This is my third attempt at bacon. My first was Maple Buckboard bacon. It was cured in maple syrup and several aromatic spices. I smoked it over maple. It was very nice.
The second was back bacon (Americans call it Canadian Bacon) with sugar, onion and garlic powder added to the cure. It was smoked over hickory. Also very nice.
Both attempts were from recipes. I decided it was time to start tailoring the recipe to my tastes. I started by going basic and eliminating most of the spices and aromatics. I went with salt, cure and sweeteners.
I went for honey and maple syrup but I wonder if anyone has tried molasses. If so, I'd love to hear how it turned out.
I also found maple and hickory were good but I wanted a bit more mellow smoke and tried pecan.
I started with a 3 pound Pork Blade Roast.
I sliced it in half as I like my bacon in strips and I find it easier to slice.
I did a different cure for each half to try different sweeteners. On the first half (for 1.5 pounds of pork) the cure was:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
On the second half the cure was:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
The one problem I ran into was that the honey made a very stiff rub that was difficult to use. Next time, I will add 1 tablesoon apple juice.
I put the slabs into plastic bags and turned for 9 days.
I took them out of the bag and let them sit in the fridge to develop pellicle. I loaded a pan with ice as I was going to cold smoke the bacon at first.
I loaded up the Bradley smoker with pecan, the bacon and the ice tray.
I cold smoked for 2 hours. I then raised the temperature to 160 F for 20 minutes with smoke. I left it at 160 F but stopped the smoke to an internal temperature of 145 F, about 3 hours. One took a little longer to get to temperature.
I let them cool and put them in the fridge overnight. I then sliced them with my handy ham slicer knife.
I fried some up and made a bacon sandwich. Life s good.
Final Verdict:
Both these bacons were better than my first efforts. They had a great taste. The pecan gave a good smoke flavour without a harsh smoke edge. They cooked up nice and crisp. I preferred the honey over the maple syrup. It added a stronger sweet taste but not overly so. I think I am getting closer to my personal bacon recipe.
The second was back bacon (Americans call it Canadian Bacon) with sugar, onion and garlic powder added to the cure. It was smoked over hickory. Also very nice.
Both attempts were from recipes. I decided it was time to start tailoring the recipe to my tastes. I started by going basic and eliminating most of the spices and aromatics. I went with salt, cure and sweeteners.
I went for honey and maple syrup but I wonder if anyone has tried molasses. If so, I'd love to hear how it turned out.
I also found maple and hickory were good but I wanted a bit more mellow smoke and tried pecan.
I started with a 3 pound Pork Blade Roast.
I sliced it in half as I like my bacon in strips and I find it easier to slice.
I did a different cure for each half to try different sweeteners. On the first half (for 1.5 pounds of pork) the cure was:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
On the second half the cure was:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon Prague Powder #1
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
The one problem I ran into was that the honey made a very stiff rub that was difficult to use. Next time, I will add 1 tablesoon apple juice.
I put the slabs into plastic bags and turned for 9 days.
I took them out of the bag and let them sit in the fridge to develop pellicle. I loaded a pan with ice as I was going to cold smoke the bacon at first.
I loaded up the Bradley smoker with pecan, the bacon and the ice tray.
I cold smoked for 2 hours. I then raised the temperature to 160 F for 20 minutes with smoke. I left it at 160 F but stopped the smoke to an internal temperature of 145 F, about 3 hours. One took a little longer to get to temperature.
I let them cool and put them in the fridge overnight. I then sliced them with my handy ham slicer knife.
I fried some up and made a bacon sandwich. Life s good.
Final Verdict:
Both these bacons were better than my first efforts. They had a great taste. The pecan gave a good smoke flavour without a harsh smoke edge. They cooked up nice and crisp. I preferred the honey over the maple syrup. It added a stronger sweet taste but not overly so. I think I am getting closer to my personal bacon recipe.
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