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Just finished 10 lbs smoked bacon following pops recipe with a couple minor adjustments. I used 1/3 less salt in brine. Cured for 14 days. Put in mes
at 100 for 4 hrs to dry. Added smoke (1/2 apple and 1/2 hickory) in amazin tube. Raised temp to 130 and smoked for 6 hrs. Pulled tube and raised temp to 150 and continued till internal temp hit 145. Perfect, just enough smoke. Next time will add some maple.
Thank you Pops.
A friend gave me some maple sugar. I always wanted to try making bacon with it.
I started with a slab of what Canadians call side pork and Americans call pork belly. I cut the skin off.
I weighed the pork after removing the skin and measured the thickest part.
I used a meat injector to inject 20 ml of maple syrup per kilogram of pork. That works out to 2 tsp per pound. It is easier to inject the maple syrup from the side in a slab of side pork.
I made up a curing rub. For each kilogram of pork use:
2.3 ml (3 grams) of Prague Powder #1
25 ml (17 grams) of maple sugar
15 ml (19.2 grams) kosher salt
If you are an American and not in step with the rest of the world, that is, for each pound of pork :
1/5 tsp (0.04 oz) of Prague Powder #1
2 tsp (0.24 oz) of maple sugar
1 1/2 tsp (0.3 oz) kosher salt
I calculated the amount of each ingredient needed and mixed them together.
I put the slab of bacon on a plate so that any rub that falls off the meat is held on the plate. I rubbed the curing mix into the surface of the pork. I put the pork in a vacuum sealer bag.
I scraped any rub that fell onto the plate into the bag. I sealed the bag but didn't suck the air out.
The pork was 1 1/4 inch thick. I cure for 4 days per inch plus 2 days (1 1/4 times 4 plus 2) 7 days.
I turned and massaged the pork in the bag every day or so.
I took the pork out of the bags and soaked it in cold water for an hour, changing the water once.
I put the pork on a rack and pat it dry with a paper towel. I put the rack in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to get the surface of the meat very dry and tacky.
I preheated my smoker to 180 F and smoked the bacon to an internal temperature of 130 F. I let it cool and then put it in the fridge for 2 days to let the smoke even out.
I sliced the bacon with my rotary slicer.
Of course I fried some up!
The Verdict
This was a really good bacon. It is not a lot different than regular bacon but there is a great smooth sweetness that is more complex than the bacon made with brown sugar. You won’t scream MAPLE but you will like the mellow pleasant notes.
Just finished 10 lbs smoked bacon following pops recipe with a couple minor adjustments. I used 1/3 less salt in brine. Cured for 14 days. Put in mes
at 100 for 4 hrs to dry. Added smoke (1/2 apple and 1/2 hickory) in amazin tube. Raised temp to 130 and smoked for 6 hrs. Pulled tube and raised temp to 150 and continued till internal temp hit 145. Perfect, just enough smoke. Next time will add some maple.
Thank you Pops.
