Need help for first time bacon

[garyt]

Ok, I got the smoker and I got the weston 12 inch slicer and my first attempt at bacon is soon to begin, my pork belly was ordered and should be here tomorrow. What I need is direction, could anyone give me a link towards a good recipe for making it. I looked at a couple and cant decide. also should I have the butcher remove the skin for me, this is going to be a father Daughter project and I don't want to gross her out.

Thanks for the help

 

[desertlites]

LOL Gary, not long ago I did my first belly & it turned out great!!go into bacon and start looking-I trimmed my fat cap off and made cracklins with them-yumm-if u gonna trim your own have a Sharp knife & partial freeze first.I dry cured mine for 8-9 days in managable portions in zip lock bags.I have followed jimbos fan tecnique-which worked great-

 

[desertlites]

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=13048 maybe this is it.

 

[golfnut]

Gary, this will be a fun project for you and your Daughter. Go ahead and have the butcher remove the skin for you. It can be difficult to do, and if you're worried about gross out factor, the skin does have hair and nipples on it (mammals..remember) and that may cause your Daughter to get squeamish. Only you know the answer to this.

As far as the recipe, you can have superb belly bacon using just Morton's Tenderquick, and Hickory smoke or cut up chunks and try some with Maple syrup added to it, or some of the rubs found on this site. There's really no way to screw it up. Up to your imagination. One thing I can promise though, is after making your own, you'll wonder why you EVER bought that thin tasteless stuff from the store!!

Good luck, and don't worry, there are so many knowledgeable people here that love to help out. Don't hesitate to ask at any stage of the process. These folks are WONDERFUL!!