Orange/Honey Bacon? Can anybody help?

[bororyan]

So, i've been making my own pepper bacon for a while and have experimented with maple and honey too. I'm looking to try something new...

We had a Lucky's Market here that did an orange/honey bacon that was amazing. They recently closed and I was looking for a recipe to try to recreate it. Has anybody ever made anything like that? Wondering about the orange flavor and how the acid of the orange juice (I assume you would use juice) would affect the cure process. Or maybe it isn't in the cure, but maybe basted with orange/honey sauce while smoking?

Anybody have any thoughts or advice?

 

[chef jimmyj]

In Citrus flavor anything, the majority of taste and aroma is from oils in the Zest. The Juices contribute little to the taste. Additionally, Raw or lightly cooked Zest is more flavorful than when it's cooked. Example, Fresh Squeezed OJ has a lot more depth of flavor than Pasteurized Grocery OJ.
Try running your Basic Cure, Dry or Brine, for 14 days. Rinse and dry well then coat with a Honey and Orange Zest blend. Be careful to get only the surface zest, Orange portion, and avoid any White Pith. 4 Tbs fine grated Zest in 1 Cup Honey should be enough to thin coat a 10 to 12 pound Belly twice. Coat at the beginning of the Cold Smoking and again 3/4 of the way done.
Will it be exactly what you are used to? I have no idea since I've not had what you describe. For all we know the store may have cured with Orange Extract or Orange Kool-aid Powder. The above should be a good start, then tweak if needed. Best of Luck...JJ

 

[fivetricks]

Yeah, I was guessing that it was probably Tang or something like that too Jimmy. Or even an oil based orange flavoring. Something concentrated either way.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Looky here what I found...JJ

 

[bororyan]

Thanks JJ...appreciate it. I'm gonna try the honey & orange zest glaze and see what happens. I'll report back...

 

[thirdeye]

A friend brings bacon from a specialty butcher shop when he visits Wyoming for hunting. One of their flavors is garlic but I believe they must inject a garlic liquid because I'll add some garlic powder to the surface of some bacon.... but their flavor is much stronger.

As for honey flavored on Buckboard Bacon (either butt or loin), some people mix 50:50 maple syrup and water and inject a few ounces before it's hot smoked. A loin muscle is way different than pork belly, but it may work on belly bacon too.