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~Pop's Brine Pulled Bacon (and crunchy ~Japanese potato salad)

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InstinCure

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Butts were on sale for $0.99/lb last week and I messed up only buying one.

Deboned into 3 pieces, into the brine on the 5th. Low-salt (1/8c/qt), just a tiny bit of maple syrup for sugar, and a lot (1/4c?) of white pepper which has become a staple in my brines.

First chunk was diced and fried Friday to make a hearty 1:1 potato soup/chowder.

Yesterday filled up the PBX with Kingsford and 4 decent apple chunks.

Rubbed with my current all-purpose:
-4p Paprika
-1p Jalapeno Powder
-1p Black Pepper
-1p White Pepper
-1p Salt
-1p Turbinado
-1p Celery Seed
-1p Garlic

Went for the grate instead of hanging them; Only lot 20 or so briqs, opposite the intake, and had to keep cracking the lid every hour or two when wood started to catch.

The pictured money+tubes got 4.5h smoke, 2.5h wrap, in the cooler for several hours and into the fridge. Gonna be sliced in the next day or two.

Tonight's pulled bacon got 6.5h smoke, 2h wrap, 2hr rest on the counter in a covered Pyrex dish. Forgot a pic, much more bark.

I ran across the idea of Japanese potato salad a few months ago and have made it a bunch of times. All the crisp veggies really help the second lb go down easier, lol.

I dice red potatoes to around 1/4" as much as time allows, same with a green bell pepper and occasionally others too. For most of the veg- cucumbers, radishes, carrots etc.- I go for 1/8-4" width, and as thin as I can shave them. No mandolin here at home. Shallots are great as I'm sure crunchy Asian stuff like daikon and kohlrabi are too.

~1:1 red potatoes to total veggies.
Mayo
Greek Yogurt
Rice Vinegar
Soy
Sesame Oil
Hoisin
MSG
White pepper
Black Pepper
Cucumber
Carrot
Radish
Some really hot garlic from the farmers market
Mustard powder
Horseradish
Tiny bit of deli mustard with horseradish


...felt like a mouthful, but they were some good ones.
 

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Looks good, question though. Is the "pulled bacon" butt that was cured in Pops brine?

Yep I forgot to say butt or buckboard in the title. Pop's low(est?) saltalmost no sugar or substitute besides maybe a half tsp per quart of water, and I always put some white pepper in
 
That looks good!

Thanks! It sure was to me. I pretty much always have some kind of pork brining , but this summer was more belly experiments than anything. The flavor this butt bacon made me feel like I wasted some money on belly, for sure. Lol.

One thing I did not note is it tasted kind of bland as I started to pull it, so added a few tbsp of that rub little by little.
 
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