Pork Belly Question

[Ravrav7]

Good morning. I have a question regarding pork belly. I purchased about 25 pounds of belly a few weeks ago and i used half of it for my first attempt at some bacon. By the time i smoked the belly and removed fat i was left with a very thin piece of belly to slice. How the heck do you guys get those nice 1inch slices? Heck i think some of mine were only 1/4 inch. I don't mean 1 inch thick, i mean is it all the type of pork belly that you purchase to keep the meaty portion of the bacon so you end up with a more traditional looking slice of bacon like from the butcher shop? Sorry if the question is confusing, i am wondering if I have to start with a pork belly that is thicker? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[BedouinBob]

When you purchase a belly, if you are looking for the traditional slice profile you see in the store, you need to quality check to make sure you have a thicker piece of meat. You will also find variation across a belly where some areas are thicker than others. I find that it makes no difference in flavor but it does in ascetics. So check thickness before you buy is my recommendation.

 

[Ravrav7]

Thank you for the reply, that is pretty much what I figured.

 

[coachB]

You removed fat from that belly?????  Why?????  You were left with nothing but actual meat.  That had to come out fairly tough after frying.  The fat is the flavor.  I used to look for the leanest bacon when buying store-bought.  I learned when I was smoking my own for thick cut the bellies with more fat were actually tastier.  Now the fat content does not bother me as long as the total height of the slice is adequate.

 

[Ravrav7]

:-[ I thought I had read in several posts they people removed the fat after the smoking.  :-[ So much to learn.

 

[BedouinBob]

No bro, just smoke with skin on (if you got it that way) and then remove the skin only after smoke. If you got skin off, just allow to rest in the refrigerator overnight and then slice. It works much better when cold to slice. Enjoy round two!  The bacon you have will be very tasty even though the fat is taken off. You will love it. And by the way, the leftover skin is great added to beans for flavor or for making cracklins.

 

[Pork Belly]

By the time i smoked the belly and removed fat

This is extremely sad and totally preventable. Not to mention a wast of money. You paid for that fat & worked hard to flavor it.

 

[Ravrav7]

Ok so my 2nd attempt was much better. I also got a nice meat slicer which really helps. I managed to skin the belly without losing much fat. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[BedouinBob]

Way to go! Looks like it turned out great!

 

[McGarry]

Welcome for our second attempt!