Chef Forum banner

Makin Bacon

3K views 30 replies 15 participants last post by  maryb 
#1 · (Edited)
15lb Pork Belly smoked over hickory. Brown sugar, black pepper, kosher salt & curing salt.

Rubbed down and ready to sit for five days.




Four hrs in the smoker @ 175 and overnight rest in the fridge.

Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
Show Content

Result: Outstanding!

 
#7 ·
Very nice!  I'm glad to see you're giving your new smoker a workout.  I think I'm going to take mine to my new restaurant and do some stuff for features.
 
#9 ·
@chefbuba nice work is this your first time making bacon? First time I made it I was so intimidated about it most a fear of bacteria. You smoke at a much lower temp than I do but I notice with mine some of the bacon gets over cooked so I think I will lower my temp. Here are some photos of mine last batch:





You can see all the photos here step by step: http://www.cheftalk.com/g/a/141/bacon-i-made/
 
#11 ·
@Nicko I have made it a couple of times before, but more like smoked belly, no cure. First time I cured it was a disaster, way too salty to eat as bacon so I chunked it up and threw it in the freezer. It was great to use in a pot of beans. I also could only smoke it on my wood burner which was difficult to keep below 250.

I smoked it to an internal temp of 150.
 
#15 ·
I often cold smoke my bacon especially belly pork. I do like to hot smoke the loin I think you call it Canadian bacon and even rub maple syrup over it. I am experimenting with some fruit tree wood for smoking, I have just trimmed some Fijoa trees so I am looking forward to giving that a go it supposed to be quite a gentle smoke. I have to admit Buba yours makes my mouth water as Homer Simpson says mmm bacon.
 
#19 ·
#24 ·
After a 3 day fridge rest after smoking, firms it up for slicing. Pardon the messy stove, I just finished canning tomato sauce and made a mess!

And sliced and portioned into sandwich sizes. Cottage bacon is a cross between a ham and bacon in flavor. This was from a locally raised hog and was leaner than I would like.
...aka BUCKBOARD BACON. Upper case added for emphasis and I'm not shouting. 8)
 
#26 · (Edited)
Great looking bacon, Chef Bubba!

When I make mine I stay around the 20gram salt per kg of meat. It's a good cure and not over salty.

basic bacon cure recipe

1 .One 10lb slab of pork belly, rind removed

2. 2 tsp pink salt (Prague Powder)

3. 1/3rd cup salt

4. Generous cup of sugar - cane or brown sugar.

5. Any desired spices - Rinse, dry, set on racked sheet in fridge overnight before smoking

I do two types of smoking for my bacon, hot smoke and cold smoke. When I hot smoke I normally just light a couple of pieces of lump and then place the smoking wood on top. Because it's such a small bit of wood/lump...keeping lower temperatures isn't a problem. Remember when smoking, hot or cold, you need good air flow. I also go to a 145-150 internal temp when warm/hot smoking.

I also do a Cold Smoked version that is left to mature afterwards. Here you cold smoke (under 90f) for a couple of days worth of cold smoke. You don't have to smoke it continuous, you can do blocks of cold smoking (say 4-6 12 hour long smoking sessions). After you start your first smoke you don't want to put it back in the fridge...you'll put it in the maturing room in between the smoking sessions. After the smoking is done it will be time to place it in the maturing room. Winter time works out good as I can usually find a spot that's cool and dry (45f). Now let it hang and mature for 7, 14, etc days. You end up with an old world bacon product that's got a lovely intense flavor. It is like bacon with prosciutto tendencies.

When looking to get a Maple flavor on bacon, or in bbq rubs, I've found that Maple Sugar works really nice. Putting it on after the cure and before the rest it gives a wonderful maple flavor. It seems to get more flavor into the bacon when I tried it this way. Granulated Honey is another nice product that can be used in rubs or as a topping.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top