A return to bacon.....advice please!

[olddaddy]

So, the worst of our Florida heat is behind for this year and I about to return to making bacon. I've always done a wet cure for 10 days, but wondered about doing a dry cure instead for about 7 days? Any dry cure recipes? My wife wants something maple, I'd like pepper..... I've added a remote hot box to my smoker allowing lower temps in the smoke box. What temps should I work towards in the smoke box/bacon itself? I've got books I could read up on, but you guys have so much knowledge and you're more entertaining....what say ye?

Almost forgot, my thermometer took a dive, so what do you recommend for a new one?

 

[kruizer]

Almost forgot, my thermometer took a dive, so what do you recommend for a new one?

Digital or analog?

 

[olddaddy]

Well either one as long as they are somewhat accurate. I have both, the analog is a good rule of thumb close to temp guide, the digital was spot on while it lasted.......

 

[pc farmer]

Digging dogs dry cure calculator is what I use. If I want maple flavor, I use maple sugar. I know a guy that makes his own. Add it in the dry cure.

 

[kruizer]

For a digital, I can recommend the Maverick XR50

 

[daveomak]

I use a dry cure... That's all I use....
If you are making several slabs at one time, may I suggest you mix up a master blend of salt, sugar and cure#1... then you can add what ever seasonings you like after the initial rub is added...
The bellies I get are around 10#'s.... so I mix up a master blend to do 10#'s.....
10#'s is 4540 grams....
I like ......
2% salt.................. 91 grams of Kosher salt .... 6 level TBS....
1% sugar................ 46 grams of white or brown sugar ... 3 level TBS....
0.25% cure#1........ 11.5 grams of cure#1 .... 2 level tsp....

Mix the above thoroughly... really thoroughly.... the master mix weighs ~ 150 grams....
Add ~15 grams (1 level TBS) of the master mix to each pound of meat... ~90% to the meat side and ~10% to the fat side...
Bag it... refrigerate at 34-38F.... turn the bag daily for 2 weeks... I add a couple TBS of water to the bags so the curing mix will get distributed to all parts of the belly...
I just finished cutting a belly into 3 parts and they are in the cure now..... I use vac bags but I do not suck them tight.. I want to be able to swish the cure around to all parts of the meat.. Looks like more than a couple TBS... could be... I guess... also, some moisture could have been drawn out of the meat already... It should be sucked back up into the meat in several days...
Lightly rinse and dry after 2 ish weeks.... You can form a pellicle on the meat by placing in front of a fan for a couple hours... You want a "dry" tacky surface on the meat before you add smoke...
After all is said and done, it should look something like the picture below.. BTW, I cold smoke my bellies at below 70F...

 

[olddaddy]

daveomak, that is exactly what I was looking for! I will proceed!!

 

[daveomak]

If you find you have any questions.... I'm here.... It's best to ask questions on the open forum so others can learn also...
I'm not a fan of PM's because soooooo much is lost when folks, are here, trying to learn...

 

[David Leopold]

Once I get my MES situated to do cold smokes, by getting a pellet tray/tube, I will have to try this! I’ve only ever done hot smokes.

How long do you smoke it at 70F? Is it just time based or IT?

 

[daveomak]

I smoke the belly until I get a nice coating of smoke... usually about 6 hours... I don't like the smoke to over power the flavor... Some folks add smoke up to 30 hours... It's not a continuous smoke.. Usually up to 12 hours per up to 48 hours... Cold smoking meats is an on-off deal... Cold smoke penetrates the meat ... providing a uniform smoke flavor throughout...


Below is one description of cold smoking that is pretty darn good....

https://earthwormexpress.com/artisan-curing/dry-cures-bacon/

 

[daveomak]

If your smoker is outside, in the cold, you will probably have to turn the heat on for a bit to get a draft started... Then the heat from the smoke generator "should" keep the heat up enough for air flow....
I have put bellies in my smoker that were below ambient temperature... Mistake.. the cold meat cooled the smoker to the point the air flow was reversed and smoke came out the air inlet to the smoker... Just one more valuable learning experience...
I now have a voltage controller on the heating element... I can control my MES30 down to ~55-60 F... I also use an external smoke generator box.. a mailbox modification...

The legs on the AMNPS helps with surround air flow which helps with combustion... I highly recommend the legs..

 

[SonnyE]

This is something I'm jumping into with both feet.
Ordered the bacon hooks, and Vermont Maple Sugar (Maple Bacon flavor, Applewood smoked).
Tomorrow shop for sow belly. I believe my locals have what I want.

 

[olddaddy]

Reporting back, I ended up using Pop's Brine and cured the belly in the fridge for about nine days. I smoked the meat using my one Brinkman base as a smoke box and fed smoke up into the Masterbuilt cabinet for about nine hours. I ended up with a cheapy thermometer that worked fine while I locate a deal on a really good one. The bacon tastes remarkable and passed the family taste test a couple of nights ago. I'll work on doing the dry rub version for the next batch. Appreciate the advice and help here!

 

[SonnyE]

Hey.
Does the Bacon on a slant taste the same as the ones on the flat? o_O

What a beautiful smoker full!:D

 

[olddaddy]

Yeah, the slant makes all the difference! It figures there’s always one more piece than you have racks for....more racks coming.

 

[SonnyE]

I just got the first of some bacon hooks for my smoker. :)
And vacuum bags.
I better go get some pork bellies and get them curing. :eek:

 

[SonnyE]

Almost forgot, my thermometer took a dive, so what do you recommend for a new one?

Digital or analog?

At our level (Consumer) I prefer digital because I feel it gives me a little more assurance.
I went with a Thermo-Pro and got a discount on mine. Made the deal a lot sweeter in my book.
Since I'm pretty simple with my cookin and smokin, I got a TP-08. Grate temp probe, and a single meat probe.
I can't see me doing 14 things at once. After all, I like to enjoy some beers with my que'ing.