Hi Everyone!
I had this half pork belly in pop’s curing brine for 13 days, and finally today was the day to make it into bacon!
This is my first bacon attempt, and I must say, it didn’t turn out too bad.
I used a homemade rub…
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon homemade Jalapeño Powder
1 tablespoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Used honey as a binder…
Fat cap side…
Meat side…
Cold smoked with 2 smoke tubes with u-bolt mods running 50/50 pellets and hickory chips for 2 hours…
Then lit the OKJ offset with charcoal briquettes and hickory chunks…
This is what it looked like about half an hour after I lit the fire box…
Got some nice light smoke…
Settled it in just below 250* and let ‘er roll!
Had one short temp spike after adding a little wood, but otherwise ran most of the way right around 250*
When IT hit 140, I opened the vents and boosted it on up to 275* until it hit 145* IT, then pulled it off…
Fat cap was down the whole time…
Meat side…
While it was still hot I sliced off the end…I just couldn’t wait to taste it!!
It was delicious!!
First full slice…
I wrapped the rest in plastic wrap and stuck it back in the kegerator at 33* so it’s as cold as possible without being frozen when I go to slice the rest!
It turned out great, but I think next time I will only run 1 smoke tube as the smoke flavor is a little strong for my wife…
As always, thanks for looking!
God bless…
-Mike
I had this half pork belly in pop’s curing brine for 13 days, and finally today was the day to make it into bacon!
This is my first bacon attempt, and I must say, it didn’t turn out too bad.
I used a homemade rub…
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon homemade Jalapeño Powder
1 tablespoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Used honey as a binder…
Fat cap side…
Meat side…
Cold smoked with 2 smoke tubes with u-bolt mods running 50/50 pellets and hickory chips for 2 hours…
Then lit the OKJ offset with charcoal briquettes and hickory chunks…
This is what it looked like about half an hour after I lit the fire box…
Got some nice light smoke…
Settled it in just below 250* and let ‘er roll!
Had one short temp spike after adding a little wood, but otherwise ran most of the way right around 250*
When IT hit 140, I opened the vents and boosted it on up to 275* until it hit 145* IT, then pulled it off…
Fat cap was down the whole time…
Meat side…
While it was still hot I sliced off the end…I just couldn’t wait to taste it!!
It was delicious!!
First full slice…
I wrapped the rest in plastic wrap and stuck it back in the kegerator at 33* so it’s as cold as possible without being frozen when I go to slice the rest!
It turned out great, but I think next time I will only run 1 smoke tube as the smoke flavor is a little strong for my wife…
As always, thanks for looking!
God bless…
-Mike
