Help: bought some flavorless bacon

[wnctracker]

I bought some bacon from the butcher the other day. When I cooked it it had no smell. When we ate it, it tasted like unflavored pork rinds. What can I do to put some flavor in this remaining lb of sliced bacon?


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[crankybuzzard]

Did you buy cured bacon, or just pork belly?

You can cure it if it's uncured belly. Let us know what form its in and how much you have in weight. We can assist from there.

 

[wnctracker]

It's only 1 lb. I don't believe it's cured, it cooked up grayish in color. Zero salt flavor. He called it bacon. Maybe it is pork belly I'm. Not sure. What are my options? Marinade Korean style and bake or turn it into smoky delicious bacon in some way?


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[crankybuzzard]

It's only 1 lb. I don't believe it's cured, it cooked up grayish in color. Zero salt flavor. He called it bacon. Maybe it is pork belly I'm. Not sure. What are my options? Marinade Korean style and bake or turn it into smoky delicious bacon in some way?


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Is it sliced or in a whole piece? Either way, you can drop it into some of Pop's brine for a week and have some great bacon.

If I were doing it as a whole chunk, I'd make up some of his brine/cure and add some cracked pepper corns, a clove or 4 of crushed garlic, and maybe a little maple syrup. Let it cure for about 7 days, rinse a bit, cold smoke for 8-14 hours with some cob or light hickory, wrap up, let sit for a week in the frig, and then enjoy some great stuff. But that's just me... :biggrin:

 

[wnctracker]

Thanks for the advice. It's slicked though so would that change the ability to cold smoke, would I tie it back together as a chunk to cure it?


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[crankybuzzard]

Thanks for the advice. It's slicked though so would that change the ability to cold smoke, would I tie it back together as a chunk to cure it?


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Just drop the slices into some of Pop's brine, let it soak for 24-36 hours (stir it around every 3-4 hours).  Soak in clean cool water for about 1/2 hour, do a test fry for taste, then pat dry and allow to sit in the frig for a couple of hours to dry a bit.  Lay the bacon out in your smoker and cold smoke for 3-6 hours depending upon the thickness.

Should be good stuff.

 

[wnctracker]

Great, glad to have a plan now.  Thank you !

 

[gearjammer]

I had some just like that a while ago.

It was so bad I was going to make dog treats out of it.

I don't think he tastes anything anyway.

I put it in with my belly bacon, loaded it right up with black

pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and smoked it.

Not bad at all.

Hope this helps.

  Ed

 

[Skibum151]

I bought two pork bellies and followed a recipe to cure them and smoke them. I did that and sliced one of them tonight. We fried a few pieces and it had no flavor. Is there a way to save the sliced belly or the unsliced belly or hopefully both?