# Bacon!



## Redsmacker (May 21, 2008)

Trying home cured bacon for the first time. Mixed up a brown sugar cure:

16oz Kosher Salt
8oz Brown Sugar
2oz Pink Curing Salt

I'm using the "saltbox" method - rub the belly down all over with the cure in a shallow pan. I'll let this cure for 7 days, wash, season with cracked peppercorns and then smoke for 3-4 hours over pecan. Updates to follow......


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## atcNick (Apr 7, 2005)

I bet thats going to be great. I've never made belly bacon before but plan on it when it gets cold out. 

Just some FYI, I wouldnt cure the bacon in the aluminum pan. The nitrates react with metal and can give you an off flavor/color.


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## surfisher (Mar 8, 2012)

i like that bet that is going to be good smoked bacon mmmmm good!!


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## speckle-catcher (May 20, 2004)

atcNick said:


> I bet thats going to be great. I've never made belly bacon before but plan on it when it gets cold out.
> 
> Just some FYI, * I wouldnt cure the bacon in the aluminum pan. The nitrates react with metal and can give you an off flavor/color.*


X2


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

I haven't bought store bought bacon in three years.

Get the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman. Tons of recipes. Might want to check the amount of pink salt you used. Off hand, it seems like a lot. You definitely don't want to use too much of that.

Times two on the aluminum. Anything that is going to cure for more than a day or two, aluminum is out. I use oversized ziplocs placed into a pyrex dish.

www.butcherpacker.com has everything you need.


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## bonehead (Jan 25, 2009)

I make my own bacon too , I do the dry cure also. 2 oz pink salt sound like alot to me to. I use 1 table spoon per 5 pounds of belly. I have my butcher split my belly in half so the are close to 5 lbs. That way they will fin in a 2 gallon zip lock bag. I use pure maple syrup instead of sugar .


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

bonehead said:


> I make my own bacon too , I do the dry cure also. 2 oz pink salt sound like alot to me to. I use 1 table spoon per 5 pounds of belly. I have my butcher split my belly in half so the are close to 5 lbs. That way they will fin in a 2 gallon zip lock bag. I use pure maple syrup instead of sugar .


Too much Pink Salt will kill you. Be careful.

Where do you get your bellies?

I get my regular ones at Ranch 99 or H mart. If I want to splurge I get some heritage pork at Revival Market. Expensive though.

J&J Packing in Brookshire has some nice product.

If you haven't already, get some pork jowls and treat them the same way.
Unbelievable.


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## bonehead (Jan 25, 2009)

I get my belly's at the meat center its a local mom and pop meat market


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## bonehead (Jan 25, 2009)

I went back and checked my notes from the last bacon I made. I used one teaspoon not a tablespoon. per 5 lbs of meat. I used 1/4 cup of kosher salt and cup of maple syrup and pepper till I liked the way it looked .i smoked it with post oak and hickory


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

bonehead said:


> I get my belly's at the meat center its a local mom and pop meat market


Where is it located? Thanks in advance.


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## bonehead (Jan 25, 2009)

It's in Edna . There is also a place in ganado that is a David's groceries that normally has them . last time I bought them it was a 36 lb box and I paid 1.99 a pound


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## Redsmacker (May 21, 2008)

fangard said:


> I haven't bought store bought bacon in three years.
> 
> Get the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman. Tons of recipes. Might want to check the amount of pink salt you used. Off hand, it seems like a lot. You definitely don't want to use too much of that.
> 
> ...


My cure recipe is from the same book, Charcuterie, page 39. It's the basic dry cure recipe and I subbed brown sugar for granulated sugar.

I read the same about aluminum reacting with nitrate salts so I move the bellies into a 2gal ziplock.


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## Redsmacker (May 21, 2008)

I had the same concern about the amount of pink salt in the cure. When I make rope sausage I only use 1 ounce of cure per 50lbs of meat, so 2 ounces for a 10lb belly seemed a little much. Since I wasn't sure I deferred to my book and let it go as stated. The only thing I can think of is that since curing pork belly this way is an osmosis process (water in the pork belly is exchanged for salt, sugar and cure), that perhaps the absorbtion rate doesn't allow all of the cure to penetrate the meat. Whern making sausage the cure is introduced directly into the grind so you get 100% of the cure in the meat, thus the much lower amount used. I'll probably play around with the amount of cure next time and see how it impacts the final product.


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## Redsmacker (May 21, 2008)

fangard said:


> Too much Pink Salt will kill you. Be careful.
> 
> Where do you get your bellies?
> 
> ...


I work for a foodservice distributor, we also own a meat company. The bellies I got are from Berkshire pigs. I can also get the less expensive bellies similar to what they have at Ranch 99 but the Berkshire bellies are already skin-off and much easier to work with in addition to being a superior breed. I've also got access to all natural Niman Ranch products.

I've been considering making guanciale (cured jowls) but wanted to tackle the bacon first. Also, if I buy jowls through work I've got to buy a full case which is like 50lbs. Let me know if you ever want to split some product!


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## txbigred (Aug 7, 2007)

I like bacon :cheers:


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## 24Buds (Dec 5, 2008)

^^^^love it!


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Looks outstanding, bigred!!!


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## bonehead (Jan 25, 2009)

txbigred said:


> I like bacon :cheers:


 Looks great. What kind of slicer is that ?


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## atcNick (Apr 7, 2005)

Very nice!!


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## redspeck (Jul 3, 2012)

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm bacon!


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## txbigred (Aug 7, 2007)

bonehead said:


> Looks great. What kind of slicer is that ?


Globe 12"


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## Redsmacker (May 21, 2008)

*Bacon Results*

So I had to go out of town and the belly stayed in the cure for an extra 2 days. I smoked it for 4 hours at 150 degrees over pecan. The flavor was outstanding but it turned out a little salty. I talked to a chef I know who told me I could have soaked the belly in cold water for an hour or so and reduced the salt. Oh well, guess you learn from experience.

I've got another belly in the cure now, this time I cut the cure back to about 1/2 ounce (1/2 oz pink salt, 1 lb kosher salt, 1/2 lb brown sugar). Not going anywhere this week so it will only go 7 days this time.


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