First Hot Smoked Bacon

[Fueling Around]

Looks good from here.
Got the first time jitters and figured it was actually pretty easy to make your bacon? Aging takes out the excess hammy flavor (it is pork no matter the source) but the fat balances out the taste.

I cut it in half width wise, so that I could slice shorter pieces (being the first time using a slicer). Here is how it looks...
...

I cut all my cured belly in half. I have an old meat slicer (inherited from my mother) and the slide is pretty small. But guess what? The half cut belly fits the frying pan.

 

[paleoman]

Looks good from here.
Got the first time jitters and figured it was actually pretty easy to make your bacon? Aging takes out the excess hammy flavor (it is pork no matter the source) but the fat balances out the taste.

Yes. It was an easy process. I definitely want to do a longer cure next time (and not start it so close to a holiday).

I cut all my cured belly in half. I have an old meat slicer (inherited from my mother) and the slide is pretty small. But guess what? The half cut belly fits the frying pan.

This was the first time using a slicer, and it doesn't have a very long slide either. I probably could have sliced the whole piece, but with it in half it seemed very easy. I just have to eat four slices instead of two.

 

[DougE]

This was the first time using a slicer, and it doesn't have a very long slide either. I probably could have sliced the whole piece, but with it in half it seemed very easy. I just have to eat four slices instead of two.

You can bend the belly into a "C" and slice it doubled up to get longer slices if you want. The only time I see the longer slices mattering much is if I'm doing a weave or wrapping ABTs. Other than that, the short slices eat the same.

 

[paleoman]

You can bend the belly into a "C" and slice it doubled up to get longer slices if you want. The only time I see the longer slices mattering much is if I'm doing a weave or wrapping ABTs. Other than that, the short slices eat the same.

Great tip!

 

[DougE]

Great tip!

Learned of it here on SMF, so I didn't originate the method. Probably the first time I heard of slicing bacon that way was from Eric SmokinEdge

 

[BigW.]

I always add some course black pepper to the outside before smoking.

 

[realdocBBQ]

I also sprinkle liberally with pepper before smoking. I don't rinse my cure off, either. I like the saltier taste. Good stuff!

 

[paleoman]

I'm massaging and flipping my two pieces every day... will be smoking next Thursday...

 

[paleoman]

OK. Today is the day! I've been curing for 15 days, and today is smoking day. I'm using the pellet grill at the minimum 170˚F temp again, and trying Cherry pellets this time.

I had a basic dry cure with no seasoning on the two pieces I have. With no real clue as to what portions to use, I'm taking a guess here and praying it doesn't taste nasty.

For the larger piece (1441 grams), I'll try a classic rub, using:

• 2 Tablespoons pepper (all I had was table grind)
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder (granulated)
• 1 Tablespoon onion powder (granulated)

Based on some rubs I saw that seemed to do a 2:1:1 ratio. I mixed it up and sprinkled on the belly. Had about 1/3 of the mix left.

For the slightly smaller piece (1172 grams), I'll try a sweet and savory rub. I saw a recipe for 5 pounds and reduced the amount I made (and had slightly different forms of the ingredients). This is what I'm trying:

• 2.5 Tablespoons brown sugar (I'm trying dark)
• 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper (I only had table grind)
• 3/4 Teaspoons red pepper flakes

I rubbed the Maple syrup all over, and then sprinkled the rest of the mix.

Both of these sat for about 30 mins, while I was setting up the smoker and getting it to temp. It is about 60˚F outside today, slight drizzle. Started smoking...

Fat side up. Left is sweet and savory, right is classic. ITs are 48 and 43 respectively.

 

[paleoman]

Here are temp measurements for the day...

Starting smoking at 8:45am. Probes at 48˚F (left smaller piece - sweet and savory). 43˚F (right larger piece - classic).

1 hours 09:45 Left 93˚F, Right 77˚F.
2 hours 10:45 Left 117˚F, Right 97˚F.
3 hours 11:45 Left 126˚F, Right 108˚F.
4 hours 12:45 Left 131˚F, Right 118˚F.
5 hours 01:45 Left 135˚F, Right 126˚F.
6 hours 02:45 Left 140˚F, Right 129˚F.
7 hours 03:45 Left 136˚F, Right 133˚F.

It seems to have been stalling for the past two hours. I'm thinking of pulling, as I'm OK with frying, before eating, and I read folks mentioning doing that and going to 132˚F IT.

 

[paleoman]

At 3:45pm, I bumped Traeger to 225˚F, and then at 04:15pm (total time 7.5 hours), I pulled out the meat and covered to rest for an hour. ITs were 145˚F/136˚F. Will let it sit in refrigerator, until Saturday morning and will then slice.

After about 5 hours smoking...

After pulled...

 

[Gonna Smoke]

You just have to slice off a piece to fry and sample...

 

[SmokinEdge]

You just have to slice off a piece to fry and sample...

Exactly.

 

[paleoman]

You just have to slice off a piece to fry and sample...

I'm....trying....to...resist....the...urge.... :)

There was a small flap of belly that I sampled, but it was so thin, it was like jerky. I'll guts it out and taste it Saturday.

 

[Fueling Around]

That looks really good. I'm due for another round of belly bacon.
I would have changed the left and right slabs about the 3 hour mark. Pellet poopers are not consistent nor are meat slabs. Well maybe my pooper is just the worst for consistency.

 

[paleoman]

That looks really good. I'm due for another round of belly bacon.
I would have changed the left and right slabs about the 3 hour mark. Pellet poopers are not consistent nor are meat slabs. Well maybe my pooper is just the worst for consistency.

That's a good idea. I haven’t used mine enough, especially with multiple pieces of meat, to tell if the heat is even.

I have been probing ambient temp to see how the temp is. It seemed pretty consistent, but I have the probe on the upper small shelf and temp was reading about 15 degrees hotter than what it was set at. I need to try down at the main grate, and at different spots.

 

[paleoman]

Tomorrow morning is slicing and sampling time. I hope my seasoning mixture was ok. I guess since it was applied before smoking, the worst case is that the flavoring will be on the edges… that will be my story, if it comes out badly.

 

[Astralogics]

On paper, your seasoning mix looks just fine! Sure it's gonna come out great. Besides, when have you ever had bacon that disappointed you (if that's even possible)?

 

[DougE]

Besides, when have you ever had bacon that disappointed you (if that's even possible)?

The probability of that happening has got to be near zero. Certainly, I have had some bacon that was better than another, but it's all been good.

 

[paleoman]

On paper, your seasoning mix looks just fine! Sure it's gonna come out great. Besides, when have you ever had bacon that disappointed you (if that's even possible)?

Thanks. I really had no clue on the ratio of spices. I saw this info on a site:

• Black Pepper: A classic and versatile spice that enhances the savory flavor of bacon.
• Garlic Powder: Adds a subtle yet aromatic depth to the meat.
• Onion Powder: Imparts a sweet and savory balance.
• Smoked Paprika: Infuses bacon with a hint of smokiness and warmth.
• Brown Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to complement the saltiness of the bacon.
• Maple Syrup: Enhances the sweetness and adds a touch of complexity.
• Cayenne Pepper: Provides a subtle kick of heat.
• Cumin: Adds a warm and earthy flavor.

• Classic Blend: Black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
• Smoky Blend: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin
• Sweet and Savory Blend: Brown sugar, maple syrup, black pepper [crushed red pepper flakes]
• Spicy Blend: Cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder

I figured I'd try the simple "classic blend" and the "sweet and savory". I would like to try something spicy, at some point too.