Smoked Bacon ( step by step with Qview )

[brandonthompson]

Has anyone soaked thier bellies after the curing cycle in the fridge? I just wondered as i have had some turn out way to salty.

 

[Bearcarver]

Has anyone soaked thier bellies after the curing cycle in the fridge? I just wondered as i have had some turn out way to salty.

Yes, One time I used Hi Mountain Cure & Seasoning, and it was much too salty.

You should soak it in water for 2 hours & change the water every half hour. 

Then Fry Test a slice again.

If it's still to salty, repeat the same soaking.

Some say you can slice up a potato into the water, to help draw salt out, but I never tried it, as it was only that one time I ever had anything that was too salty. I have never used Hi Mountain again.

Hope this helps.

Bear

 

[brandonthompson]

Good deal... thanks fella. I wanted to check because with brown sugar cure i have heard that it is not good to soak them after the cur8ng process To remove excess salt.

 

[bubba watson]

Well.... I scored an awesome deal on some pork belly recently(50 pounds). dropped some not so subtle hints and the wife and boys got me an A-maz-N Pellet smoker for my birthday this week. I will certainly be using this guide for part of it. Gonna try a couple of cures and curing methods, but you haven't steered me wrong yet so I gotta try this one! 

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Well.... I scored an awesome deal on some pork belly recently(50 pounds). dropped some not so subtle hints and the wife and boys got me an A-maz-N Pellet smoker for my birthday this week. I will certainly be using this guide for part of it. Gonna try a couple of cures and curing methods, but you haven't steered me wrong yet so I gotta try this one! 

Sorry I missed this one for so long, Bubba!!

Thank You for those kind words!

Bear

 

[bubba watson]

Just to update ya Bear, I have not done anything with the belly. On June 16 at about 0240 in the morning while on my way home from work I apparently hit a deer while riding my motorcycle.... That bought be a helicopter ride to the trauma center where I had surgery to fix my broken leg. I also have broken ribs, a broken shoulder, and broken vertebrae in my neck and back. After 3 weeks in the hospital I have been home for a week, but am still wheelchair bound for a few more weeks. All that means.... All i can do is stare longingly at my smoker and plan future smokes......

 

[Bearcarver]

Just to update ya Bear, I have not done anything with the belly. On June 16 at about 0240 in the morning while on my way home from work I apparently hit a deer while riding my motorcycle.... That bought be a helicopter ride to the trauma center where I had surgery to fix my broken leg. I also have broken ribs, a broken shoulder, and broken vertebrae in my neck and back. After 3 weeks in the hospital I have been home for a week, but am still wheelchair bound for a few more weeks. All that means.... All i can do is stare longingly at my smoker and plan future smokes......

OMG----I'm so sorry to hear that, Bubba. Hopefully everything will be as good as new, and I'm sending Prayers from Macungie to help it along.

As long as you're planning future smokes, you might want to look at this other Bacon Smoke, as I believe it to be my Best Bacon Step by Step:

Bacon (Extra Smoky)

Prayers for a Speedy Recovery,

Bear

 

[rich m]

Much thanks for sharing....

 

[Bearcarver]

Much thanks for sharing....

And Thank You Too!!

Glad you like it.

Bear

 

[alexqc]

I have a question about smoking bacon.

I just removed my pork belly from the cure this morning. I planned to smoke it tomorrow morning from 5:30 to 13:00.

I was wondering if i could start smoking it tonight at like 23:00 without any heat, and then when i wake up tomorrow morning, i would heat up the smoker a bit to get warm smoke.

The thing that i am really concerned about is tonight's temperature. Its going to be about 40F outside.  Is there going to be some condensation forming on my pork belly?

Thank you for your advice!

 

[Bearcarver]

 
I have a question about smoking bacon.

I just removed my pork belly from the cure this morning. I planned to smoke it tomorrow morning from 5:30 to 13:00.

I was wondering if i could start smoking it tonight at like 23:00 without any heat, and then when i wake up tomorrow morning, i would heat up the smoker a bit to get warm smoke.

The thing that i am really concerned about is tonight's temperature. Its going to be about 40F outside.  Is there going to be some condensation forming on my pork belly?

Thank you for your advice!

Well, IMHO the Cold smoking isn't needed if you're going to put those 7 1/2 hours of warm smoke on it tomorrow.

