Having trouble making bacon. Need suggestions to make "blow your socks off" bacon worth the money an

[bacondude121]

So I have up until this point cured 2 pork bellies (using meatheads cure recipe) , and hot smoked on the pellet grill until internal 155.

But both times the bacon came out tasting..... not really like bacon. My dad said it didnt have enough salt. My mom said it was WAY to salty. So im in the dark in exactly whats wrong with it.

Its hard to describe because i have not really been cooking long but i can describe it as less a bacon taste and more a ham taste.

I PERSONALLY dont have a problem with the taste. Its really good in my opinion. The problem is when i drop 20 bucks for 5 pounds of meat and spend a week prepping it. I want the whole family to enjoy it. They dont like this bacon. I love it , i ate almost all of it within a week and a half.

So I have a few questions.

1. What is wrong with my bacon that makes it taste so different than store bought? Is it that something is wrong at all , is home made bacon supposed to taste like storebought? reminder the cure was meatheads bacon cure from his website with a hotsmoke at the end.

2. Is there a recipe known to experts to be foolproof, blow your socks off bacon with no chance of failure?

3. I just got an amazn tube , is cold smoking much much better than hotsmoking? I read that hot smoking "renders the fat" which might alter its taste. Is that what is happening?

Thanks for your help

 

[crankybuzzard]

Not sure about the cure you used, but I see a couple of suggestions I can make...

First, don't hot smoke it if possible.  Cold smoke it SEVERAL times for several hours at a time.  Then, vacuum package it and forget about it for several days.

Do a search on here for bacon recipe.  Many of us have posted what we do and how well it's worked or not for us.

Give it some time, we can get you some great bacon going and I'm sure more will chime in soon.

 

[tropics]

I agree with CB Cold Smoking is best. You didn't mention the type of cure.I have used cure #1 and also TQ What type of smoker are you using also

Richie

 

[bacondude121]

I cured it with
And I am using a rec tec for smoking. Used hickory traeger pellets (i know i know but my family doesnt want to pay shipping for pellets when they can pick these up at the store)

 

[crankybuzzard]

I went out and found the recipe you were referring to and it doesn't seem like it should be too salty. Also, that cure you have is what you need.  Look up some of the other bacon recipes on here and try one of them that looks pretty simple and straight forward.

I'd suggest that you try it again, but this time do a cold smoke on it as described above, then seal it up and let it sit for a few days to a week before frying some up.  I know, that's gonna be hard to do, so have a little taste and then put it up.

The Traegar pellets will work fine for you for now.

 

[bacondude121]

What does letting the bacon sit do? I let it rest 24 hours before cutting and frying. But a whole week?

I would love it if some people posted recipes.

The problem is i dont know enough about food and bacon to know how this should taste or what exactly is "wrong" with it. It doesnt taste like store bought but its still really good. My family doesnt like it. I want to try to emulate "store bought" and once I get good at emulating that , i can start experimenting.

I just want to make my family happy with home made bacon.

 

[crankybuzzard]

By letting the bacon sit for several days, it give the smoke time to meld into the meat better and also give the salt a bit more time to equalize throughout.

Try here for some ideas...  http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/newsearch?search=bacon+recipe

 

[uzikaduzi]

I would say pop's brine for 14 days, 5-7 resting uncovered in the fridge, 8-12 hour cold smoke, rest for 7 days uncovered in the fridge before slicing

or a dry brine of maybe 2.25% salt 2.25% sugar .25% cure#1 (your Prague powder is the same thing) and follow the same time line above.

I think nailing a super simple recipe ends up being some of the most "blow your socks off" products... the best brisket i ever ate had only salt and pepper on it and was smoked over oak wood... that's pretty plan Jane there, but I'm telling you it was amazing.  once you nail a simple one, then try new stuff but small changes.

i 100% believe a long cure and long rests effect the final product amazingly... nearly as much as the ingredients you use.... hot or warm smoked bacon is always going to have a different texture than people are used to and it's not going to fry up as nice.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
What does letting the bacon sit do? I let it rest 24 hours before cutting and frying. But a whole week?

I would love it if some people posted recipes.

The problem is i dont know enough about food and bacon to know how this should taste or what exactly is "wrong" with it. It doesnt taste like store bought but its still really good. My family doesnt like it. I want to try to emulate "store bought" and once I get good at emulating that , i can start experimenting.

I just want to make my family happy with home made bacon.

Easy to follow Step by Step (All Details) for the Best tasting Bacon I ever had (Confirmed by Hundreds):

Link:

Bacon (Extra Smoky)

Bear

 

[crankybuzzard]

Easy to follow Step by Step (All Details) for the Best tasting Bacon I ever had (Confirmed by Hundreds):
 
Link:

Bacon (Extra Smoky)
 
 
Bear
 

:yeahthat: I've done that one before.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Pops Brine is the closest you will get. Forget getting EXACTLY like store bacon because...You are not about to inject all the S#!T and smoke flavoring that is in there. There are a lifetime of recipes here. Read and try some...JJ

 

[SmokyMose]

I'm a "Pop's Brine" believer. Take it out after 2 weeks and dry out a day in the fridge (I've gotten to hanging in front of a fan for a few hours, actually), then COLD smoke for as long as you like. 7 hours or so is enough smoke for us, but lots of folks do much more. Then let it air out in the fridge for 2 or 3 days and slice cold, then vacuum pack.
It's not supposed to taste like store bought. It's better. Try adding a bit of Maple flavoring to the brine. OMG!
Dan

 

[bacondude121]

Now. About cold smoking.

I have a amazn tube.

Do i just throw that in with the bacon for 6-8 hours and make sure it doesnt get hot?

I would be placing it in my rec tec mini with the power off

 

[SmokyMose]

You should be OK with that. "Cold Smoking" is kind of a relative term. You can have a chamber temp of 100 or so and still be good. I use tubes, although with a mailbox setup, but the tubes don't really throw off all that much heat. Lots of folks here use tubes or trays in the bottom of an electric...
Go for it!

 

[SmokinAl]

I used to cure with a brine, but switched to a dry cure.

I like the flavor & texture of the bacon better.

Also I think cold smoking is the best way to go.

A 4-7 day rest in the fridge uncovered before & after smoking helps with the flavor too.

There are a thousand bacon recipes on here, just search & start reading.

Al