Chef's Homemade Lamb Bacon Recipe (2024)

byAlanonFebruary 21, 2019inAdditional Ideas,

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Lambs and goat are smaller than pigs, but in the case of bacon, it’s a benefit, especially if you’d like to try your hand at making Chef Alan’s homemade lamb bacon recipe. Chef’s tried and true blend of seasonings is guaranteed to make delicious bacon from our grass fed lamb or goat belly, boneless short ribs or even fat caps. After it’s smoked, you can freeze it to use throughout the year.

Chef's Homemade Lamb Bacon Recipe (2)

Chef Bergo says that lamb and goat bacon is like a secret ingredient he brings out when he really wants to wow people, and it’s really true, with one exception: he prefers to cut the bacon into cubes or dice, as cutting into slices and cooking can be difficult at home without proper equipment, and as there is a small amount of connective tissue that can be slightly chewy in long strips.

This recipe makes a small amount of bacon, but the separate recipe for the cure needs to be made in a slightly larger batch, this means that you’ll have enough cure to make at least a few batches of bacon, or a big batch, if you like. There’s a complete recipe video included. You can use the cure on different meats too, as with venison bacon and beef bacon.

Chef's Homemade Lamb Bacon Recipe (3)

This recipe is by James Beard Award-winning Chef Alan Bergo. He’s a chef from Minnesota and author of The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora. Learn more about Chef Alan at foragerchef.com.

Looking to buy lamb or goat online? Shepherd Song Farm: Grass to table. We raise lambs & goats traditionally, humanely and sustainably. 100% Grass Fed, Pasture Raised, Never Confined, no Hormones, Grains or Animal Byproducts. Born, raised and processed in the U.S.A. Good for you and good for the environment.

How to Make Lamb Bacon

Homemade bacon is easy to make if you have a smoker. The images below describe the process.

More Smoked Lamb Recipes

Smoked Leg of Lamb (Boneless)

Smoked Lamb Breast or Brisket

Smoked Lamb Shanks

Chef's Homemade Lamb Bacon Recipe (7)

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5 from 1 vote

Chef's Homemade Lamb Bacon

Lamb or goat bacon is easy to make at home with a grill or smoker.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Curing Time3 days d

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Goat, Lamb Bacon

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 284kcal

Cost: 10

Equipment

  • Grill or smoker

  • 3 oz (3 cups) wood chips.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs lamb or goat belly, or trim

Cure

  • 8 oz dark brown sugar
  • 4 ounces kosher salt or fine salt
  • 20 grams pink salt available from butcherpacker.com

Whole Spices

  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 2 dried bay leaves

Instructions

  • Toast and grind the spices in a spice grinder, then mix together (don't toast the bay leaf)

  • Wearing gloves, rub the goat or lamb belly with exactly 6 ounces of the cure, or 1 cup for the total 2 lbs of meat. (Weighing the seasonings helps ensure things don’t come out too salty.) Rub the cure in well, massaging it in to ensure proper seasoning. Refrigerate the meat for 2 days. If using fat caps, score the meat with a cross hatch pattern to help release fat.

  • Meanwhile, cover the wood chips with water and store in a cool place in a covered container that won’t absorb scents, like a metal mixing bowl covered with cling film, for example. The woodchips can be prepared 24 hours or more in advance.

  • To prepare the bacon for cooking, drain the woodchips and reserve, then start a grill. Remove the goat from the fridge. Move the coals to one side of the grill when they’re very hot to get one side as cool as possible, then put a handful of drained wood chips on the coals.

  • Put the grill rack down and lay the cured meat flat on the grill grates, making sure to place it on the opposite side of the coals. Smoke the bacon, keeping the heat as low as possible for 45 minutes-1 hour, turning the meat occasionally and adding more wood chips as needed to get a good, consistent smoke. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300.

  • Remove the meat (it should be nice and browned from the brown sugar and smoke) to a shallow pan, fill with an 1.4 inch of water, cover with parchment and then foil, and bake for 1 hour. Allow the bacon to cool, then refrigerate or freeze until needed. The bacon will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge, and 3-4 months in the freezer, tightly wrapped in cling film, and then wrapped in a freezer bag. The best way to keep it frozen would be to vacuum seal it.

Video

Notes

Breast (brisket) tongue, fat caps from the loin, and boneless ribs can be cured exactly like belly and trim meat.

Nutrition

Serving: 3oz | Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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Chef's Homemade Lamb Bacon Recipe (8)

Chef's Homemade Lamb Bacon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between lamb bacon and pork bacon? ›

Aside from its gamey taste, a main difference between lamb and pork bacon is that lamb bacon does not get crispy when fried because it absorbs more oil. “So we have to bake it in the oven,” said Harvey Sandler, owner of the new Jerusalem restaurant Harvey's Smokehouse, which uses lamb bacon to top salads and burgers.

