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My latest bacon

2K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  genemachine 
#1 ·
@kokopuffs So I cured this less than my usual 7 days. I added a little molasses and brown sugar. Came out of the smoker a day ago and I will be slicing it up tonight. Sorry my picture taking skills are horrible but someday I plan to spend a week with @ChrisBelgium learning how to take better food photos. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif






 
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#3 ·
@kuan Thanks! Usually I do a straight plain cure (Kosher salt and pink salt (curing salt)). The other problem I often have is my bradley smoker is not very good about getting up to temp and staying there. This bacon I smoked at 200 consistently for 2 hours and so it did not come out quite as crispy as my usual stuff. Although Bradley Smokers does not recommend it I have taken to putting a small sterno inside which seems to help it heat up and stay at the right temp.

You every make your own bacon? It really isn't all that hard once you get into it.
 
#5 ·
@kuan Thanks! Usually I do a straight plain cure (Kosher salt and pink salt (curing salt)). The other problem I often have is my bradley smoker is not very good about getting up to temp and staying there. This bacon I smoked at 200 consistently for 2 hours and so it did not come out quite as crispy as my usual stuff. Although Bradley Smokers does not recommend it I have taken to putting a small sterno inside which seems to help it heat up and stay at the right temp.

You every make your own bacon? It really isn't all that hard once you get into it.
Best thing to help keep your bradley smoker at the right temp is to put it into an enclosure.

I went all out and got this http://www.homedepot.ca/product/32-cu-ft-storage-shed/930280 expensive but you can close the front doors and pop the top up (built in holder) and continue smoking even in the rain. It also has room for all the smoker pucks and other goodies that accumulate.

If you don't want to go the expensive route even and big card-board box to block the wind and provide a buffer zone of still warm air will help greatly.

The bacon looks great!
 
#6 · (Edited)
Best thing to help keep your bradley smoker at the right temp is to put it into an enclosure.
@MichaelGA I keep asking my wife if I can bring the smoker in the house but she is really being difficult about it. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif

Seriously I do have it in my garage which helps but with the Chicago weather lately it has been cold. Once I get the temp set I can usually keep it where I want but forget about opening the door. Once I do that it is so small and so poorly insulated that the heat drops right out of it. For smoking my large cuts of meat such as hams I put a thermometer that connects to a digital read out on the outside. That way I can monitor temp without opening the door.

I like the idea of the rubber maid enclosure I will have to look into that. Did you insulate it at all?
 
#9 · (Edited)
The other problem I often have is my bradley smoker is not very good about getting up to temp and staying there. This bacon I smoked at 200 consistently for 2 hours and so it did not come out quite as crispy as my usual stuff. ...
I'm sure it tastes good but it looks a bit cooked: bubbles on the surface. I try to keep my WSM smoker at <145F for as long as possible but the temps will ultimately creep to 155+. Once each slab reaches 145F internal temp it is removed from the smoker otherwise if smoking any hotter, the fat will render. Need to see a cross section of one of your smoked slices (or slab).

For me to ensure full penetration of the cure, I allow my slabs to cure for two weeks and I always score the skin to ensure that the cure penetrates on the skin side well. Otherwise without the scoring, the cure won't penetrate skinside.

Go here and here to checkout some of the threads on bacon and get back to me if you have further questions. Enjoy! 8)
 
#12 ·
Beautiful looking bacon Nicko!!!!

I made bacon once sofar, just with salt, sugar and some bay leave. I didn't smoke it, so didn't use any cure.

The next project (in my head sofar, not in action yet) consist of curing baking with some juniper mixed in with the cure (and salt and sugar) and then smoking it.

In my case, I will be smoking at quite a low temperature that won't actually cook the bacon (about 35 oC, roughly 100 F)
 
#18 ·
@kuan Thanks! Usually I do a straight plain cure (Kosher salt and pink salt (curing salt)). The other problem I often have is my bradley smoker is not very good about getting up to temp and staying there. This bacon I smoked at 200 consistently for 2 hours and so it did not come out quite as crispy as my usual stuff. Although Bradley Smokers does not recommend it I have taken to putting a small sterno inside which seems to help it heat up and stay at the right temp.

You every make your own bacon? It really isn't all that hard once you get into it.
Looks great. I usually smoke mine in a Weber grill - decent enough temperature control for me. I need to build a proper cold-smoking rig, though.

As for the cure - I always include some brown sugar and some aromatics, e.g. garlic, juniper, bay leaf, crushed peppercorns or the like. Old pictures:


 
#19 ·
#21 ·
@GeneMachine do you use any pink (curing) salt? Looks great and I love the idea of juniper berry.
Yeah, sure - my basic cure is salt/pink salt/brown sugar. Essentially the basic dry cure from Ruhlman's Charcuterie.

What really amazes me considering the home-smoked stuff is how well it keeps - if you let it dry a bit after smoking, it is still fine after two months in the fridge. Try that with most store-bought bacons....
 
#26 ·
Hehe.... I know THAT problem. I make my kimchee in a water sealed fermentation pot. 

Me: It is sealed, it barely smells, just a bubble through the seal every now and then....

She: The cats refuse to enter the kitchen.

Me: Ok, well....

The detached garage most certainly proved to be the better option here, too. It gets eaten with great gusto, though.
 
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