After much planning and hesitation, I finally buckled down and tried my hand at a batch of bacon. Temperatures are starting to hover in the 50s and below in Chicago, so it seemed like the perfect time for some cold smoking.
Bought a pork belly from Peoria Packing in Chicago. I was a bit disappointed in the bellies they had. They were really thin for some reason. I still bought one because I was dead set on making bacon, but I might have to look elsewhere for bellies in Chicago, or at least call ahead to see if they can cut a thicker one for me.
Spent eleven days in Pop's wet curing brine. I added a bunch of garlic and pepper to the brine, but otherwise, followed the recipe and ratios to a T. After the eleven day cure, they spent three days out of the brine and in the fridge to form the pellicle. Then I smoked for about six hours with a temperature between 60° and 80°. I'm not a fan of a ton of smokiness to bacon, and I think I hit it just about right with the time it spent. Smoked with a 50/50 blend of cherry and hickory.
Now, for some QView.
The rig right after smoking, including the frozen water bottles to keep temperatures down:
After smoking, I let them mellow out in the fridge for two or three days before slicing and vac packing. Then it was time to slice:
Close up on the bacon after slicing. Once I took the skin off, it was really thin. I need to track down fatter bellies next time:
Fried up some of the end pieces for immediate tasting, and my goodness is it good:
All vac packed and ready to be frozen or given away to family:
I'm addicted to this bacon now. I'm really looking forward to getting adventurous with the brine on my next batch. This bacon was purely straightforward to learn the technique. Next time, I might try half of it with a really heavy maple taste and the other half with some jalapeno powder in the brine. Looking forward to giving it another shot.
Bought a pork belly from Peoria Packing in Chicago. I was a bit disappointed in the bellies they had. They were really thin for some reason. I still bought one because I was dead set on making bacon, but I might have to look elsewhere for bellies in Chicago, or at least call ahead to see if they can cut a thicker one for me.
Spent eleven days in Pop's wet curing brine. I added a bunch of garlic and pepper to the brine, but otherwise, followed the recipe and ratios to a T. After the eleven day cure, they spent three days out of the brine and in the fridge to form the pellicle. Then I smoked for about six hours with a temperature between 60° and 80°. I'm not a fan of a ton of smokiness to bacon, and I think I hit it just about right with the time it spent. Smoked with a 50/50 blend of cherry and hickory.
Now, for some QView.
The rig right after smoking, including the frozen water bottles to keep temperatures down:
After smoking, I let them mellow out in the fridge for two or three days before slicing and vac packing. Then it was time to slice:
Close up on the bacon after slicing. Once I took the skin off, it was really thin. I need to track down fatter bellies next time:
Fried up some of the end pieces for immediate tasting, and my goodness is it good:
All vac packed and ready to be frozen or given away to family:
I'm addicted to this bacon now. I'm really looking forward to getting adventurous with the brine on my next batch. This bacon was purely straightforward to learn the technique. Next time, I might try half of it with a really heavy maple taste and the other half with some jalapeno powder in the brine. Looking forward to giving it another shot.