Is lamb bacon healthy? ›

Lamb typically has more saturated fat — which can raise your levels of bad cholesterol, putting you at higher risk of cardiovascular disease — than beef or pork.

What is lamb bacon? ›

This alternative to traditional pork bacon, cut from the belly of the sheep, still sizzles and cracks with delicious flavor. It's cured and smoked to perfection for added taste. This dietary alternative is kosher- and halal-friendly, making it an excellent option for those with dietary restrictions.

Can you get bacon from sheep? ›

There's no rule that says bacon has to come from pork. Our thick-cut, unsmoked lamb bacon has been dry-cured by hand in the traditional way and comes from grass-fed lamb reared on small, family run farms in Dorset and Wiltshire with the highest standards of animal welfare.

What is the best meat for bacon? ›

Bacon can come from a pig's belly, back or sides ⁠— essentially anywhere that has an exceptionally high fat content. In the United Kingdom, back bacon is most common, but Americans are more familiar with “streaky” bacon, also known as side bacon, which is cut from pork belly.

Which bacon is healthier turkey or pork? ›

Turkey bacon has slightly fewer calories and fat than pork bacon and can be a good substitute for people on special diets or who can't eat pork. Yet, it's a processed meat with less protein and more added sugar than regular bacon and may contain preservatives that have been linked to increased cancer risk.

What is the most unhealthy animal meat? ›

Least healthy meats

Processed Meats: Notably, there are over 200 types of cold cuts and processed meats. These include hot dogs, bologna, and Vienna sausages. Processed meat is often made of less healthy organs like the stomach, lips, and heart.

What is the healthiest bacon to eat? ›

Turkey bacon is likely healthier for you than conventional bacon since it's not red meat. Turkey bacon, however, is still processed meat. Stick to small portions, pair it with nutrient-rich foods, and choose nitrate-free versions if you enjoy turkey bacon and want to keep eating it. U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Is lamb bad for cholesterol? ›

Lamb has healthy fats.

They can help reduce levels of "bad" cholesterol in your blood, lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke. Monounsaturated fats also have vitamin E, an antioxidant. Healthy fats are an important part of a balanced diet. They can help your body absorb nutrients.

Is lambs fry the liver? ›

Lamb's fry is lamb offal served as food, including the testicles, liver, sweetbreads, heart, kidneys, and sometimes the brain and abdominal fat—or some combination of these. In Australia and New Zealand, lamb's fry is specifically the liver.

Can you eat lamb belly? ›

Rolled lamb* breast, also known as lamb belly is taken from the saddle of lamb near the prime chops. A popular restaurant cut although somewhat neglected by the home cook, it requires slow-cooking for a long period, allowing the fat to render and the meat to become tender, yielding a succulent dish.

What is the cow version of bacon? ›

Simply put, beef bacon is a variation of regular bacon made from beef rather than pork. Pork bacon is generally made from sliced pork belly. Like traditional bacon, beef bacon can also be made from the beef belly. However, it can also be made from the brisket or round for leaner options.

Is there anything sheep can't eat? ›

You should not overfeed sheep grains, alfalfa, and other fibrous plant materials. Sheep can easily get gaseous and bloated, which can be fatal. Sheep are herbivores and should not be fed meat or animal products like eggs, dog food, or cat food.

Is there goat bacon? ›

Chef Bergo says that lamb and goat bacon is like a secret ingredient he brings out when he really wants to wow people, and it's really true, with one exception: he prefers to cut the bacon into cubes or dice, as cutting into slices and cooking can be difficult at home without proper equipment, and as there is a small ...

Can you cure lamb? ›

Curing (3 weeks):

I used two different spice cures for the two pieces of lamb prosciutto; a traditional lamb cure and a winter spice lamb cure. I allowed the leg of lamb to cure in their spice cures for 3 weeks under vacuum seal.

Which is healthier pork bacon or beef bacon? ›

In addition to being lower in fat, if that's what you are after, beef bacon packs a powerful punch of protein per slice. A quick comparison of the nutritional facts shows that Pederson's bacon made from pork contains 2 grams of protein for each slice, while the beef bacon contains 6 grams of protein per slice.

What is the closest bacon to pork? ›

Turkey bacon

Turkey bacon is a common alternative for folks who would like their bacon to be a little lower in fat. Made by reconstituting turkey meat into bacon-shaped pieces, it has a similar flavor palette to pork bacon and can be delicious in a sandwich, a quiche, or on its own.

Is pork shoulder bacon the same as regular bacon? ›

Buckboard Bacon

This variety is also known as “cottage bacon.” Though cured and smoked like regular bacon, it's made from pork shoulder, a cut also known as pork butt or Boston butt. The resulting bacon is meatier than bacon made from pork belly. This is how to save bacon grease like a pro.

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