However if you put a fan on it for an hour or two until you have a pellicle (Dry & tacky surface), it shouldn't hurt to cold smoke through the night. Many guys only do Cold Smoke on their Bacon & they love it. 

You should get the pellicle on it either way. I get it by putting it in my meat fridge over night, uncovered, and finish the pellicle in the warm smoker without smoke, before I add the smoke.

Bear

 

[alexqc]

 
Well, IMHO the Cold smoking isn't needed if you're going to put those 7 1/2 hours of warm smoke on it tomorrow.

However if you put a fan on it for an hour or two until you have a pellicle (Dry & tacky surface), it shouldn't hurt to cold smoke through the night. Many guys only do Cold Smoke on their Bacon & they love it.

You should get the pellicle on it either way. I get it by putting it in my meat fridge over night, uncovered, and finish the pellicle in the warm smoker without smoke, before I add the smoke.

Bear

Thanks for the advice!

I will only warm smoke then!

I've done some of your step by step recipe and everything turned awesome so far!

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Thanks for the advice!

I will only warm smoke then!

I've done some of your step by step recipe and everything turned awesome so far!

Here's a newer one that might be easier to follow.  It's my personal favorite:

Bacon (Extra Smoky)

Bear

 

[travisty]

 
I was going to put this in "Cold-Smoking", but my smoker temp got up over 100˚.

I checked on my Bacon supply a couple weeks ago. It looked like I had quite a bit left, but I decided not to take a chance of running out of Bacon before Tomato season ends. Got a fresh belly from one of my butchers, and began the process. Cut one 11 pound, 5 ounce belly into 6 smaller pieces, weighed each piece individually, and weighed out the right amount of Tender Quick for each piece. Rinsed each piece, dried them good with paper towels, and rubbed them good with 1/2 ounce (1 TBS) per pound of belly. Also added about a TBS of brown sugar with each pound of belly. Put each piece in it's own zip-lock bag (along with any TQ that fell off, because the cure was measured exactly----never throw away any cure that falls off), squeezed the extra air out, zipped them shut, and put them in the fridge. I kept the fridge between 37˚ and 38˚ for 9 days, massaging & flipping each bag every day.

On day 9 I removed them from the fridge, rinsed them off in cold water, and soaked them in ice water for 1/2 hour. Then I patted them dry, cut a couple slices, and did a fry test for salt

---

 

Hey Bear!

Im planning to use your method for some bacon within 2 weeks or so, but I typically use cure #1 pink salt. if I do the math to get the right amount of pink salt instead of tender quick should I be good to go for this same method? or do you think that I should invest in some tender quick instead?

I think the ratio of pink salt is 1 tsp per 5#, but im sure I have a more scientific weight based measurement in one of my previous posts somewhere. ( @Bearcarver  )

 

[travisty]

Actually I just found this awesome cure calculator from @DiggingDogFarm! :http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/124590/universal-cure-calculator

Very helpful.

 

[gary s]

Another one I have visited many times and forgot to leave a point, Sorry.

Gary

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Another one I have visited many times and forgot to leave a point, Sorry.

Gary

Thanks a Bunch Gary!!

Appreciate it !!

Bear

 

[cajuncpo]

Have never tried making my own bacon, but after looking at the end results from this thread I'm definitely going to try it -- Soon! Have to find somewhere that I can get some pork belly, however. No butcher shops around here where I live. Closest one is about 25 miles north.  I COULD try the local Publix or Winn Dixie, but I'm pretty sure the price would be sky high from them IF they had or could get me any.  Gonna do some foot work and see what I can come up with.  

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Have never tried making my own bacon, but after looking at the end results from this thread I'm definitely going to try it -- Soon! Have to find somewhere that I can get some pork belly, however. No butcher shops around here where I live. Closest one is about 25 miles north.  I COULD try the local Publix or Winn Dixie, but I'm pretty sure the price would be sky high from them IF they had or could get me any.  Gonna do some foot work and see what I can come up with.  

That's Great Chief----Don't give up---Get a Belly.

However I would recommend this Step by Step----It's my favorite:

Bacon (Extra Smoky)

Bear

 

[curtis9]

I just got a pork belly tonite and followed your recipe for the cure. My only question is was it ok that the skin was still on the one side? Also would it be ok to leave it cure till next weekend which would be 11 days.