First bacon - thanks Disco!

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Omnivore

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jul 11, 2019
324
241
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.
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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!
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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.
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Big thanks to Disco, Bear, Dave and anyone else who helped me out with this process!
 
Looks delicious. Nice outcome. Isn't it great to have the road mapped out ahead of us? This place rocks.
Don
 
Looks delicious. Nice outcome. Isn't it great to have the road mapped out ahead of us? This place rocks.
Don
Thanks! Totally - the forum has been so useful for pretty much everything I've thrown in my smoker so far.
 
Excellent looking bacon. Great Job.

Point for sure
Chris
 
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"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
 
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Great knifework on some nice thick cuts.
I like making bacon so I can cut it as thick as I want or leave some chunks for beans or collards and such.

Nice work.
 
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