bacon experiment (completed with results and pics)

boykjo · May 13, 2011

Well here is my first try at bacon. I did a lot searching trying to use a tender Quick bacon brine but really could'nt come up with exact ammounts of cure to water and cure times. Mortons say 1 cup cure to 4 cups and cure 24 hrs. but I wanted to do a 10 day brine like using insta cure #1. I was planning on cutting the cure in half using 1/2 cup cure to 4 cups water but cant remember if I put 2 or 4 cups of water with the 1/2 cup cure. (old age is settin in). so I am guessing I started with 1/2 cup of TQ , 2 cups of water and 2 cups of jeffs rub. cut the bacon slabs in half and put them in the bag and sealed. I dont know how long i am going to let them set in the fridge but I would say at 4 days being 24hrs by the directions. Now I dont know if the 24 hrs pertains to pumping the pickle into the meat.

I removed the skin on the first slab and hacked it a little. It was the practice piece. Did better on the second piece located in front of pic. I have three more bacon slabs to fall back on if this attempt fails...

skin removed

TQ water and jeffs rub

cut in half to fit in bag

in the bag

brining

thanks for looking

Joe

Bearcarver · May 13, 2011

That brining with TQ is totally Greek to me, so I have no idea how much or how long.

Somebody should know----Eric???

Bear

desertlites · May 13, 2011

Looking good Joe,I just do the #1. I figure if it ain't broke don't fix it.looking forward to see your outcome.

fpnmf · May 13, 2011

I do bacon either with TQ as Bear taught me or with #1 as Pops taught me..

Never thought of combining the 2...hmmm

Good luck!!

Craig

SmokinAl · May 13, 2011

I have a question for you cure#1 guys who are using it in a brine. It says on the package 3 oz. of cure #1 to 1 gallon of water. So it's my understanding that the amount of meat that you put in the brine does not matter, only that the brine covers the meat. Is this correct? In other words it wouldn't matter if I put 3 lbs. of bellies in the brine or 5 lbs. it would still be 3 oz. #1 to 1 gallon water, correct?

fpnmf · May 13, 2011

Yes that is correct.

I put 16 pounds of bellie into a 2 gallon mixture--- 2 one gallon mixtures..

Pops recipe:

1/2 cup salt

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon of #1 (he sez the amount is variable, take longer for less)

1 gal water

5-7 days

Put a baggie half full of water to hold the bellies under the mixture.

SmokinAl · May 13, 2011

Thanks Craig!

killnsmoke · May 13, 2011

i always use instacure #1

eman · May 13, 2011

Check w/ mballi he cures w/ TQ for his bacon.

fpnmf · May 13, 2011

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/85569/cures-and-curing

meateater · May 13, 2011

Rub on bacon, interesting! Let's see some with eggs.

boykjo · May 14, 2011

meateater said:
Rub on bacon, interesting! Let's see some with eggs.

The thought just popped in my head..... Three more days and then in for a cold smoke......

boykjo · May 17, 2011

well here are the results of my first bacon experience............ I went into this doing something that seems not normally done using tender quick in a wet cure. I have searched and found little information on wet curing bacon with TQ. I was thinking what flavor would I like the bacon to have so Jeff's rub came to mind... Well I thought it couldn't hurt... So i followed the instructions on the TQ bag to do brine curing. 1 cup TQ per 4 cups water. I did 1/2 cup cure to 2 cups water and added 2 cups of Jeff's rub with some turbinado sugar added into it and bagged the bellies. I was planning on curing for 4 days but on the second day the bellies stiffened up pretty good so I thought the cure had penetrated to the center so I pulled them and cold smoked with the amns and a heat lamp in the offset moving the pieces around near the lamp. Cold smoked for 14 hrs. I set t in fridge for two days to dry and sliced and fried. The cure was perfect I would say. I am pleased how it turned out. The cure amounts were correct as the pkg said except i went two days instead of 24hrs. The flavor was good... I can taste the rub and the hickory in the bacon that i used to smoke it. I can come up with two things wrong with the bacon. It needed some salt added to the wet cure. Not much but just a little bit and I am really disappointed in the size of the bellies I bought. If you look at the bacon or mini bacon, by time you fry it up they are tiny little pieces... The good thing is as soon as I fried some up the wife and kid jumped in and made a bacon sandwich with left over taco toppings.....

I will do this again but I need to find a belly that will produce the correct size length and width you would get in the grocery.....

Thanks for looking

Joe

in the smoker

out of the smoker

sliced up

fried up

Bearcarver · May 17, 2011

I got here just in time!

It looks mighty tasty Joe!!!

Thanks for the great views,

Bear

fpnmf · May 17, 2011

Looks great Joe!!!

Congrats!!

Craig

gros cochon · May 17, 2011

mmmmmm bacon ! That looks fantastic my friend.

raptor700 · May 17, 2011

Looks very good Joe, Hope my first try goes as well as yours.

I like the heat lamp idea

fpnmf · May 17, 2011

raptor700 said:
Looks very good Joe, Hope my first try goes as well as yours.

I like the heat lamp idea

Lemme know when you are ready to start..

Craig

raptor700 · May 17, 2011

Will do neighbor......

fpnmf said:
Lemme know when you are ready to start..

Craig

beer-b-q · May 17, 2011

Looks Great...

bacon experiment (completed with results and pics)

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