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Recipes => Bacon! => Topic started by: sweetride95 on June 14, 2018, 12:13:50 PM

Title: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on June 14, 2018, 12:13:50 PM
Hello all, finally got around to doing some bacon. Got a 10lb belly from Costco.
I did a sandbox method of curing I found on here from Pork Belly.
8 days in the fridge.
After rinsing and drying, by test piece was a little salty. I soaked them 3-4 hrs in cold water, changing it once.
Smoked about 3 hrs to int of 145F with 5oz of hickory.
Rested a day, sliced, and vacuum sealed.
Overall, very very delicious. Still a little salty. I didn't get a picture of it salted before bagging. I will mentally try a little less cure next time.
Salty, but definitely still better than a lot of expensive store bought bacon.
Planning on getting another going in the next week or so.

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Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Pork Belly on June 14, 2018, 09:19:17 PM
Looks tasty Ben. It is Salt Box method. I am surprised it was salty, Your coverage looks right. Seven days should have been good. Use the same coverage and only cure seven days. After rinsing or soaking make sure you let it hang out in the fridge, on the rack uncovered for 24 hours.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on June 15, 2018, 07:14:04 AM
Looks tasty Ben. It is Salt Box method. I am surprised it was salty, Your coverage looks right. Seven days should have been good. Use the same coverage and only cure seven days. After rinsing or soaking make sure you let it hang out in the fridge, on the rack uncovered for 24 hours.

Salt box, that's what I meant. lol
It was just a smidge salty. When you have it with eggs and/or potatoes it's fine. Reviews have all been very positive. Maybe I'm being critical.
The rinsing is obvious, but is soaking usually required, or just when it's too salty?
I did set in in the fridge uncovered about 24hrs prior to smoking. I basically followed one of your posts.
I found our local restaurant supply place and have started collected pans/trays make this a little more convenient next time.
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Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: barelfly on June 15, 2018, 09:58:25 AM
Ben,

That looks great. And seems like a simple process. I e never made bacon but your post has motivated me!

And, I love the last picture! Always fun getting to buy new things to help make yummy food!
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: TX Gent on June 15, 2018, 10:39:58 AM
Looks great Ben!

I have my first 5lb half PB curing in the fridge right now. Tonight I'm rinsing and soaking after a seven day cure. Then I'll let it sit in fridge for 24hrs and cold smoke with hickory Sunday afternoon. Thank you for posting your results.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on June 15, 2018, 11:35:00 AM
Looks great Ben!

I have my first 5lb half PB curing in the fridge right now. Tonight I'm rinsing and soaking after a seven day cure. Then I'll let it sit in fridge for 24hrs and cold smoke with hickory Sunday afternoon. Thank you for posting your results.

It's amazingly easy to make some tasty bacon. I can't wait to get another run at it.
I believe you should hot to 145F following your cold smoke.
Anyone interested in bacon, mild or wild, should follow some of Porkbelly's posts. Makes bacon very accessible.
Good luck man!
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Pork Belly on June 16, 2018, 05:49:11 PM
I have never soaked to get rid of salt. My first batch was too salty I just suffered through it. It was not terrible, just noticeable. Using light coverage and only curing seven days I have not had another issue. I feel that first time makers of bacon always over cure. I know I did and everyone I teach, doubts me when I show them how little cure is needed. They all say they would have used more had I not shown them.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: SconnieQ on June 16, 2018, 07:54:47 PM
Pork Belly is my hero when it comes to bacon. But he's a pro, and I find the saltbox method good for big BBQ places doing hundreds of pounds of belly/bacon, but the saltbox "what sticks" method not so good for a single belly for home smokers. If you want to have more control over salt and cure for a single 5 or 10 pound piece of belly, measuring your ingredients gives more consistent results. And it allows you to make adjustments to your taste as you find what you like. I soak for 30 minutes after the cure, but if you find your bacon too salty for your tastes, you can soak for longer.

