Bellies to bacon!

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bladebuilder

Meat Mopper
Original poster
So time has come to make more bacon! How can you have a bad day when you start it out putting pork in the smoke house!!

So lets rewind a couple days... Took 3 whole bellies, net weight 36 pounds, cut in half to fit in the pail, then into a modified pops brine (pure maple sugar to replace 1/2 of the white and brown sugars) Cured for 14 days, drained, rinsed, dried and into the smoke house.

I did trim some of the fat away, a couple pieces were more fatty than the missus and girls are happy with.

One piece after blotting dry.


In the smoke house yesterday morning. Smoked yesterday 15 hours.


Then into the cooler over night. Here is a shot of the developing color


And to today. Back in the smoker for another round.


Smoke is courtesy of the AMNPS, blend of maple and apple. Now that being said, I probably could have just hung these outside and had a decent smoke! We have our fair share of forest fires that a causing some nasty air quality issues. Down side, the smoke is white/grey, not blue!!

 
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yikes! great looking bacon-smoke, but the wildfires thing scares me. In Michigan we've been blessed (and at times over-blessed) with rainfall the last several years. some flooding and the great lakes returning to higher levels have been the outcomes (including flooding of my house, which was a disaster).

i could only imagine how neurotic i would be if wildfires came too close to my house. for months (and still to a point) i get nervous with heavy rainfalls.
 
A post smoke picture. I haven't had time to slice yet, all in the freezer right now. Will add a picture or two when I get at it. Waiting on a bag shipment from Lisa, or resident bag lady!
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yikes! great looking bacon-smoke, but the wildfires thing scares me. In Michigan we've been blessed (and at times over-blessed) with rainfall the last several years. some flooding and the great lakes returning to higher levels have been the outcomes (including flooding of my house, which was a disaster).

i could only imagine how neurotic i would be if wildfires came too close to my house. for months (and still to a point) i get nervous with heavy rainfalls.
I hear ya iceman, While I'm enjoying the lake levels returning to 1980's levels, that flood last August was something to remember! My Brother-in-law lives in Royal Oak just like you and had 4 feet of water in his basement. I'll never forget all the trash on his street;

 
Haha! Sorry guys, lost this thread some how!  36 pounds... by the time I give some to family, and friends, Id say I would be left with 3 months worth. Got some back bacon as well, you know, to keep the fat down! Haha!
 
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