Old World Bacon... My Way.... UPDATE 6/15/21

[daveomak]

2 weeks... cure is done...

Rinse and dry... 5 days back in the refer to "bloom" and form a decent pellicle.... and lose more moisture to intensify the flavor...

needs a rinse...





rinsed and dried...






Soon, into the smoker.....

BBL....

 

[smokerjim]

looking good Dave!

 

[Brokenhandle]

Can't wait for the finish!

Ryan

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Dave,

Good to see that the broken arm isn't slowing you down.

Staying tuned in for this one for sure.

 

[daveomak]

It's slowing down a lot of stuff...

 

[GaryHibbert]

Yep. I'm in.
Gary

 

[GATOR240]

Standing by....

 

[SmokinAl]

Looks good Dave!
I have some buckboard bacon cold smoking right now.
Should be ready to slice on Father’s Day for Challah bread French toast & mimosas.
Al

 

[daveomak]

Wish I could be there Al.....

 

[daveomak]

I did 2 each 6-8 hour smokes using dust I make up... Friday night and again Saturday night....
It's now in the refer for a few more days to bloom.... Get the smoke distributed throughout the meat for a uniform flavor...
NOTE: since the start, the slab was open to the refer... NO bagging or anything close...

I will slice the belly in half then slice on the meat slicer... I can't cut full bellies..

The meat has lost a bunch of weight concentrating the flavor... Ummmm good...

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

I did 2 each 6-8 hour smokes using dust I make up... Friday night and again Saturday night....
It's now in the refer for a few more days to bloom.... Get the smoke distributed throughout the meat for a uniform flavor...
NOTE: since the start, the slab was open to the refer... NO bagging or anything close...

View attachment 500688

View attachment 500689

I will slice the belly in half then slice on the meat slicer... I can't cut full bellies..

View attachment 500693


The meat has lost a bunch of weight concentrating the flavor... Ummmm good...

Beautiful!

 

[Brokenhandle]

It looks great! I bet your fridge smells like heaven!

Ryan

 

[SmokinEdge]

Looks great Dave.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

That sure looks good, I need to try my hand at this. I've never attempted any cured meat so I've got a ton to learn.

 

[pushok2018]

Bravo, Dave! Looks fantastic! I can imagine how it tastes.... Yum!

 

[daveomak]

That sure looks good, I need to try my hand at this. I've never attempted any cured meat so I've got a ton to learn.

You will need 2 scales... Preferably electronic....
0-20#'s +/_
0-100 grams for accuracy measuring cure, spices and herbs etc..

A starting point is..
1.5-1.8% Kosher salt
+
0.25% cure#1 (returns ~156 Ppm nitrite)
+
1% white sugar (for a very mild sweet flavor to combat any saltiness flavor AND hold moisture in the meat)
+
any UNSALTED spices and herbs for your specific flavor profile, generally 1-2%.;.

Other sugars are filthy and can cause unwanted molds and bacterial growth... (cane, molasses etc.)

 

[chopsaw]

Fantastic !

 

[gmc2003]

That some real good looking bacon Dave

Point for sure
Chris

 

[Gonna Smoke]

You will need 2 scales... Preferably electronic....
0-20#'s +/_
0-100 grams for accuracy measuring cure, spices and herbs etc..

A starting point is..
1.5-1.8% Kosher salt
+
0.25% cure#1 (returns ~156 Ppm nitrite)
+
1% white sugar (for a very mild sweet flavor to combat any saltiness flavor AND hold moisture in the meat)
+
any UNSALTED spices and herbs for your specific flavor profile, generally 1-2%.;.

Other sugars are filthy and can cause unwanted molds and bacterial growth... (cane, molasses etc.)

Thanks, Dave, I've bookmarked this. I did tell a little bit of a lie, I've cured brisket for pastrami and corned beef.

 

[daveomak]

You are forgiven......