CURE OPTIONS:

Prague Powder #1 Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (Morton’s)
1/2 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Morton Tender Quick Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Morton Tender Quick
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

If desired, go ahead and add your special twist with additional flavors to the cures like garlic powder, black pepper, etc., but your bacon will be delicious with just the basic cure.

PROCESS:

Prepare a batch of cure using the ratios above per 1 pound of meat. Rub the belly with the cure making sure to evenly distribute it over the entire surface of the belly. Place in a zip lock bag. Place in the fridge and allow to cure for 7 days per inch thickness of belly. Flip the bags once every day and massage the meat to ensure even distribution of the cure.

When fully cured, remove meat from bags and rinse in cold water, washing off all the excess salt and cure. Soak in plain water for 30 minutes to further remove excess surface salt. Dry with paper towels and place on a rack, set over a sheet pan. Place in fridge, uncovered, and allow to dry for 24 hours to form a pellicle.

I have an analog #1. So this is my smoking process. It might not apply depending on the model smoker you have.

Cold smoke phase:
Use 5-6 oz chips and/or split slivers of wood for fairly smoky bacon. Hickory, cherry, maple or any combination. Smoke using the cold smoke plate and a pan of ice for 5 hours (20 minutes full blast, 40 minutes off) keeping the ambient box temperature below 100 degrees.

Hot smoke phase:
After 5 hours, remove the cold smoke plate and pan of ice (water at this point). Dump out the water from the drip pan and slide it under the smoker (if you were using the drip pan that came with the SI for ice). Set smoker temp to 200, and continue to smoke to an internal temperature of 150 (will probably take about 2+ hours).

For more pronounced maple flavor, brush lightly with maple syrup immediately after removing finished bacon from smoker. Add a sprinkling of fresh cracked black pepper for maple/pepper bacon.

Cool 1 hour lightly tented with foil.

Chill for 24 hours or more, then slice to desired thickness.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Walt on June 16, 2018, 10:16:44 PM
I also use the salt box method, with great success.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on June 17, 2018, 08:21:03 AM
Pork Belly is my hero when it comes to bacon. But he's a pro, and I find the saltbox method good for big BBQ places doing hundreds of pounds of belly/bacon, but the saltbox "what sticks" method not so good for a single belly for home smokers. If you want to have more control over salt and cure for a single 5 or 10 pound piece of belly, measuring your ingredients gives more consistent results. And it allows you to make adjustments to your taste as you find what you like. I soak for 30 minutes after the cure, but if you find your bacon too salty for your tastes, you can soak for longer.

CURE OPTIONS:

Prague Powder #1 Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt (Morton’s)
1/2 teaspoon Prague Powder #1 (Pink Curing Salt)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Morton Tender Quick Cure (per pound of belly)
1 Tablespoon Morton Tender Quick
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

If desired, go ahead and add your special twist with additional flavors to the cures like garlic powder, black pepper, etc., but your bacon will be delicious with just the basic cure.

PROCESS:

Prepare a batch of cure using the ratios above per 1 pound of meat. Rub the belly with the cure making sure to evenly distribute it over the entire surface of the belly. Place in a zip lock bag. Place in the fridge and allow to cure for 7 days per inch thickness of belly. Flip the bags once every day and massage the meat to ensure even distribution of the cure.

When fully cured, remove meat from bags and rinse in cold water, washing off all the excess salt and cure. Soak in plain water for 30 minutes to further remove excess surface salt. Dry with paper towels and place on a rack, set over a sheet pan. Place in fridge, uncovered, and allow to dry for 24 hours to form a pellicle.

I have an analog #1. So this is my smoking process. It might not apply depending on the model smoker you have.

Cold smoke phase:
Use 5-6 oz chips and/or split slivers of wood for fairly smoky bacon. Hickory, cherry, maple or any combination. Smoke using the cold smoke plate and a pan of ice for 5 hours (20 minutes full blast, 40 minutes off) keeping the ambient box temperature below 100 degrees.

Hot smoke phase:
After 5 hours, remove the cold smoke plate and pan of ice (water at this point). Dump out the water from the drip pan and slide it under the smoker (if you were using the drip pan that came with the SI for ice). Set smoker temp to 200, and continue to smoke to an internal temperature of 150 (will probably take about 2+ hours).

