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What do you slice with? I don’t have a butcher’s meat slicer, so just cut my 5-6 lb slabs in four pieces, vacuum pack them and as I take them out to use them I can easily use a slicing knife to cut uniform half slices.

I have always used the bag method, curing for about 10 days (until the belly has firmed up. I definitely want to try this dry method. I like savory and sweet, so I usually add some maple sugar too. Have always used black pepper, but will now try white. QUESTION: I have always rinsed and dried...

I’ve never brined with pickle juice, though it is a good idea and I will try it. I do oftentimes make a spicy pickle juice glaze (just spicy pickle juice and brown sugar…I use brown allulose to reduce carbs) to brush on my St. Louis ribs when they’re done. I credit chef Michael Symon for this...

I’m going to offer my two cents I’m this thread. For years, I have followed a pretty typical 3-2-1 method with mixed results, but sometimes the meat has been fall off the bone tender, but not what I wanted. I like to be able to bite into meat that pulls easily away from the bone, is tender, but...

I have to admit that I don’t calculate exact percentages. Years ago I got the basic cure recipe from the book, CHARCUTERIE - The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn. In there they have a recipe for a large batch of basic cure that is 1 pound kosher salt, 8...

Yes…that’s about right. Actually, the sugar percentage ends up a bit higher because I add maple sugar or maple syrup. As I said in my post…I like sweet and savory.

I’ve been making my own bacon for many years now and my friends and family love it. Fortunately, I have Costco near me and I can get whole bellies (10-11 lbs) there. Once I did pay up to order a Berkshire pork belly and it was very good, but I didn’t think it was worth the additional cost. I...

I looked at MAC and they are very impressive. If money were no object, I would probably go there. I just don't want to spend that much and for me, I think it will be RecTeq or Yoder. We will see, I still have over a year before our new home will be built.

Thanks so much. This is much appreciated. I'm guessing that I haven't had any issues because I have never cured a piece smaller than 5 lbs. I buy my pork bellies from Costco and they typically run 10-11+ lbs. and these I cut into two pieces to cure and then smoke. When I wrote 3-5 lbs, I was...

Thanks for your reply. And, I appreciate your experience and expertise. So, I will have to re-evaluate how I am doing things. I have cured and smoked quite a number of pork bellies the past several years using the method I described. Nobody has gotten sick and the end product has been...

I am building a new home in CO (moving from So. CA) and I want to get a pellet smoker/grill. I have a Big Green Egg that I love and will be bringing this to my new home. I am not planning to install a gas grill, as I rarely use the one I have now. If I don't use the Egg to grill a steak or...

OK...I have been avidly making bacon for several years now and I can say that once you have done it...it is very hard to go back to store-bought bacon again. I have read a lot of the notes on this forum and I have to say that my experience, and how I cure and smoke my bacon differs a lot from...