calculator can set the cure time. You get the exact grams of kosher salt, Prague Powder #1, and sugar to rub over the meat, plus how many days it needs in the fridge. The ratios follow the standard charcuterie practice: salt at 2 to 2.5% of meat weight, curing salt locked at 0.25%, sugar at 1%.
Weigh the belly on a kitchen scale and enter the pounds. Trim the skin off first if you want the cure to penetrate from all sides.
Mix the calculated salt, Prague Powder #1, sugar, and any spices. Rub the mix evenly over every surface of the belly.
Bag the belly, press out the air, and refrigerate for the calculated days. Flip and massage the bag once a day.
Rinse well, pat dry, rest uncovered in the fridge 12 to 24 hours to form the pellicle, then smoke or roast and slice.
The Curing Formula and Why Each Number Is Fixed
Salt does the preserving by pulling water out of the meat. Sugar softens salt's harsh edge and feeds browning later. The 0.25% curing salt ratio delivers 156 parts per million of nitrite, the level food-safety guidance targets for cured pork. That number is not a suggestion you season to taste; it is the dose that stops botulism without overloading the meat with nitrite. This is why the calculator asks for grams and why a digital scale matters more here than in any other recipe you make.
Worked Example
A 5-pound belly weighs 2268 grams. At 2.25% salt that is 51 grams of kosher salt. Prague Powder #1 at 0.25% is 5.7 grams, about 1 level teaspoon. Sugar at 1% is 22.7 grams, roughly 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. If the belly is 1.5 inches thick, cure time is 1.5 x 7 = 10 to 11 days in the fridge. Total cure mix weighs under 80 grams for the whole slab, which shows how concentrated a dry cure is.
Practical Tips for Better Bacon
Cut big bellies into 2 to 3 pound slabs so the cure penetrates evenly and the bags fit in a normal fridge. Keep the curing fridge at 36 to 40F; warmer invites spoilage, colder slows the cure. Add black pepper, bay, garlic, or juniper to the rub once you trust the base ratios. Smoke at 200 to 225F until the internal temperature hits 150F, or roast uncovered at 200F if you have no smoker. Slice against the grain after chilling the slab firm; a partially frozen belly slices cleaner than a soft one.
Dry Cure vs Wet Brine
Dry curing wins on flavor concentration and smoke adhesion, which is why most home bacon makers choose it. Wet brining wins on convenience: dissolve the same percentages of salt and cure in water, submerge the belly, and walk away for 10 to 14 days with no flipping. The trade is a milder bacon and a wetter surface that needs extra drying before smoke. Either method is safe if the ratios and the fridge temperature are right. Pick based on how much hands-on time you want, not on safety.
Second worked example: 3-pound pork belly
Three pounds is 1,361 grams. The equilibrium cure: salt at 2.5 percent is 34 grams, about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Sugar at 1 percent is 13.6 grams, about 1 tablespoon. Cure #1 at 0.25 percent is 3.4 grams, about three-quarters teaspoon. Rub the mix over every surface, seal in a zip bag, and refrigerate 7 days, flipping daily. The salt equalizes through the meat; that is why it is called equilibrium curing, and why it cannot over-salt the way a time-based cure can. Rinse, rest uncovered overnight in the fridge to form the pellicle, then smoke at 200 to 225Β°F to 150Β°F internal, about 3 hours. Chill, slice, and fry.
Why the percentages never change
The 0.25 percent cure #1 is the safety number: cure #1 is 6.25 percent sodium nitrite, so 0.25 percent of the meat's weight delivers 156 parts per million of nitrite, the USDA limit for bacon. More is not safer; nitrite is the preservative and the poison, separated only by dose. The 2 to 2.5 percent salt is the flavor number: below 2 percent the bacon tastes flat and cures unevenly, above 3 percent it eats like ham. Sugar is optional but traditional at 0.5 to 1.5 percent; it rounds the salt and feeds browning. These percentages scale to any belly weight, which is the whole point: weigh the meat, multiply, cure.
Curing mistakes
Eyeballing the cure #1 is the dangerous one; a kitchen scale is mandatory, not optional, because the margin between 156 ppm and double that is a teaspoon. Using table salt instead of kosher throws off the volume measure; the weight is the same, so weigh it. Curing too warm is second: above 40Β°F the meat is in the danger zone for a week, which is a food-safety failure. Skipping the overnight rest means no pellicle, and smoke slides off wet meat instead of sticking. And slicing with the grain gives chewy bacon; slice across the grain, an eighth-inch thick, for the crisp-chewy bite.