For more pronounced maple flavor, brush lightly with maple syrup immediately after removing finished bacon from smoker. Add a sprinkling of fresh cracked black pepper for maple/pepper bacon.

Cool 1 hour lightly tented with foil.

Chill for 24 hours or more, then slice to desired thickness.

Thank you for the thorough response. My next belly I will try the measures approach. Regarding the "7 days per inch," I assume yo measure the thicker end and go with that. Example the one I did was about 1.25 thick average, but the end tapered up to probably 1.75 thick. Would have gone 12 days or so with this belly?
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Walt on June 17, 2018, 09:02:28 AM
Be careful with going much beyond 7 days. If cured too long, your bacon will become very hard on your teeth. 12 days will probably ruin your bacon.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: SconnieQ on June 17, 2018, 04:12:01 PM
Regarding the "7 days per inch," I assume yo measure the thicker end and go with that. Example the one I did was about 1.25 thick average, but the end tapered up to probably 1.75 thick. Would have gone 12 days or so with this belly?

Most bellies are going to end up in the 7-10 day range. I don't think 12 days would be too long for one that thick. I tend to calculate based on the average of the thickest and thinnest parts, and sometimes add an extra day. So for your average of 1.25, that comes to about 9 days, then I would add an extra day just for the heck of it (and for the thicker part). So 10 days. Even 11 or 12 days should not be over-cured in my opinion.

I've read several examples of people curing for 3 weeks or more, and their bacon was fine. Other than being too salty. The texture and hue can change some with excessive curing, but I don't think 12 days is approaching excessive. The bigger concern seems to be not curing long enough, and the cure not penetrating all the way to the center.

I would suggest if you go 12 days, give it a longer soak in a couple changes of water after removing from the cure. This will help remove excess salt that has accumulated on the outer surface of the belly. The salt and cure will equalize throughout the meat while it sits in the fridge to dry for a day or two.

You can also look into equilibrium brines, where you can't over-cure, and have more flexibility as far as when you smoke it. I've just always had really good results with the dry cure, it's easy, and I am more than happy to adjust my life around bacon. :P
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Pork Belly on June 17, 2018, 07:08:55 PM
I have not had a belly that will not fully cure in seven days. I have done bellies that average 2 inches in seven days.

Your salting all sides of the meat it will cure a two inch belly in a week.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: TX Gent on June 18, 2018, 09:01:23 AM
Not to hijack Ben's thread ...

Used dry cure in a double bag for seven days. Flipped each day once or twice and massaged each time. Rinsed well and water soaked over twelve hours with three changes of water till clear. Dried and refrigerated uncovered for 36 hours (smoking scheduled was inhibited). Smoked in steps 125/150/175 over 4 hours with 3oz Hickory to an internal temp of 145.

Results are beyond fantastic ... Zero salty taste with a very very slight sugar background after taste and a light Hickory enhanced flavor.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: BabsBBQ on June 22, 2018, 05:37:37 AM
I am researching different methodologies of smoking bacon. Some say cold smoke and others do not. Can anyone give me the reasons for doing one over the other?
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on June 23, 2018, 05:59:35 PM
From what I understand, cold smoking will help you add quite a bit more smoke flavor. Hot smoking, you have a window of time where the smoke is available. In my case, it might have taken 2hrs to get 145f of temp in then meat. Cold smoking you could stretch that put indefinitely, if your temps were under 100f.

Im not setup to cold smoke currently, so I have no first hand experience. My 2hr hot smoke put a fair amount of hickory flavor in my bacon. If I got a cold smoke setup going, I would tread carefully. I like smoke, but don't like burping it all day.

