BLT with a Southern Twist... Now a BCT

[smokeydokey]

As a newbie here, I want to thank all of you for all the great advice you so willing share. It has really made a difference, and sped up the learning curve considerably.

I would like to give back now by sharing with you.

We live in Phoenix and have the great fortune of have 2 growing seasons, and even though it is December, we're harvesting tomatoes. They are runty, but man, do they pack a punch!

The love of my life is a good Southern Girl from North Carolina who insisted that we plant not only Okra, but Collards as well. I grudgingly gave up precious garden space for these trifles, but what an eyeopener...

I made my first run at bacon a couple of weeks ago, and since I have no commercial slicer, I made my chunks rather small ( 6 inches) so I could get decent results with a good kitchen knife.

I did a quick cure with just kosher salt and Grade B maple syrup for 4 days. Then rinsed, dried and covered the bacon with fresh cracked pepper and smoked over cherry wood for 8 hours at 100-140 degrees. It turned out very well. I did a small batch and froze until needed.

I thought we had made the best BLT on the planet until we ran out of lettuce, so I grabbed a collard leaf as a substitute. A VERY happy accident! Raw Collard greens are really spicy and crunchy, and the flavor added a whole new dimension to the classic sandwich. If you are lucky enough to be able to procure some fresh greens, give it a try.

Heres a photo of my components. Good luck and happy smoking!



SmokeyDokey

 

[roller]

Good idea...love me some collards..thanks

 

[SmokinAl]

Good looking bacon!

 

[slownlow]

great looking bacon, great looking plate of  food!

 

[scarbelly]

Thanks for sharing the idea with us. You bacon looks great 

 

[smokeydokey]

Thanks for the comments. The smaller pieces really slice well, so I will keep using that size. Also, I think that the smaller size helped get a good flavor going with the short cure time. I am now doing a cure using some TenderQuick so I can let it ride a longer time. and get more of that maple goodness infused in the pork belly. That stuff is hard to source! I've got a good local supplier now, so I'll feel better and safer about sharing my smoky treats with friends and family.

SmokeyDoke

 

[raptor700]

Thanks Smokey, I've gotta try me a BCT sammie 

Thanks for sharing

 for the Qview

 

[michael ark]

If you like collards you should try Polk salad.it's great with bacon.

 

[owlcreeksmoker4]

great idea ill have to give it a try

 

[africanmeat]

Great looking bacon

 

[billebouy]

You want to try something good?

Corned beef with collards instead of cabbage. 

 

[smokeydokey]

Man, does THAT sound good! Ms. SmokeyDokey about lost her mind at the very idea of it... Do you smoke your brisket before the corning process?

 

[billebouy]

You always cure then smoke.

And if you wander the threads around here much, you'll realize that when you smoke a corned beef, you're making pastrami, with the addition of spices added before smoking.  Search "pastrami" and you'll see a bunch of threads on it.  Though of course a smoked corned beef without the pastrami-type spices is still damn yummy, some folks might even like it better.

When I make corned beef and collards, I usually pressure cook it, makes it a pretty quick meal, and tender, both the meat and the collards. 

 

[smokeydokey]

Who Knew!?  There is SO much info on this site it is difficult to get around to all the stuff you want to.

i adore pastrami, so I guess that will be on my list. since I have no pressure cooker, I will probably try the Collards and CB in my crock pot, I've always had great results with that.

I can hardly wait to try it out.