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Recipes => Bacon! => Topic started by: PhilH on August 18, 2019, 03:00:45 PM

Title: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: PhilH on August 18, 2019, 03:00:45 PM
Got another pork belly from Costco yesterday.
9.46 lbs @ $2.99/lb for $28.29

Working on perfecting my bacon 🥓 technique on Costco Belly’s, before attempting the belly’s  I have in the freezer, that came along with my whole hog purchased from a pasture raised pig 🐖 from a farm local to me in MN

I cut the belly into 3 pieces, and am trying 3 different cure formulas

a wet cure, the belly submerged in a bribe of water, salt, maple 🍁 syrup, and TCM (Prague Powder #1)

And 2 different dry cures, one all maple 🍁, the other half maple 🍁 and half brown sugar

All will be smoked with maple wood
Title: Re: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: PhilH on August 18, 2019, 03:04:36 PM
2 more pics
Title: Re: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: PhilH on September 12, 2019, 08:20:38 AM
Cured all 3 for 10 days, rotating every day

Used 6oz of maple wood cut into 13 pieces

Smoked @ 150F for 2 hours
                175F  for 4 hours
                200F. For 1 hour and 41 min
Untill internal temp of approx 150F was reached

Bacon was way too smoky, I till I sliced and froze it, now it is perfect, not sure why

All were a little too salty, but the wet cure texture was preferred, and the flavor of the dry cure #2 (half maple, half brown sugar) was preferred.
Title: Re: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: LarryD on September 12, 2019, 09:58:05 AM
I would like to try bacon again and at the same time, the smoked bacon Sam's Club carries is damned good and kind of makes it a losing proposition to make my own.  I also don't think Sam's has pork belly, so I'll have to find a source.
Title: Re: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: EFGM on September 12, 2019, 02:45:28 PM
I would like to try bacon again and at the same time, the smoked bacon Sam's Club carries is damned good and kind of makes it a losing proposition to make my own.  I also don't think Sam's has pork belly, so I'll have to find a source.

I'm with you Larry, Sam's Bacon is awesome, especially the applewood. They say once you do you own you will never go back to store bought. Something about the 9-10 day process time that keeps me from doing it. I guess even being old I have one of those "I want it done now mentalities" BTW, Costco has Pork Belly's and a pretty good selection as well.
Title: Re: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: EFGM on September 12, 2019, 02:47:29 PM
I applaud you Phil, keep it up!
Title: Re: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: PhilH on September 12, 2019, 04:13:39 PM
I agree the Sams Club Bacon is great, I eat so much bacon I buy it too.  Sams does have pork belly’s, but they were very small.  The flavor of dry cured bacon does not compare to store bought, wet cited bacon.  Once I get my recipes all dialed in, I will prob do 2 whole belly’s at the same time, rather than just 1 cut into thirds. 

I need a slicer now.  Would be great for jerky also.

The attached pic is what I currently slice with.
Title: Re: 2nd batch of bacon 🥓 started
Post by: barelfly on September 12, 2019, 07:35:05 PM
That is the same style of knife I use to slice my bacon.  I don’t make a ton of it, and did use a slicer the first time I made it. I have found that the knife has been easier than the slicer, but that could have been the user and not the slicer.....

Love me some bacon....I may have to make a few slices tonight.