Let's see if some other chime in for us.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Walt on June 23, 2018, 06:35:58 PM
I generally cold smoke for 6 to 8 hours then do a 2 hr hot smoke the following day. I have skipped the cold smoke a time or two. The difference is in depth if flavor. I believe I've seen PorkBelly go substantially longer with cold smoke. I personally would put substantial weight to his opinion if he chimes in again. I'm not sure of how much would be too much or @ what point the improvement begins diminishing. I usually smoke a 15 to 20lb belly every month or so. Alot of requests lately from family & friends, so I'm going to start doing 2 full bellies from now on. Our favorite combination for seasoning is chipolte in adobo sauce, cane syrup & garlic. However, its enjoyable to experiment. Good luck.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Pork Belly on June 23, 2018, 08:51:31 PM
The reason you would want to cold smoke rather than hot is more flavor. Once you get to 140 it is not sucking up smoke. During cold weather I have gone 24 hours of smoke on bacon. I have also done short six or eight hour sessions resting in the fridge overnight.

My personal taste is bacon and jerky can not have too much smoke.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on June 24, 2018, 08:27:28 AM
Looks like I need to get a cold smoke setup working. ;D
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Pork Belly on June 25, 2018, 06:26:46 PM
I cold smoke on my #3, use chips or slivers (pencil size) load smoker, crank heat to 250 with the door open. When you see smoke start, lower the heat to 100 and shut the door.

I use this method in cold or cool weather, no cold plate no ice.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on July 22, 2018, 08:01:54 AM
Started bacon #2 on friday.
By feel, I dialed the cure back a smidge.
Unlike last time, I added a little maple syrup and fresh garlic rub to the action.
Thought is I didn't add any extra sugar last time, maybe that enhanced my "salty" response. This may help smooth that over.
I report back in week or so.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on August 05, 2018, 08:25:35 AM
Late update, but belly #2 turned out better that #1.

Firstly, having the right pans, trays, and racks makes a huge difference. Wow, life was way harder than it needed to be. Best $60 I may have ever spent.

I dialed back on the salt a smidge and it seemed to make a difference. I actually had enough mixed up from the first one left over to do the second. So i didn't change any salt ratios.

I was able to get 3hrs of cold smoke on it before going hot. I race RC cars in the winter, so I rigged up a car stand w/fan to help move air through the box. It actually made the AmZn smoke thing work correctly. It was 85F here that day, packed with frozen tupperwares I was able to keep the box below 65F for those 3 hrs. It started rising and my time window was closing so I stopped at the 3 hrs.

Taste and thoughts...
Salt level was better, still firm though. My wife thinks an hour cold soak in water before drying should be standard procedure. #3 we will go this way.
Garlic was a nice touch. Plays with the black pepper nicely.
Maple syrup, I don't pick up on. I may need to add a little more. Not a huge maple guy, so I may keep it modest to just help balance salts
Cold smoke, I am happy I figured out how to get it working. I don't think there's enough on this #2 bacon to tell any difference. It does seem different, but I added garlic, so I may be making things up. When the weather cools off, I look forward to going 8hrs cold smoke to really see the difference. This picture is the box empty on my practice run. It wanted to run into the 90s without the meat and ice packs.
(https://www.smokinitforums.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1146.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fo533%2Fsportpak%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2FIMG_20180728_113401_zps8crqkkav.jpg&hash=3244dc27240bbc6014f5321fccfa00c0e8d767b4)

Finally, it's amazing how easy it is to make some really tasty bacon. I figured this last batch at about $3.50/lb, so damn, it even saves some money!
(https://www.smokinitforums.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1146.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fo533%2Fsportpak%2FMobile%2520Uploads%2FIMG_20180729_175008_zpsxyrr9zfy.jpg&hash=5008e2cc597716212d383a56b7782412f5dd3036)
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Pork Belly on August 05, 2018, 05:15:50 PM
Quote
I figured this last batch at about $3.50/lb,

Granted I live in a tourist town, but here handcrafted bacon sells for $15 or higher depending on the vendor. And then the is Nueske's they are priced at a whole other level. Personally I like my bacon better than Nueske's. https://www.nueskes.com/store/bacon/
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: SconnieQ on August 06, 2018, 02:59:11 AM
Quote
I figured this last batch at about $3.50/lb,

