Pork Belly 1st attempt

[Pork Belly]

After rinsing I can put the belly in a container of cold water and let it set for an hour or two.

Please don't do that, just give it a good rise and pat it dry.

I cold smoke without a plate because I'm to cheap to buy one and I only cold smoke when it is cold out. I don't add ice and just keep the temp at 80.You don't have to do your cold smoking all at once you can do it in batches returning the meat to the fridge between sessions. I know some guys that do 4 hour sessions every day for three or four days.

[Eleets2144]

Question for the experts since this thread is active.  I have some belly curing now that will be ready Saturday.  However, I won't be able to cold smoke for another 7 days, what should I do after removing the cure and liquid?

[Pork Belly]

Rinse it well pat it dry and leave it uncovered and unwrapped in the fridge on a wire rack.

[elkins20]

Hey Chris, I have also seen some people will wrap the belly loosely with wax paper and place in the fridge. But, if I was you would follow Brian's suggestion. Just tell the family not to bother it. Or have the better half to smoke it for you.

[Bebe]

I know some guys that do 4 hour sessions every day for three or four days.

ingenious!!!
Thank you!

[elkins20]

Update, tomorrow will pull it from the fridge and give it a good rinsing and back in the fridge on a wire rack. Will also take a photo, but it has been in the fridge curing for 6 days now.

[Eleets2144]

Hey Chris, I have also seen some people will wrap the belly loosely with wax paper and place in the fridge. But, if I was you would follow Brian's suggestion. Just tell the family not to bother it. Or have the better half to smoke it for you.

15-20 pounds are resting quietly in the garage/beer fridge.  My wife looked at me funny when she saw all of it yesterday....

[elkins20]

Hey Chris, I have also seen some people will wrap the belly loosely with wax paper and place in the fridge. But, if I was you would follow Brian's suggestion. Just tell the family not to bother it. Or have the better half to smoke it for you.

15-20 pounds are resting quietly in the garage/beer fridge.  My wife looked at me funny when she saw all of it yesterday....

Hey Chris, I must be living in the wrong city, where on earth did you get 15#'s of pork belly? I need to check out a couple of Asian grocery stores and a costco. But, the place that I found the 2, 3# packages was a speciality grocery store.

[elkins20]

Hi Everyone, Pulled the belly out of the cure/brine at 12:00pm, this was about the time I put it in the brine 7 days ago. I rinsed it all over for a few minutes and then patted it dry with some paper towels. Now is back in the fridge on a rack. I will start the smoke tomorrow night after it cools down. We are supposed to have cool nights this week ranging in the mid 50's. I think can do the smoke at 90 degrees also going to add a 2 liter bottle of ice to the #3. Will be using about 5 oz of maple wood. Also the belly was pretty stiff when I removed it from the cure.

[Bebe]

good looking slab!
Yes, it's suppose to be much stiffer, that's good. Maybe you wanna cut a tiny bit, fry it to check if too salty.

[elkins20]

good looking slab!
Yes, it's suppose to be much stiffer, that's good. Maybe you wanna cut a tiny bit, fry it to check if too salty.

Hey Pete, if I tried a sample am afraid would end up eating the whole thing. I have a fondness for bacon. Also have a bunch of tomatoes that I need to juice and cook to can for sauce. And I hear several calling my name saying it is time for bacon and tomato sandwiches.   

[gregbooras]

good looking slab!
Yes, it's suppose to be much stiffer, that's good. Maybe you wanna cut a tiny bit, fry it to check if too salty.

Hey Pete, if I tried a sample am afraid would end up eating the whole thing. I have a fondness for bacon. Also have a bunch of tomatoes that I need to juice and cook to can for sauce. And I hear several calling my name saying it is time for bacon and tomato sandwiches.   

Sounds like an excellent problem to have

Greg

[Eleets2144]

Hey Chris, I have also seen some people will wrap the belly loosely with wax paper and place in the fridge. But, if I was you would follow Brian's suggestion. Just tell the family not to bother it. Or have the better half to smoke it for you.

15-20 pounds are resting quietly in the garage/beer fridge.  My wife looked at me funny when she saw all of it yesterday....

Hey Chris, I must be living in the wrong city, where on earth did you get 15#'s of pork belly? I need to check out a couple of Asian grocery stores and a costco. But, the place that I found the 2, 3# packages was a speciality grocery store.

I've picked it up in a few different places in Chicago.  One is a cheap wholesale butcher shop (its an interesting experience, you walk into the cooler, put on plastic gloves, and grab and bag whatever meat you want), I think it was $2.99 a pound, skin on.  Costco is walking distance from my place and they started carrying pork belly earlier this summer, $2.39 skin off.  The Costco bellies have looked amazing, but I'm just now smoking my first batch as I've run out of bacon from my first attempt.

[DivotMaker]

Can't wait to see the finished smoked bacon, Bill!  Looking good, brother!

[elkins20]

Hey Everyone, Woke up this morning to a crisp 55 degrees and thought this would be a good day to smoke the bacon. I am using 2 oz of hickory chips in an aluminum boat, 2 oz of maple block and a couple of left over pieces of wood from a previous smoke. I also added a 2 liter bottle of ice just above the smoke box. Will do 5 hrs. smoke at box temp. of 90, then up to 200 for an internal temp. of 150. Was going to do an 8 hrs. cold smoke but did not want to stay up that late last night.