FunkedOut
Member
I've been reading through this subforum ever since posting about my smoked belly and it really got me wanting to try some. This is my first bacon ever, so I'm not sure if it will come out good, so go easy on me...
Most of this process is exactly the same as (and came from) Bear Carver on smokingmeatforum.
I started out by using a small butt that I had, about 6 pounds.
Took the bone out raw, and finished splitting the butt in half along where the bone used to be. I then trimmed off all the pieces that were too thin, cooked and ate those separate. I ended up with two pieces of pork, about 2 lbs each.
I weighed each piece separately and used the following recipe for the dry cure:
1/2 oz per pound of meat TenderQuick
2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar per piece
1 Tablespoon of coarse black pepper per piece
I first applied the TQ, thoroughly rubbing every nook and cranny. Then the pepper, then the sugar and bagged the meat, getting all of the rub on the plate in there as well. There wasn't a lot of rub that didn't stick. I always use gloves to rub; rub doesn't stick to gloves at all.
Then I prepared the second piece of meat the same way.
Both bags went for 7 days in the fridge, getting flipped and massaged daily. Each piece was just under 1.5" thick.
Last night, I opened the bags, rinsed well with cool water and soaked in ice water for 1/2 hour. I then dried the meat well with paper towels and coated liberally with coarse black pepper. I put them in the fridge, uncovered on a grate to dry and form a pellicle.
Today, I prepared for a cold smoke by inserting the cold smoke plate into the lowest position of my SI3. I filled the chip tray with maple, because I will follow the cold smoke with a hot smoke. Loaded my AMNPS with pitmasters choice pellets, placed it next to the chip tray and lit it.
I stacked a few bottles of ice on the cold smoke plate, slide the meat onto a single rack at the highest position, probed the meat and closed the door.
Ambient temp is 87F today.
Meat was at 35F internal temp when I first probed it.
30 minutes after closing the door, the box temp had dropped to 65F and meat had climbed to 48F.
Planning on 8 hours of cold smoke, followed by:
1 hour at 100F
1 hour at 120F
1 hour at 140F
then 160F until IT of 145F.
I figure bringing up the heat slowly should keep it from sweating.
AMZNPS should go for 12 hours with the fan on.
Most of this process is exactly the same as (and came from) Bear Carver on smokingmeatforum.
I started out by using a small butt that I had, about 6 pounds.
Took the bone out raw, and finished splitting the butt in half along where the bone used to be. I then trimmed off all the pieces that were too thin, cooked and ate those separate. I ended up with two pieces of pork, about 2 lbs each.
I weighed each piece separately and used the following recipe for the dry cure:
1/2 oz per pound of meat TenderQuick
2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar per piece
1 Tablespoon of coarse black pepper per piece
I first applied the TQ, thoroughly rubbing every nook and cranny. Then the pepper, then the sugar and bagged the meat, getting all of the rub on the plate in there as well. There wasn't a lot of rub that didn't stick. I always use gloves to rub; rub doesn't stick to gloves at all.
Then I prepared the second piece of meat the same way.
Both bags went for 7 days in the fridge, getting flipped and massaged daily. Each piece was just under 1.5" thick.
Last night, I opened the bags, rinsed well with cool water and soaked in ice water for 1/2 hour. I then dried the meat well with paper towels and coated liberally with coarse black pepper. I put them in the fridge, uncovered on a grate to dry and form a pellicle.
Today, I prepared for a cold smoke by inserting the cold smoke plate into the lowest position of my SI3. I filled the chip tray with maple, because I will follow the cold smoke with a hot smoke. Loaded my AMNPS with pitmasters choice pellets, placed it next to the chip tray and lit it.
I stacked a few bottles of ice on the cold smoke plate, slide the meat onto a single rack at the highest position, probed the meat and closed the door.
Ambient temp is 87F today.
Meat was at 35F internal temp when I first probed it.
30 minutes after closing the door, the box temp had dropped to 65F and meat had climbed to 48F.
Planning on 8 hours of cold smoke, followed by:
1 hour at 100F
1 hour at 120F
1 hour at 140F
then 160F until IT of 145F.
I figure bringing up the heat slowly should keep it from sweating.
AMZNPS should go for 12 hours with the fan on.
