Dry Cured Bacon

[elkins20]

Hey Greg Tony and I have many ideas on smoking the cobra if it shows up in your area.  ??? I just did some local groceries. I am going to try the buckboard bacon using a Boston Butt. Then in the mean time will give me a little more time to see if can find one. 40 miles would be a nice bike trip. I did a 7# brisket today and it came out not so good. I tried the rub from Texasbbqrub.com that I was sucked into buying when I purchased the bbq gloves from that site. I also tried the tender quick on it and had a nice smoke ring. I used some red oak and maple from smokinlicious and it had a good smoke flavor. Just the rub ruined it so back to John Henry's pecan rub. Thanks for the advice.

 

[elkins20]

Brian where do you have luck getting your bellies? I tried wal-mart, restaurant depot, different price choppers and one Hi Vee. None had them. And from what some say they are kind of pricy. That is one of the reasons I wanted to try my hand at a Butt first. I will also look at some videos on you  tube. Just with the new computer the older videos play but the sound is messed up.

Bill,

I had the same problem trying to find, I did a search for local butchers and found one 40 miles away. We live in a small town (Saint Augustine Fl) so 40 miles was the closest. They always seem to have 4-5 lb. bellies on hand. I have one in the freezer that I plan to do in the near future.

Greg

After doing some searching I found a local butcher shop about 30 min. from my house that sells pork bellies at 4.89 per pound. But, only in 2 or 3 pound sizes, I think I can work with this.

 

[BedouinBob]

FYI for future reference our local Costco has started carrying pork belly. You might check that out.

 

[elkins20]

Thanks Bob I will check them out as would like to try and find some 5# bellies. But, found one other butcher here that is selling the berkshire pork. And bellies are $8 per pound. I also want to check Sam's and see if they have them.

 

[capeguy]

Thanks to all on this thread for your help on my first attempt at bacon.  I did have a hard time getting it to smoke at 100 degrees however.  It was 60 degrees outside today.  I'll let this sit in the fridge overnight before slicing and frying the bacon.  I've attached a picture

 

[Pork Belly]

We typically buy two whole hogs a year so that's a good bit of belly. I have seen some nice bellies at Costco, I would call them frequently and ask them to hold some if they are in. Oriental and mexican stores often have them also.

 

[GoodForTheSport]

Is the pink salt 100% required for the cure?

Thanks, Ray

 

[Pork Belly]

You can not use it if you don't mind possible sickness and death.

 

[BedouinBob]

+1 to Brian. It is just not worth the risk to leave pink salt out.

 

[barelfly]

I have 8lbs of belly curing today, using the basic process above. I didn’t think to look hear but read this in the book Charcuterie. I tried three different types since this is my first go at bacon. Basic recipe for one, one added 1/4 cup of brown sugar and then a savory batch of garlic, pepper and bay leaf. Each is about 2.75lbs. Looking forward to trying this.

One question I do have, why the 1-2 day air dry in the fridge? Does it help with the flavor, similar to a dry age steak or dry brined steak?

Thanks for the pics and steps above.

 

[Pork Belly]

It dries the surface to better accept smoke. Prolonged time in the fridge, exceding 24 hours, dries the meat and fat improving texture.

 

[barelfly]

Well, the bacon cured, rested overnight in fridge after a rinse and smoked today with a sweet blend of chips and a small chunk of sugar
Maple. I did a off/on  process on the smoker, trying to get as much smoke as possible. Overall, 3 hours before it came to temp. I don’t have the cold smoke gear so went this way. The nibble test showed a good hammy texture. A little salty but this was on the end so hoping once it’s sliced up it’s not so bad.

Can’t wait for the weekend after it’s set up a bit in fridge for slicing.

Thanks for the info and answer to my questions.

 

[lanailife]

That looks amazing!

 

[lanailife]

Here is something, Cure it but don't smoke it. Complete the dredging in cure then zip it up with a few tablespoons of crushed garlic, some chopped fresh herbs of you choosing and some black pepper.  Seal it up and do the seven day flip. Rinse and pat dry(little bits may stick that's OK) throw on a bit more pepper. Poke a few holes in it to run some butchers twine through it and hang for additional drying in your pantry, or any cool dry place. You just made Panchetta Tessa, a dry cured Italian bacon. For Tessa I prefer a three pound piece of belly it gets used in about six meals.  The Italians also roll Panchetta into stylish rounds of spiraled belly but that's a different lesson.

This is my next thing to try. Has anyone on the forum tried this, or things similar? Lately I have been watching YouTubes of making homemade capocollo and other dry cured meats. Fantastic stuff. I want to make it all.