Duroc Pork Belly Bacon
Started off whipping up a batch of Pops Wet Curing Brine.
28 grams Cure #1
200 grams Kosher Salt
200 grams Turbinado Sugar
Added 10 grams Quad Colored Peppercorns
A 4.9 pound Duroc Pork Belly sourced from one of the local grocery stores.
A 1.5 gallon container for a 14 day rest in the refrigerator.
I fill a plastic bag with brine to act as a weight so of the bag leaks it's not diluting the brine.
After 14 days the belly was removed from the brine, the brine and peppercorns discarded, rinsed and dried and on a wire rack in a pan for another overnight stay in the fridge.
Prior to firing up the Pit Boss Copperhead 5 Vertical Smoker I tested both a remote probe and my Meater Plus in an ice bath and boiling water... looks like both of them are off just a few degrees but now I know!
High ambient temps in the 90s and high humidity plus never having smoked bacon on the pellet smoker I filled the water pan with ice.
I ended up cutting the belly in 2 pieces and laid out black pepper on one and left the other plain.
After about 4 1/2 hours I was nearing the 145F goal and had an error on the Pit Boss that shut it off! Knowing that I'll be the only one eating this bacon and knowing that I will cook it anyway I just pulled them.
Back on a wire rack and another overnight stay in the refrigerator to chill down.
Then this morning I put them in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap for about 1 hour in preparation for slicing.
The small 7 1/2 blade slicer just won't cut it for this job. (Pun intended) Between the back of the slide and the edge of the blade is only 6 3/4 inches and the bellies are just over 9 inches wide .
A visit to Bass Pro Shops this morning taught me something. They had an 8 1/2 inch slicer for $299, a 10 inch for $329 and a 12 inch for $449. I'm thinking heck yea! I'd invest in a slicer if it'll be wide enough to slice bacon.
Lucky for me a worker opened the box on the 12 inch and pulled out the book that covered all 3 slicers! As you can see by the photo, they all 3 have 9 inches between the slide and the edge of the blade!!
I decided I would continue to look for a slicer with at least 10 inches.
Instead I returned home and put a fresh edge on my Dexter Slicing Knife.
Not bad for hand sliced! Probably thicker than some people would do but it's my bacon and I'm ok with it! HAHAHA!
The Duroc is a Heritage Breed that has red skin and big floppy ears. It's known for the red meat and a mild flavor. You can see how red it really is!
Time for a taste test!
A cold cast iron pan and cold bacon (plain version to check the flavor) getting started on the stove top.
One good thing about homemade bacon is it doesn't splatter! That color is gorgeous!
The money shot!!
The Verdict:
Super nice color! Nice pork flavor with a slight bit too much salt. The pepper flavor from the Peppercorns didn't come through as I had hoped. Likely won't waste good peppercorns like this again. When using the Duroc Pork I'll probably drop the salt to 180 grams.
Thank you so much for reading this far!!
Started off whipping up a batch of Pops Wet Curing Brine.
28 grams Cure #1
200 grams Kosher Salt
200 grams Turbinado Sugar
Added 10 grams Quad Colored Peppercorns
A 4.9 pound Duroc Pork Belly sourced from one of the local grocery stores.
A 1.5 gallon container for a 14 day rest in the refrigerator.
I fill a plastic bag with brine to act as a weight so of the bag leaks it's not diluting the brine.
After 14 days the belly was removed from the brine, the brine and peppercorns discarded, rinsed and dried and on a wire rack in a pan for another overnight stay in the fridge.
Prior to firing up the Pit Boss Copperhead 5 Vertical Smoker I tested both a remote probe and my Meater Plus in an ice bath and boiling water... looks like both of them are off just a few degrees but now I know!
High ambient temps in the 90s and high humidity plus never having smoked bacon on the pellet smoker I filled the water pan with ice.
I ended up cutting the belly in 2 pieces and laid out black pepper on one and left the other plain.
After about 4 1/2 hours I was nearing the 145F goal and had an error on the Pit Boss that shut it off! Knowing that I'll be the only one eating this bacon and knowing that I will cook it anyway I just pulled them.
Back on a wire rack and another overnight stay in the refrigerator to chill down.
Then this morning I put them in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap for about 1 hour in preparation for slicing.
The small 7 1/2 blade slicer just won't cut it for this job. (Pun intended) Between the back of the slide and the edge of the blade is only 6 3/4 inches and the bellies are just over 9 inches wide .
A visit to Bass Pro Shops this morning taught me something. They had an 8 1/2 inch slicer for $299, a 10 inch for $329 and a 12 inch for $449. I'm thinking heck yea! I'd invest in a slicer if it'll be wide enough to slice bacon.
Lucky for me a worker opened the box on the 12 inch and pulled out the book that covered all 3 slicers! As you can see by the photo, they all 3 have 9 inches between the slide and the edge of the blade!!
I decided I would continue to look for a slicer with at least 10 inches.
Instead I returned home and put a fresh edge on my Dexter Slicing Knife.
Not bad for hand sliced! Probably thicker than some people would do but it's my bacon and I'm ok with it! HAHAHA!
The Duroc is a Heritage Breed that has red skin and big floppy ears. It's known for the red meat and a mild flavor. You can see how red it really is!
Time for a taste test!
A cold cast iron pan and cold bacon (plain version to check the flavor) getting started on the stove top.
One good thing about homemade bacon is it doesn't splatter! That color is gorgeous!
The money shot!!
The Verdict:
Super nice color! Nice pork flavor with a slight bit too much salt. The pepper flavor from the Peppercorns didn't come through as I had hoped. Likely won't waste good peppercorns like this again. When using the Duroc Pork I'll probably drop the salt to 180 grams.
Thank you so much for reading this far!!
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