BACON has nudged its way into every cranny of culinary fashion, be it vodka cocktails, short-rib braises or caramel cupcakes. It’s everywhere. Still. And for good reason: A little bit of bacon packs an umami-rich punch for simple salads, soups or pots of otherwise virtuous greens — not to mention the role it plays in Sunday morning’s alchemy of coffee and newsprint.

Best of all, you can make it at home, in a single week and with no special equipment.

Bacon’s flavor, as with that of any charcuterie, directly reflects the meat that is being cured, so start with great pork belly from a butcher or a farmer. Ideally, the cut will be squared off and evenly thick. If there is a rind, or skin, ask the butcher to remove it, but for heaven’s sake don’t leave it behind. That skin will make chicharrones, a treat so outrageous that you may forget how much you love bacon.

No discussion of homemade bacon is complete without a debate about using a nitrate, a curing agent. Pink salt, also known as curing salt No. 1, is a nitrate, a combination of sodium chloride — table salt — and nitrite, a preserving agent used to deter the growth of bacteria in cured meats. Bacon is cured in the refrigerator, then slow roasted, and finally cooked again before serving. It is not being consumed as a raw, cured meat, so the use of a nitrate is a personal decision.