Great looking bacon... and nice knife... I think it's older than my family heirloom that's +/- 80 years old...
View attachment 404981
And I ended up with a big old blister at the base of my index finger to show for it!Beautiful Bacon, Omni!!
Nice Job!
Like.
I can't believe you sliced that by hand---Outstanding!!
Bear
3.5 pounds is definitely not enough for my husband and I plus sharing with friends!
Could you tell She Who Must Be Obeyed that! Thanks, Adam.Beautiful bacon. Cant go wrong following Disco.
"Big thanks to Disco, Bear, Dave and anyone else who helped me out with this process!"
Excellent job and welcome to a world from which there's no return. You'll never buy store bought bacon again nor will you want it from a restaurant with your meal. You'll come away disappointed every time....I guarantee it!! Just a suggestion....you may want to give a look at Disco's Back (Canadian) Bacon also and give consideration to giving that a run. It is easy to do and absolutely amazing!! My freezer will never be without it, or the bacon I learned to make from Disco also.
You mention three people here that have created a legacy (see what I meant Disco??) within this forum by helping people and improving their lives. Since finding this forum and seeking guidance from the aforementioned sages, my life has forever changed for the better. We rarely buy anything pre-prepared from the store anymore. I make pretty much everything now.
I love this place!!
Robert
Thanks. You can tell by looking at me. I have really appreciated your help over the years, Dave. Particularly with adjusting my wet brines.DISCO knows bacon....
I had half a belly, a little over 3.5 pounds, off a hog from a ranch down the coast. I believe it was a cross between Gloucestershire Old Spot and American Guinea hog. This was the first part of the pig I've cured so far.
I followed Disco's recipe with some small exceptions. It cured slightly longer than his calculations (camping trip screwed up my schedule) and I skipped the cold smoke because I was using hickory (forgot to order apple) and didn't want double smoked hickory. I also didn't take my smoker to 180F because I've seen it shoot up to 220 at times when it's set to that. Instead, per Bear's recipe, I kept it around 130F, with it occassionally getting up to 150.
I took it to 130F internal, and was happy to see that I didn't have any fat drips and it was pretty dry to the touch.
View attachment 404958
Rested the slab for a day and then sliced with a 12 inch knife my friend recently gave me. It was sooo helpful to have a longer blade. I wish I had that knife when I was removing the skin prior to curing!
View attachment 404959
View attachment 404960
Anywho, this bacon is OUTSTANDING. I cooked up a few little off cuts this morning with scrambled eggs and toast. Perfectly salty and ever so slightly sweet. I can't pinpoint why it tastes different than store-bought, but it does, and it's better.
View attachment 404961
Big thanks to Disco, Bear, Dave and anyone else who helped me out with this process!
That looks so makes me want to start chewing on my phone!!!I had half a belly, a little over 3.5 pounds, off a hog from a ranch down the coast. I believe it was a cross between Gloucestershire Old Spot and American Guinea hog. This was the first part of the pig I've cured so far.
I followed Disco's recipe with some small exceptions. It cured slightly longer than his calculations (camping trip screwed up my schedule) and I skipped the cold smoke because I was using hickory (forgot to order apple) and didn't want double smoked hickory. I also didn't take my smoker to 180F because I've seen it shoot up to 220 at times when it's set to that. Instead, per Bear's recipe, I kept it around 130F, with it occassionally getting up to 150.
I took it to 130F internal, and was happy to see that I didn't have any fat drips and it was pretty dry to the touch.
View attachment 404958
Rested the slab for a day and then sliced with a 12 inch knife my friend recently gave me. It was sooo helpful to have a longer blade. I wish I had that knife when I was removing the skin prior to curing!
View attachment 404959
View attachment 404960
Anywho, this bacon is OUTSTANDING. I cooked up a few little off cuts this morning with scrambled eggs and toast. Perfectly salty and ever so slightly sweet. I can't pinpoint why it tastes different than store-bought, but it does, and it's better.
View attachment 404961
Big thanks to Disco, Bear, Dave and anyone else who helped me out with this process!
The biggest lesson I've learned is to have more bacon ready for the smoker - 3.5 pounds is definitely not enough for my husband and I plus sharing with friends!
Can I get on the list?That's some great looking bacon, Omni! But I have to caution you; once you begin sharing with friends, they will be coming back for more! I started out doing 10 lbs, and now I smoke about 60+lbs. each Fall to cover the demand.
Thanks Disco! I'm excited to forge ahead with some different bacon flavors now that I have a solid base to go off of. I might try a little slab with coffee and maple sugar. I was also thinking that subbing miso for kosher salt could be interesting but I would do it on a really small piece of belly just in case. It's likely I'll just keep making your regular recipe because it's so good as is!!First, my apologies for kind of hijacking your thread but so many people lied, er, were complimentary of me, I had to spread the love to the people who helped me. I am sorry.
Second, great looking bacon. Looks like you have it down pat.
Third, kudos for adjusting the recipe for your own tastes. Continue doing that. Make it more or less sweet, salty, smoky or whatever. The best part of the forums is learning someone else's method and then making it your own.
Fourth, thanks for the kind words. I look forward to more great posts from you!
Disco
Thanks Disco! I'm excited to forge ahead with some different bacon flavors now that I have a solid base to go off of. I might try a little slab with coffee and maple sugar. I was also thinking that subbing miso for kosher salt could be interesting but I would do it on a really small piece of belly just in case. It's likely I'll just keep making your regular recipe because it's so good as is!!
Here is the link to basic bacon. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/bacon-step-by-step-video.282831/ I have several other posts on different kinds of bacon. Just type bacon in the search field with the member name Disco.That looks fantastic! Can someone please be so kind to share Disco’s recipe? I definitely need to try my hand at bacon
Here is the link to basic bacon. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/bacon-step-by-step-video.282831/ I have several other posts on different kinds of bacon. Just type bacon in the search field with the member name Disco.