Granted I live in a tourist town, but here handcrafted bacon sells for $15 or higher depending on the vendor. And then the is Nueske's they are priced at a whole other level. Personally I like my bacon better than Nueske's. https://www.nueskes.com/store/bacon/

I am fortunate to have Nueske's right here in Wisconsin. Most all of the local stores carry their bacon and other products. Nueske's is the standard I try to achieve when making bacon. It's pretty smoky, which I like. I've come pretty close.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on August 06, 2018, 07:59:49 AM
Quote
I figured this last batch at about $3.50/lb,

Granted I live in a tourist town, but here handcrafted bacon sells for $15 or higher depending on the vendor. And then the is Nueske's they are priced at a whole other level. Personally I like my bacon better than Nueske's. https://www.nueskes.com/store/bacon/

I can't imagine spending that sort of money on bacon.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: SmokedGouda on August 19, 2018, 10:52:07 AM
Firstly, having the right pans, trays, and racks makes a huge difference. Wow, life was way harder than it needed to be. Best $60 I may have ever spent.

I’m finally ready to do my second attempt at bacon! I just bought a spare fridge so that I have plenty of space for bellies while not taking up all the space we need for everything else haha

What pans, trays and racks did you get? It’s been a while but I remember the first time it being messy and frustrating since I didn’t have many tools to use. I’d love to know what you used to make it easier for yourself.

I went with the salt box method but am probably going to try a measured approach this time. I’ve been using EQ brines for other smokes, and I like the measured approach since it really allows me to repeat results but also make calculated changes. (I have an excel spreadsheet that I use haha) So I’m going to try that with the bacon in a few weeks.

Here’s my first attempt: https://www.smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=5867.0

When I do my next round, I’m going to try to keep the same flavor profile from the first one but just adjust the saltiness. Going to try a spicy batch and also probably some type of garlic and herb batch as well.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: sweetride95 on August 20, 2018, 12:02:59 PM
Firstly, having the right pans, trays, and racks makes a huge difference. Wow, life was way harder than it needed to be. Best $60 I may have ever spent.

I’m finally ready to do my second attempt at bacon! I just bought a spare fridge so that I have plenty of space for bellies while not taking up all the space we need for everything else haha

What pans, trays and racks did you get? It’s been a while but I remember the first time it being messy and frustrating since I didn’t have many tools to use. I’d love to know what you used to make it easier for yourself.

I went with the salt box method but am probably going to try a measured approach this time. I’ve been using EQ brines for other smokes, and I like the measured approach since it really allows me to repeat results but also make calculated changes. (I have an excel spreadsheet that I use haha) So I’m going to try that with the bacon in a few weeks.

Here’s my first attempt: https://www.smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=5867.0

When I do my next round, I’m going to try to keep the same flavor profile from the first one but just adjust the saltiness. Going to try a spicy batch and also probably some type of garlic and herb batch as well.

Containers, I went to my local restaurant supply store and found some large plastic containers. I can't find the exact ones, but something like this is relatively inexpensive and large enough to do some real cuts of meat.
 https://www.atlasrestaurantsupply.com/Cambro/12186P148

Find your local restaurant supply place and you will be in heaven. Pans, trays, tubs, nacho cheese pumps, slicers, ect... Awesome stuff.
Good luck man! bacon is fun to make .
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: BobM on October 01, 2018, 05:54:02 PM
Last night I smoked my bacon hot to 150 in 4 hours.  Set at around 175 but lowered it to 160 for about an hour.  I don't cure so technically it's not bacon but taste like bacon.  I freeze it all and just break off what I want and cooks up great. I cut the belly in half to better fit my slicer and I prefer the shorter lengths anyway.
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: Pork Belly on October 01, 2018, 06:02:28 PM
Quote
I don't cure so technically it's not bacon
You don't cure, or you didn't cure? Are you medically adverse to the use of cures or just unsure where to start?
Title: Re: First bacon!
Post by: BobM on October 04, 2018, 06:57:03 PM
I don't cure, no nitrates and minimum salt.