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Author Topic: Just Bacon  (Read 5532 times)

Offline Electric Miner

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Just Bacon
« on: October 05, 2022, 08:24:46 AM »
Cured for ten days, waiting for smoker...




In the smoker...




Sliced and ready to pack...




Ends and pieces for flavoring stuff...




Must clean slicer before packing bacon...




Started with a 10.3 lb. pork belly. Ended up with eight 1-lb. packages of sliced bacon, plus a little over a half pound of ends and pieces. Net weight loss of a little over 1-3/4 lbs. of moisture during curing/smoking.


Offline Electric Miner

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Re: Just Bacon
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2022, 08:32:33 AM »
Just Bacon

Ingredients
2.5% Coarse kosher salt
2% brown sugar
0.25% granulated garlic
0.25% granulated onion
0.25% ground fennel
0.25% sage
0.25% mustard powder
0.25% dried thyme
0.25% dried basil
0.25% dried chili flakes
0.25% Cure #1

Process

Cut pork belly into manageable pieces. Trim as desired. One at a time, weigh each piece of pork belly and mix the cure for it. The list of ingredients is a percentage of the weight of the piece of belly you are working with.

Using a scale (I prefer a gram scale. It is more precise), weigh the ingredients and mix them together. Rub the belly thoroughly with the mix, then bag the belly, along with all of the cure mix you made for that piece of belly. You can use zip-locs. I vacuum pack my curing pork belly. Try to evenly distribute the cure mix. if using zip-locs, squeeze out as much air as you can. Place in a pan in the refrigerator for 10-14 days. Each day flip the bacon bags.

At the end of the curing period, remove the bacon from the bag, wipe away all the cure you can. Place on a rack in the fridge overnight, and smoke the next day. I cold smoke for 3-4 hours. But it can be done other ways. Keep in mind if you smoke the belly to over about 130 degrees, the fat starts rendering.

This is still raw meat and must be fried like any other bacon.

Offline Marshal Will

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Re: Just Bacon
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2022, 08:44:00 AM »
Looks mighty good. I don't have a smoker but seeing this sure makes it tempting to get one.

Offline Len

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Re: Just Bacon
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2022, 01:05:01 PM »
You fooled me there!
I read "Bacon", and thought, finally some hard core BP hard ware, like Bacon Navy revolver.

Offline AlaskanGuy

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Re: Just Bacon
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2022, 03:28:43 PM »
I am going to try that very recipe!!! 

Cheers!!! )l_
Any technology not understood, can seem like magic. Bible Believer..

Offline Captainkirk

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Re: Just Bacon
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2022, 05:16:00 PM »
I no longer have a smoker. However, I may have to review that thought process. That looks AMAZING, EM.
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Offline AlaskanGuy

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Re: Just Bacon
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2022, 05:56:33 AM »
In about 3 weeks I have to butcher a pig.. this came right on time.
Any technology not understood, can seem like magic. Bible Believer..