First Buckboard Bacon w/ Q-view

[pgsmoker64]

This is my first attempt at bacon of any kind but being an avid smoker I felt I needed to expand my education and try some cold smoking as well, since the temps in VA finally dropped below 60* F.

Just a little background, I used the High Mountain Buckboard Bacon cure.  I deboned a nine pound Boston butt and split it into two pieces, applied the appropriate amount of cure according to the weight of the meat, and allowed to cure in the fridge for ten days flipping once in accordance with the directions.

Lots of Q-view below.

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

In the cure

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Post-cure soaking

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Drying and forming the pellicle

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Kind of hard to see but I had a nice pellicle formed here

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Loaded up the AMNS with hickory dust

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Into the MES - dang AMNS went out after about 3 hours and I had to relight - no problems after that though.  Believe it or not I smoked this bacon for about 16 hours and when I pulled it only half the dust had burned and I had plenty of smoke!!!

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Right about 8 hours - starting to get a good color change

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Hard to see because of the lighting but I had a really nice color on both pieces.

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Sliced off a few for a test fry

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Fried up nice but tasted more like ham than bacon!

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

The biggest problem I had during this learning process was cutting the bacon.  I borrowed a slicer but it just could not get the job done and I wound up slicing one hunk by hand.  The other I decided to freeze until I could find a decent way to slice.  I called my local butcher shop and they told me that they couldn't slice anything that had not been "inspected".  I told them that it looked and tasted good to me and that no one got sick...not good enough.  Oh well.

Here it is sliced up.

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• pgsmoker64
• Dec 30, 2012

Any advice on making this actually taste like bacon and getting it sliced up properly would be appreciated.

Thanks for checking out my Q-view.

Bill

 

[woodcutter]

Putting in the freezer for about 30 minutes helps for slicing by hand or with a slicer. I noticed that I like it better sliced thin and then fried slow so it gets a lot of cooking and a sear. I have been using a dry rub for BBB and it is not like commercial bacon but is very good. I haven't tried the High Mountain. I remember reading that you could put a pork butt, some belly meat, and a loin in the same brine and have different results. I'm still looking for belly meat around here.
 

 

[pgsmoker64]

Putting in the freezer for about 30 minutes helps for slicing by hand or with a slicer. I noticed that I like it better sliced thin and then fried slow so it gets a lot of cooking and a sear. I have been using a dry rub for BBB and it is not like commercial bacon but is very good. I haven't tried the High Mountain. I remember reading that you could put a pork butt, some belly meat, and a loin in the same brine and have different results. I'm still looking for belly meat around here.
 

Thanks WC.  I used the freezer trick 

 because this ain't my first rodeo.  Great advice!  What type of dry rub do you use?

 

[woodcutter]

This is from TJohnson. Couldn't find the thread.

BACON CURE RECIPE

12# Pork Shoulder or Pork Bellies(Skin Removed)

4 oz. Country Brown Cure(.32 oz. Cure/lb. Meat Adjust for Amount of Meat)

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 tsp. Allspice(Optional Ginger)

2 TBSP Cracked Black Pepper(CBP)

2 tsp. Garlic Powder

2 tsp. Onion Powder

2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Thanks WC.  I used the freezer trick 

 because this ain't my first rodeo.  Great advice!  What type of dry rub do you use?

I use the freezer technique and since I can't quite afford a "slicer" I too do it the old fashioned way. I use a really sharp (I even sharpen it several times during slicing) hollow blade slicer knife. Mine isn't super nice, but I did pay just under $100.00 for it. I can get a pretty consistent 1/8" cut until I get down to the end pieces. I like my BBB and CB bacon a bit thicker then the belly bacon so I shoot for 3/16". I actually leave the bacon or whatever meat I'm slicing in the freezer for 45min-hour, and sometimes I put it back in if it starts getting to soft. Somewhere on here I saw a wooden gauge to aid in slicing, maybe posted by BearCarver or Nepa???  I think it was for jerky, and I thought it might be handy for bacon too