Jumping into the Bacon Arena - Now with Q-View

[byounghusband]

Well,
Ordered my A-MAZE-N Pellet smoker on Tuesday and it arrived today!! Todd you ROCK!!!:sausage::sausage:

Got 8.5 lbs of Pork belly at the local Butcher (might me a meat-cutter) shop at $2.69/lb. and am waiting for it to thaw. One 5 lb piece and 1 3lb piece.

Pink Salt from Butcher-Paclker is on the way.

Gonna do Pop's Wet Brine and BearCarver's method side by side to see which I like better. I use TQ for my CB already....

Patience will be tough as with all I have read from you all, I want it NOW!!! But good things don't come fast...

Question on the Pellet Smoker... Can you mix dust and pellets? I want to use Apple for the Bacon, but that is dust. Apple/hickory is what I thought about, but don't know about mixing dust/pellets....

More to follow....

:cheers:

 

[alblancher]

Don't forget the Qview.  Sorry I can't help with the pellet dust question.

 

[commander quan]

Good luck on the bacon, I just got my AMNPS this week, and am smoking my first bacon in a day or two.

That was a good question about mixing the two formats, I found this thread http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/116185/burning-a-mix-of-dust-with-pellets where they say it didn't work so well, but I wonder if you fill 1.5 rows with the pellets, and the other 1.5 rows with dust if it will work, I don't see why it wouldn't.

 

[byounghusband]

TQ,
Thanks for the link!! Looks like a layered approach might work.... I think I will just use dust or pellets the first few times to get comfortable with it and then I will start experimenting....

Cheese will go on my Webber after I get home from Crappie fishing tomorrow......:yahoo:

 

[byounghusband]

Got the Bacon on the cure last night... 2.5 lbs with TQ per Bear Carver and 4.83 lbs wet Brine per Pops.

Sorry no pics. I was doing Cheese for the first time and we were painting the bathroom.....

I was busier at home after work than at work!!!:30:

10 days and We will smoke it up.:grilling_smilie:

 

[josh swanson]

I was busier at home after work than at work!!!

 

    I hear ya there!  I will also be smokin some bellys with the amnps in about 7 days.  I am wondering what time and temp you are planning on?

 

[byounghusband]

I suppose that is going to depend a lot on the weather.... Temps in the mid 90s will create a bit of an issue trying to keep the temp under 80. I will have to keep plenty of ice or 2 liter bottles available to keep temps down.. I might try a late night smoke when temps are down...

    I hear ya there!  I will also be smokin some bellys with the amnps in about 7 days.  I am wondering what time and temp you are planning on?

 

[byounghusband]

Gonna get this Bacon on the Smoke tonight!!!
I got them out of the fridge this morning after 10 days.



Had a bowl on top of the Bellies in the Brine to keep them submerged. Bowl removed



Rinsed them all off under cold running water and dried them with paper towels. Time to slice off some fro a fry test



I noticed the Belly from the wet brine was still a bit reddish after I sliced a bit off for the fry test. Do you think it is OK? 10 days wet brine and all.



Fry Test pieces A little thick, but will work.



Frying up



I tasted pretty good. not too salty at all. I was pleasantly surprised. My wife wanted to know why it tasted different. No Smoke....

Time for the Peticle to materialize. Coated with CBP and Granulated Garlic



Smoking it tonight. More pics to follow.

 

[gersus]

 

[byounghusband]

10:00 pm CDT and the Bacon is ON!!!

I added CBP and Granulated Garlic before I put it in the fridge for the Peticle



And on the smoke with my AMZNPS filled full of Hickory and Cherry



Can't wait!!! Oh Yeah, good things take time.:th_wsmsmile0ly:

Time for a CAB... :cheers:

Or two!!

 

[southernsausage]

Looking Good!

 

[smokinhusker]

Looking good! Great idea to experiment the two methods side by side. 

 

[meddling kids]

You can put pellets in a pan and add some water- give them a day or two in good dry heat and they will convert to dust and dry out. Works great in a pinch. You can also microwave the dust to get more moisture out.

 

[byounghusband]

I had a couple issues with the Pellet smoker last night. I dozed off and awoke around 12:00 midnight and the pellets were out..... :icon_eek:

I fired them up again and it happened again. I discovered it around 2:00 am. I then lit both ends and got them going good.

They stayed lit until they burned down completely somewhere around 10:00 am.

I reloaded the tray and it has been going strong since. Because the pellets went out, I figure the bacon has been on actual smoke for only about 8-10 hours so far.... It is about 117 IT on the thickest part and the smoker is running about 135. It is 100 degrees outside, to this sure ain't no cold smoke.....

I will give it to 120 or 125 IT and pull the bacon off to cool.

 

[byounghusband]

Well CRAP!!! Just as I sent the last update, the temp alarm on the Webber went off. I guess because the smoker temp was so high, some fat rendered out of the bacon and dripped on the pellets and we had FIRE!!

I pulled the bacon off at 118 IT.

One piece has burn marks on one end, but it is the skin side anyway.

When should I cut the skin/rind off of the bellies?

 

[navigator]

Too late now but I find its easiest when they are still warm.

 

[byounghusband]

Well, no, not really, cause that's what I did....:biggrin: Slicing it up tonight!!

 

[byounghusband]

got it all sliced up!!! I was gonna do it on Monday night. I put the sealed slabs in the freezer at 6:00 pm figuring I would take them out around 9:00 pm to slice. Well, I got busy and spaced out!!:30: I remembered on Tuesday morning while at work. Yikes!! So I called the Mrs.and had her remove them and put back in the Fridge.....

Last night, Wednesday, I got home and Mrs. was outwith friends, so it was just me & the Bacon...... I Pulled them from the fridge and dug out the Slicer.





Since they were so long (Too long for this slicer) I had to fold them in half to make it work... BE careful of a spinning blade. (DAMHIKT!!!)



Sliced up all three pieces and did a test fry. WOW!!!!!! NO MORE Store Bought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I weighed out 1 lb batches and got 4 plus another 1/2 lb. then there were all the scraps. Chopped those up for bacon bits...



I had Bacon, Smoked Cheddar and beer for dinner. The Cheddar is in another post..



When My Wife got home, she nearly floated into the kitchen on the aromas of bacon.

Thanks ALL for your guidance.

I think I liked the wet brine a little bit more, but difference was negligible....My next attempt will be dry cure using Alblancher's method.