Melt in your mouth thick cut bacon - the cure, the smoke, or the cook?

[jceroli42]

So I'm up in Northern NJ, and have had bacon from Arthur Ave in the Bronx, amazing as it seems to almost melt in your mouth when cooked. I'm cooking it thick cut 1/2+ as usually a side with my steak.

So I have been curing my own bacon, about 3x now, it's great, people love it and no complaints, I'm my own worst critic. I want to get that melt in your mouth bacon. Does it have to do with the Cure? the Smoke? or the Cook? I'm thinking it's NOT the cook as I cook my own bacon and the "Arthur Ave" bacon the same, so then would it be the cure or smoke?

I've been using equilibrium wet cure method, and being in NJ, (winter) I have been using the hot smoke, smoking at the lowest temp my BGE can go 200 maybe until the bacon reaches about 150* (usually following the Ruhlman method). This spring I'm going to get an AMZN and try some cold smoking.

Any thoughts on how I can achieve the "melt in your mouth" bacon?

 

[motolife313]

I had a thick piece I found in the bag after giving my bacon slab to my butcher to cut and I smoked it for couple hours and it was melt in your mouth. Next bacon I do I'm going to have him cut it 1/2" or thicker

 

[pc farmer]

How are you cooking the bacon to eat??

I like my bacon with some bite to it.

 

[jceroli42]

How are you cooking the bacon to eat??

I like my bacon with some bite to it.

I like both, I like 1/2" thick when I do steak, but haven't achieved that melt in your mouth bacon like I mentioned above or some of the steakhouses do. I also cut some thinner for breakfast/blt and cook them with a little bite/crispness.