As soon I had to go out for shopping anyway, I decided to drive a little further (about 30 min one way)to get some pork belly to make some bacon. My destination was Smart FoodService (used to be Cash & Carry). There were only three slabs on the shelf so… not too much to choose from. I grabbed one which is totaled 6.5 kilo (14.3 #). Divided the slab into four pieces and on scale to get precise weight for each of them. Measured all ingredients using a Cure calculator. Applied mix of cure (Cure 1, salt and sugar)to each of pieces and vac sealed them. In the fridge for 10 days, massaging them daily…. In 10 days I removed them from the fridge and rinsed them off in cold water, then I patted them dry. Yes, I did a fry test for salt flavor and it was perfect. Back into fridge for 24 hours to rest till tomorrow. Next day – a smoking day! I used bearcarver’s process for smoking - Bacon (Extra Smoky) - and here it is: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/bacon-extra-smoky.108099/
I smoked bacon for 9 hours (two and a half less then bearcarver did) but smoke taste was right there, where I wanted it to be – not over smoked or under smoked. By whatever reason bacon's IM temp didn't reach 120F (like in bearcarver's case) but it was at 105F. BTW, I remember there was a discussion on this forum if there are any benefits of hanging bacon during the smoke or lay it on the shelves. This was first time I hanged them and was
very pleased with the result – color was very nice, better then when I smoked bacon on shelves…
After 9 hours of smoke I let bacon to cool down then wrapped all pieces with plastic wrap in and the fridge for 24 hours.
Next day I unwrapped bacon and left in the fridge unwrapped for another 24 hours… After that I placed all pieces of bacon in the freezer for 3 and a half hours before I start slicing process. My slicing process was like this: sliced first piece (then second, third and fourth) and using my scale divided into portions of 5-6 ounces. Each portion placed on wax paper and covered with wax paper and…. In the freezer till I could vac pack all of them. Oh, man… this was time consuming….
This morning I had “bacon & eggs” for my breakfast… Well…. This was my best bacon I ever made! Very happy with the result. Thank you all for sharing your experience and knowledge on this forum. I am sure it would be hard to achieve what I achieved without you, guys. My opinion anyway….
Thank you for watching.
I smoked bacon for 9 hours (two and a half less then bearcarver did) but smoke taste was right there, where I wanted it to be – not over smoked or under smoked. By whatever reason bacon's IM temp didn't reach 120F (like in bearcarver's case) but it was at 105F. BTW, I remember there was a discussion on this forum if there are any benefits of hanging bacon during the smoke or lay it on the shelves. This was first time I hanged them and was
very pleased with the result – color was very nice, better then when I smoked bacon on shelves…
After 9 hours of smoke I let bacon to cool down then wrapped all pieces with plastic wrap in and the fridge for 24 hours.
Next day I unwrapped bacon and left in the fridge unwrapped for another 24 hours… After that I placed all pieces of bacon in the freezer for 3 and a half hours before I start slicing process. My slicing process was like this: sliced first piece (then second, third and fourth) and using my scale divided into portions of 5-6 ounces. Each portion placed on wax paper and covered with wax paper and…. In the freezer till I could vac pack all of them. Oh, man… this was time consuming….
This morning I had “bacon & eggs” for my breakfast… Well…. This was my best bacon I ever made! Very happy with the result. Thank you all for sharing your experience and knowledge on this forum. I am sure it would be hard to achieve what I achieved without you, guys. My opinion anyway….
Thank you for watching.
