BBB ???

[tgil]

  I jumped on the bacon boat and made my first batch with some butts I had left from processing this year's venison.  I used Pop's brine and everything went as expected, except for taste?  Is is supposed to taste like bacon, or ham?  Mine came out with a taste and texture of store bought ham!

  It is very tastey, but (without comparing prices) I think I'd do just as well buying a ham, already cured, and through it in the smoker?

 

[jalan43]

I make a nice maple, brown sugar, and spices rub. spread it on bacon and let it sit overnight in a plastic bag in the fridge. Smoke it the next day. Tastes like bacon! BACON!

 

[chef jimmyj]

What makes Bacon taste like Bacon is the Belly Muscle and the Fat. Each muscle in any animal does differing amounts of work. The more active, the more connective tissue and the more flavor. Combined with the amount of fat in the muscle, each muscle will have a different flavor. Belly has a lot of fat and is a VERY active muscle, high in connective tissue with long muscle strands, the meat is full flavored. Jowl is similar and is very close in flavor. Front leg and shoulder, Butt, is less active, is leaner with less connective tissue and made up of medium length muscle fibers, so has a completely different flavor. Rear leg, Ham, is again a different type of muscle. Ham is lean, with some what less connective tissue than Butt and is made up of tight bundles of fine short muscle fibers again will have a different taste. Loin is even less active and very fine short muscle fibers with virtually no fat. However, Butt and Ham by nature of their activity level are more similar to each other than they are to Belly or Jowl. So in spite of it's name, Buck Board Bacon, the muscle it is made from, Butt, is more similar to Ham so it will taste like a Fattier, Rich Ham. Only Bacon taste like Bacon...Hope this helps...JJ

 

[pops6927]

Chef Jimmy J is correct; bacon tastes like bacon because of its fat content.  Buckboard bacon can be similar in the fattier pieces; in the lean it does more resemble ham.  I don't fry mine at all, I bake it in the oven to keep it from cooking in the fat on towels.  When it's crispy it has more of a bacon flavor too.  But, it's smokey and lean and whatever you call it, it is a lot better than without it!  YUM!

 

[diggingdogfarm]

It can be very similar to belly bacon if it's made in the way I make it. Wrapping the fat cap around the upper part of the shoulder.
Slicing it thin makes a BIG difference too.

 

[tgil]

What makes Bacon taste like Bacon is the Belly Muscle and the Fat. Each muscle in any animal does differing amounts of work. The more active, the more connective tissue and the more flavor. Combined with the amount of fat in the muscle, each muscle will have a different flavor. Belly has a lot of fat and is a VERY active muscle, high in connective tissue with long muscle strands, the meat is full flavored. Jowl is similar and is very close in flavor. Front leg and shoulder, Butt, is less active, is leaner with less connective tissue and made up of medium length muscle fibers, so has a completely different flavor. Rear leg, Ham, is again a different type of muscle. Ham is lean, with some what less connective tissue than Butt and is made up of tight bundles of fine short muscle fibers again will have a different taste. Loin is even less active and very fine short muscle fibers with virtually no fat. However, Butt and Ham by nature of their activity level are more similar to each other than they are to Belly or Jowl. So in spite of it's name, Buck Board Bacon, the muscle it is made from, Butt, is more similar to Ham so it will taste like a Fattier, Rich Ham. Only Bacon taste like Bacon...Hope this helps...JJ

  Very informative, thanks!