And here's the first round! Two dozen disappeared before I could even get them in the house! I used mostly cherry wood and alternated a little bit of mesquite and maple.
They taste great but not as spicy as the first ones I did a couple weeks ago.
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Just finished prepping the last 7 dozen ABTs and got them in the smoker.
GO BILLS!! Sorry, just had to say that....
A lesson learned I thought I'd share about these two batches. I'll preface it by saying that I'm on disability so money's always tight. My wife makes a decent income but we're always looking for bargains.
But in the area of ABTs in particular we both made the mistake of letting price get the best of us on bacon. Since everyone's favorite meat is nearing $8 per 12 oz package and I had 214 ABTs to make, seeing a name brand (initials are JD) for $2.99 per pack pretty much sealed the deal. MISTAKE!
Those had to be irregulars or whatever the term is. First off, there were only 9 or 10 slices per package. The thickness of the slices from one pack to the next was radically different. Even worse, the thickness also varied within the same package! And I don't mean by a little either. One slice could be 3/16" thick but the next one was so thin it fell apart trying to separate it. It dramatically slowed my prep time.
Yes, $30 for enough bacon definitely beats nearly $100 but having dealt with the aggravation I just don't know if it was worth the savings.
But there's a happy ending because the finished product came out fantastic!
I think next spring I'm going to make a concerted effort to find pork bellies on sale and make my own! It's got to be a little cheaper and I can definitely control the thickness!
Thanks for reading my mini-rant!!