Bacon Recipes?

[wurm slinger]

Just getting into this bacon thing, I have experimented on buck board bacon a couple times as to not waste a good pork belly on my first try.  One was brown sugar and maple, another was brown sugar and cracked black pepper, and the last was just brown sugar.

I have to say the three buck board experiments come out fantastic so I went and bought a 10lb. slab and am now ready to give it a try at actual bacon.

My question is - I see everyone using the basic cure, brown sugar and maybe maple recipes but what else are you guys putting in your cure to enhance flavors?  I bought some honey and smoked paprika and plan on trying something with that but what is everyone elses not so secret recipes?

 

[daveomak]

I use a commercial Maple sugar cure......   It's comprised of Kosher salt, sugar, maple sugar and cure #1....    About 2% salt, 1.5% sugar/maple sugar combined and 0.25% cure #1....   %'s are based on the weight of the belly...  You should have, if you don't already, a grams scale that is 0 - 100 grams capacity and weight to 0.1 grams or better.... 

I cure my bacon for 14+ days in the refer...  rinse and rest for 1 week in the refer...  cold smoke off and on for a few days.....    rest for 7 days in the refer and that makes a bacon Bride says tops all bacon....  

Below is the cure....   Use the 1/2# per 25#'s method...  (2% by weight of the meat..)   let it cure for 14+ days in the refer ...   The directions on the package hurry the process too much from I found...

http://www.butcher-packer.com/index..._id=59&zenid=19dd7075e3bd3a4af11d87cc86d42973

 

[alelover]

I use the same schedule Dave. Must be you I got that from.

 

[daveomak]

 
I use the same schedule Dave. Must be you I got that from.

Maybe..... You like the bacon made on that schedule ???

 

[driedstick]

 
I cure my bacon for 14+ days in the refer...  rinse and rest for 1 week in the refer...  cold smoke off and on for a few days.....    rest for 7 days in the refer and that makes a bacon Bride says tops all bacon....  

Dave I just took out two bellies to dry cure with Cure #1 using diggdogs calculator,,, adding some garlic onion powder and crushed or white pepper,,, Dirt Sailor told me this same process and I am going to try the same thing.

May add some Maple syrup to a couple of bellies for the kids,, I'm not a maple fan on the bacon LOL 

My process due to time 

12 days cure in ziplocks flipping and rubbing each day,,

rinse, and back in fridge uncovered on racks for  7 days 

smoke for around 18hrs or so ??

then rest in fridge again for 7 days uncovered again and then slice and vac pac 

All look good???? 

Can't wait to get this started this weekend. 

DS
 

 

[HalfSmoked]

Another add to my list of things to do list sounds great guys.

 

[nsoutdoorsman1]

I like the same basic cure method as well,depending on weight....simple mix of quality brown sugar,kosher salt and cure#1.Dry rub and stored in zip lock bags flipping daily for 7-9 days.After the cure is done,i rinse in cold water,pat dry then shake on some nice fresh coarse ground pepper and let sit in fridge overnite,next day long smoke at 160:)Turns out great every time so i havent felt the need to change yet,best done with pork jowels[emoji]128515[/emoji]