Worked Example: 2,500-Gram Pork Belly
Weigh the belly: 2,500 grams. Salt at 2.5 percent = 62.5 grams. Sugar at 1 percent = 25 grams. Cure #1 at 0.25 percent = 6.25 grams. Black pepper, a tablespoon or two, is seasoning, not cure, so it does not enter the math. Rub everything evenly over the meat, seal it in a bag, and refrigerate 7 to 10 days, flipping daily. The salt and nitrite migrate inward at roughly the same rate regardless of belly thickness, which is why time is given as a range and the percentages never change.
Check the nitrite math, because this is the safety-critical number. Cure #1 is 6.25 percent sodium nitrite, so 6.25 grams of cure carries 0.39 grams of nitrite. Spread across 2,500 grams of meat that is 156 parts per million, the standard target for cured bacon. Drop the cure to 0.2 percent and you land at 125 ppm, still safe but with less margin. Push past 0.3 percent and you gain nothing in safety while the flavor turns harsh. The 0.25 percent figure is fixed for a reason.
Why These Numbers Never Change
Salt at 2 to 3 percent is the band where preservation works and the bacon stays edible. Below 2 percent the cure is unreliable; above 3 percent most people find it too salty even after the soak-out. Sugar is flavor and balance, typically 0.5 to 1.5 percent, and it also feeds the mild fermentation that rounds out cured flavor. Cure #1 is the non-negotiable: without nitrite you are making salt pork, not bacon, and salt pork stored the same way carries real botulism risk in low-oxygen packaging.
The classic mistake is scaling by volume instead of weight. A cup of Diamond Crystal and a cup of Morton weigh different amounts, so "2 tablespoons per pound" recipes drift by brand. Percentages of the meat's weight do not drift. The second mistake is rushing the cure: slicing at day 4 because it looks done leaves the center under-cured, and under-cured center on bacon you plan to cold-smoke is the dangerous case. Give it the full week.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much curing salt do I use per pound of pork belly?
Use 0.25% of the meat weight in Prague Powder #1, which is about 1/4 teaspoon per pound or 1 level teaspoon per 5 pounds. For a 5-pound belly that is roughly 5.7 grams. Weigh it on a digital scale; spoon estimates are not reliable for nitrite.
How much salt goes in a bacon dry cure?
Use 2 to 2.5% of the meat weight in kosher salt, plus about 1% sugar to round out the flavor. For a 5-pound (2268g) belly, that is roughly 45 to 57 grams of salt and 23 grams of sugar. The salt level can shift with taste, but the 0.25% cure ratio stays fixed for safety.
What is Prague Powder #1 and why is it pink?
Prague Powder #1 is 6.25% sodium nitrite mixed with salt, dyed pink so nobody mistakes it for table salt. The nitrite blocks botulism bacteria, keeps the bacon pink, and builds the cured flavor. Do not confuse it with pink Himalayan salt, which is a different product entirely.
Can I cure bacon with just salt and no curing salt?
Salt alone will preserve the meat but it will not stop Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism, and the bacon will turn gray instead of pink. If you smoke or cook the bacon low and slow, curing salt is the safe choice. Use Prague Powder #1 for anything cured under two weeks.
How long does it take to cure bacon?
Plan on 5 to 7 days per inch of belly thickness in the refrigerator, which usually means 7 to 10 days for a typical slab. The belly is done when it feels firm all the way through, like a well-done steak. Flip and massage the bag daily for even contact.
What is the difference between Prague Powder #1 and #2?
Prague Powder #1 contains sodium nitrite for short cures like bacon that get cooked. Prague Powder #2 adds sodium nitrate for long dry-cured meats like salami and prosciutto that age for months. Never use #2 for bacon; the residual nitrate levels would be wrong for a product cooked over heat.
Should I use a dry cure or a wet brine for bacon?
Dry curing gives deeper flavor and a better pellicle for smoking, but it needs daily flipping. Wet brining is more hands-off and cures evenly, though the flavor is milder and the surface stays wetter. Both work; pick dry cure for smoked bacon and wet brine for convenience.
Do I rinse the cure off before smoking or cooking?
Yes. Rinse the belly thoroughly under cold water and pat it completely dry. Then slice a thin piece and fry it: if it tastes too salty, soak the belly in cold water for an hour or two and test again. This fry test saves the whole batch.
What is the pellicle and why does it matter?
The pellicle is the tacky, dry surface that forms when the rinsed belly rests uncovered in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. Smoke sticks to a tacky surface far better than a wet one, so this rest is what gives home-smoked bacon its deep color and flavor.
How do I store homemade cured bacon?
Refrigerate sliced bacon up to a week, or freeze it up to three months with parchment between slices so you can grab a few at a time. Vacuum sealing before freezing prevents freezer burn. Label everything with the cure date.