First Buckboard Bacon plus Boneless Ribs
Awhile back I bought 16 pounds of pork butt, which turned out to be 2 butts. I smoked one for Christmas and the other I sliced up into roughly 1 - 1 1/2" x 6" boneless country style ribs and froze. Some of these were fattier than I wanted for ribs so when I thawed them I kept the fatty ones aside for BBB. This will be a short Q-view on the bacon with pics of the ribs we did also. The ribs are really good but the process was pretty boring. We put them in a crockpot with BBQ sauce and we ate them after about 6 hours of cooking. Nothing too special but they are good!
For the BBB I sort of used @Bearcarver's method which can be found in his "Step By Steps" in the link in his signature or by simply searching for it.
Well, here goes,
Day One: Prep Work
This morning before work I started the process (5 AM). The "ribs" I am using for BBB were already cut and thawed as I said before so I simply weighed them and measured out the proper amount of Morton's Tender Quick and the recommended amount of brown sugar per Bear. The meat came out to just over 1.5 lbs. A very small amount of bacon, but a good test run for me.
After applying the TQ and BS I put them in a freezer bag and back into the fridge. Going by Bear's method of how long to cure, I have 2-3 "half inches" in my thickness between the pieces. That plus the 2 extra days gives me 4-5 days minimum. If I add another 2-3 days that puts it at 6-8, so I think I am going to go for 7 days.
Since I just started this morning I will have to come back with progress later. My plan is to flip the bags daily. Pics below
--EDIT-- Day 6.75: Rinse and Slice
This morning would have been 7 days so late last night I took the BBB out of the fridge to start the next step. When I put the meat in the fridge it was gritty feeling from the TQ and BS and it had a little moisture starting to form in the bag. When I took it out it felt smooth and there was no liquid in the bag. Is that normal? I rinsed the meat to remove surface salt and then I soaked in water for a little bit.
Things are a little busy at my house right now. My 2nd child was born on Friday so I decided not to mess with smoking the BBB this time. I don't have a meat slicer and since it wasn't one big chunk I decided to cut it up into smaller pieces to be use in soups, baked beans, or whatever.
The color is pink/red so the cure made it to the middle. However, I was wondering if it is normal for the outside to be more brownish with a pink/red center. Maybe I am noticing it more than others because I had 5 small chucks instead of one later piece. The meat doesn't smell funny/bad so I don't think anything is wrong with it. Is the darker outside due to the brown sugar being drawn into the meat? Pics below.
I haven't tried it yet, mainly due to checking with you guys first to make sure it's all good, but I am anxious to do so!
Thanks for looking!
The slices before TQ & BS
TQ measured out on my scale
Rubbed, bagged, and back in the fridge!
The last of the ribs for lunch today
And a homemade brat
Very tender and delicious! Just wish I would have smoked them...
Thanks for looking, more info and pics to come!
--More Pics!--
Out of the fridge and soaking in water
Patted dry with paper towels before slicing
Pink/red center with brownish outside
Another pic of the color
And another
Some of it sliced up
Bagged and ready to use or freeze
Testing out a few pieces
Cooking up nicely
A quick picture before they all disappeared! My 14 month old son thought they were great! He also enjoyed "helping" me cook them.
Thanks for looking!
Awhile back I bought 16 pounds of pork butt, which turned out to be 2 butts. I smoked one for Christmas and the other I sliced up into roughly 1 - 1 1/2" x 6" boneless country style ribs and froze. Some of these were fattier than I wanted for ribs so when I thawed them I kept the fatty ones aside for BBB. This will be a short Q-view on the bacon with pics of the ribs we did also. The ribs are really good but the process was pretty boring. We put them in a crockpot with BBQ sauce and we ate them after about 6 hours of cooking. Nothing too special but they are good!
For the BBB I sort of used @Bearcarver's method which can be found in his "Step By Steps" in the link in his signature or by simply searching for it.
Well, here goes,
Day One: Prep Work
This morning before work I started the process (5 AM). The "ribs" I am using for BBB were already cut and thawed as I said before so I simply weighed them and measured out the proper amount of Morton's Tender Quick and the recommended amount of brown sugar per Bear. The meat came out to just over 1.5 lbs. A very small amount of bacon, but a good test run for me.
After applying the TQ and BS I put them in a freezer bag and back into the fridge. Going by Bear's method of how long to cure, I have 2-3 "half inches" in my thickness between the pieces. That plus the 2 extra days gives me 4-5 days minimum. If I add another 2-3 days that puts it at 6-8, so I think I am going to go for 7 days.
Since I just started this morning I will have to come back with progress later. My plan is to flip the bags daily. Pics below
--EDIT-- Day 6.75: Rinse and Slice
This morning would have been 7 days so late last night I took the BBB out of the fridge to start the next step. When I put the meat in the fridge it was gritty feeling from the TQ and BS and it had a little moisture starting to form in the bag. When I took it out it felt smooth and there was no liquid in the bag. Is that normal? I rinsed the meat to remove surface salt and then I soaked in water for a little bit.
Things are a little busy at my house right now. My 2nd child was born on Friday so I decided not to mess with smoking the BBB this time. I don't have a meat slicer and since it wasn't one big chunk I decided to cut it up into smaller pieces to be use in soups, baked beans, or whatever.
The color is pink/red so the cure made it to the middle. However, I was wondering if it is normal for the outside to be more brownish with a pink/red center. Maybe I am noticing it more than others because I had 5 small chucks instead of one later piece. The meat doesn't smell funny/bad so I don't think anything is wrong with it. Is the darker outside due to the brown sugar being drawn into the meat? Pics below.
I haven't tried it yet, mainly due to checking with you guys first to make sure it's all good, but I am anxious to do so!
Thanks for looking!
The slices before TQ & BS
TQ measured out on my scale
Rubbed, bagged, and back in the fridge!
The last of the ribs for lunch today
And a homemade brat
Very tender and delicious! Just wish I would have smoked them...
Thanks for looking, more info and pics to come!
--More Pics!--
Out of the fridge and soaking in water
Patted dry with paper towels before slicing
Pink/red center with brownish outside
Another pic of the color
And another
Some of it sliced up
Bagged and ready to use or freeze
Testing out a few pieces
Cooking up nicely
A quick picture before they all disappeared! My 14 month old son thought they were great! He also enjoyed "helping" me cook them.
Thanks for looking!
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