Makin' Bacon!

Last week my friend @John_Fisher_218893 was curious about delving into the world of makin' #bacon. Since my inventory was getting low and I happen to have more bellies stashed away in the deep freeze, it was time to giddy up on another batch. It's so easy to do that I urge you to give it a try!

First up is making the cure/rub for the belly meat. Kosher, pink curing salt and then the rest is up to you. I like the recipe from Ruhlman that includes bay, garlic, black pepper, nutmeg, maple syrup, juniper berries and fresh sprigs of thyme. http://ruhlman.com/2013/09/bacon/

The process is pretty simple. Once you've got the rub/cure made up, rub the belly to thoroughly cover and then place it in either a ziploc bag or vac bag (or even on a sheet pan that can be covered with plastic wrap). We're doing six small bellies today so I opted for three vac bags.

Once all the bellies are treated to their maple syrup et al treatment and place into their respective bags, I added the fresh thyme sprigs. I used 15# pressure with the chamber vac and sealed them. The lower pressure will leave enough air space to be able to massage the bellies each day, flipping their positions on the sheet tray, allowing for even distribution of the cure.

I'll let them get happy for 7 or 8 days. When the time is up, the belly meat will be rinsed and I'll cook off a couple of slices. As long as the near-bacon isn't too salty, they will spend another 24 hours to equalize before heading off to the smoker to meat Mr. Hickory!

More later.....

By the way, those 'man hands' belong to my trusty sidekick husband. He loves to play in the kitchen!

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Comments

fisher23

Thank you, waiting for more, 😊

Minh_Huynh_48807

Now I have to make some too!! Looks awesome!

wolfiegirl

The only difficult part is figuring out the correct ratio of salt and Prague powder for the total weight of the meat. After that it's a walk in the park!

wolfiegirl

It's been seven days since the belly meat began it's curing process. Rule of thumb is 3 days per inch of meat. Most of these slabs are between and 1 and 1.5 inches. The only work through the course of the week is to turn the packages over and do a little massage to evenly distribute the briny juices that accumulate. Pretty easy.

Next step to to remove the belly meat from the packs and wash them to remove the cure et al. You won't get all of it (pepper likes to hang around!) but that's ok.

Once the meat has been washed you'll want to cook off a couple slices to check for salt content. If you find that it's too salty for your taste you'll have to soak the meat in fresh water, changing out the water ever few hours. That's why I like this particular recipe because it's a perfect balance of salt. Still I do the taste test because.....well, it's bacon (almost!!)

Looks like bacon!!

If all is well and you're happy with the level of salt, then move the meat to a lexan or sheet tray and let it equalize for a good 24 hours in the fridge. This will help do an even distribution of the cure throughout the meat.

By this time tomorrow (give or take) it will be time to smoke these bad boys!!

fisher23

It's looking great.

wolfiegirl

And if Murphy's law teaches us anything, plan to smoke some pork bellies and the rain will come. Hasn't rained in nearly three weeks and whadaya know...hello Mr. Rain. Oh, well, no harm. Smoking either this afternoon when it clears or tomorrow.

wolfiegirl

Off the smoker and done. I wish you could enjoy the smokiness!

fisher23

It looks amazing. Thank you for sharing and inspiring us to make our own.

wolfiegirl

Thanks John. I hope to see you doing a bacon thread very soon! It's just too easy and the rewards are great! You haven't lived till you drop one of these into the sous vide for 24. Takes what is already a good product and lifts it to heavenly levels of richness!

Mike_Kisiel_129680

How long and what temp was the smoke?

wolfiegirl

Smoked at 225° until the internal temp of each slab is between 140-150, about an hour, maybe a little more, depending on the thickness of each piece and where it's situated in the smoker box.

fisher23

Byrdie, I got my bacon started today. Now the hard part waiting for a week.

wolfiegirl

Cool! All you have to do now....except for the waiting bit...is to flip the bag once a day and massage the liquids that accumulate so that they get redistributed evenly. Good going!!

fisher23

It is equalizing in the fridge, smoke tomorrow.

wolfiegirl

Cool!! I'm anxious to hear how it goes....and how it tastes!!