Next bacon. Brined bellies

[daveomak]

BB, looks great.... About the molasses... at what step and how much was added...

 

[bladebuilder]

Hey Richard. Thanks for the comments! As far as taste goes,  my friends and family who have tried it, prefer it to bacon commercially produced. Now to be fair to your question, Premium bacon being the benchmark. There is a brand here that sells for $12-$14 for a 600 gram package, so say just over a pound. This brand is thicker slices, under 1/8", but still thicker than the shavings that most bacon comes as. It is a sugar cured bacon, with a hickory smoke, what I based my "ideal" end result on.

The first thing I notices was out of package texture. The store bought variety seemed like it was over processed, almost like it was tearing apart. Of course cooking time was similar. Again being fair, the store bought was a simple bacon, the one I preferred had molasses added while smoking. Out of the pan, the store bought had a nice chew, crispy edges (how I prefer to have my bacon cooked, not a fan of crispy) Mine was the same, but the flavor! WOW! Pop's brine did it for me! Sweet and salty through and through, great gentle smoke flavor with every bite, and a little sweet flavor kick from the molasses. Surprising, it didnt burn or caramelize like I thought It might.

SO if I have the choice, home made wins. But I cant say I wont eat store bought again. Supply and pricing of bellies will rule. This stuff ended up costing about $3.40 a pound, costs in. If you include the smoker I built, I could have bought a lot of store bought bacon!!

 

[bladebuilder]

BB, looks great.... About the molasses... at what step and how much was added...

Hi Dave, I diluted the molasses with hot water and used about a half cup molasses, with a couple TBSP hot water, rubbed into what would have been 1 1/2 whole bellies (3 pieces is the QView shot) With the smoker at 55-60F, the bacon was tacky when hung, and dry to touch after 10 hrs of smoke. I applied it morning of the second day, then smoked an additional 10 hours day 3.

 

[daveomak]

Hi Dave, I diluted the molasses with hot water and used about a half cup molasses, with a couple TBSP hot water, rubbed into what would have been 1 1/2 whole bellies (3 pieces is the QView shot) With the smoker at 55-60F, the bacon was tacky when hung, and dry to touch after 10 hrs of smoke. I applied it morning of the second day, then smoked an additional 10 hours day 3.

Good to know..... thank you....

 

[craigdchang]

Why do some people let it rest and then smoke it again. Why not just let it cold smoke for 24 hours straight?

 

[daveomak]

http://www.meatsandsausages.com/meat-smoking/cold-smoking

Old world cold smoking is a process where smoke is applied then stopped over and over again.... Some cold smokes lasted up to a month.... I have cold smoked bacon 6 hours/day.... for 6 days... each no smoke period allows the meat to rest and equilibrate....

It all depends on what you are trying to duplicate.... Store bought is injected with liquid smoke....

 

[craigdchang]

When you let the bacon rest, do you cover it in the fridge? I am planning to do a slab this weekend.

 

[gary s]

I didn't   then after it's smoked I did  be slicing mine tomorrow

Gary

 

[craigdchang]

Does it make a difference in hanging vs. laying flat on the rack?

 

[bladebuilder]

As long as air can get around it, no. I put mine on cookie cooling racks. Didnt have enough, so I put a couple strips of wood between the slabs. Just so they didn't sweat and stick together.