A nice 2 inch (mostly) thick, 10.5 lb. belly with skin off, was the subject of my recent cold smoking project.
$3.59 per lb. isn't too bad I guess.
Got 3 good sized pieces I figured would be nice to hang in the wide body.
I used 1 Tbs of brown sugar and Morton's TQ per lb. I used another Tbs of cracked black per slab for this dry rub.
The 2 gallon freezer bags work perfectly for this application. I rotated or flipped the bundles of joy everyday for 2 weeks.
Rinsed each slab for approximately 5 minutes before smoking. Did a taste test with trimmed pieces. Tasted fine.
Dried on wire racks for 2 days in the fridge.
Set the smoker up with 12 hours of lumberjack 100% Apple in a 5x8. I used half a dozen charcoal to get 75-85° heat.
Reapplied fresh cracked black and hung the slabs.
I may have used 4 or 5 small chunks of hickory in the fire box for added smokiness. Whatever the case, the temp held out fine in the 80s and I got the bacon out at like 9 pm. Put the bacon in fresh baggies and Sat those in the fridge for an additional 2 days before slicing.
Got to try a couple nice meals with the bacon so far. I enjoyed the taste indeed..
I see on the edges that the Brown sugar has stayed in the strips, they caramelized a bit in fact..
Overall, I would use TQ and this method again. Great coverage and not a bad result. The black pepper and brown sugar added good flavor enhancements.
Thanks for looking.
$3.59 per lb. isn't too bad I guess.
Got 3 good sized pieces I figured would be nice to hang in the wide body.
I used 1 Tbs of brown sugar and Morton's TQ per lb. I used another Tbs of cracked black per slab for this dry rub.
The 2 gallon freezer bags work perfectly for this application. I rotated or flipped the bundles of joy everyday for 2 weeks.
Rinsed each slab for approximately 5 minutes before smoking. Did a taste test with trimmed pieces. Tasted fine.
Dried on wire racks for 2 days in the fridge.
Set the smoker up with 12 hours of lumberjack 100% Apple in a 5x8. I used half a dozen charcoal to get 75-85° heat.
Reapplied fresh cracked black and hung the slabs.
I may have used 4 or 5 small chunks of hickory in the fire box for added smokiness. Whatever the case, the temp held out fine in the 80s and I got the bacon out at like 9 pm. Put the bacon in fresh baggies and Sat those in the fridge for an additional 2 days before slicing.
Got to try a couple nice meals with the bacon so far. I enjoyed the taste indeed..
I see on the edges that the Brown sugar has stayed in the strips, they caramelized a bit in fact..
Overall, I would use TQ and this method again. Great coverage and not a bad result. The black pepper and brown sugar added good flavor enhancements.
Thanks for looking.
