Geir Widar
TVWBB Wizard
In spite of all the bacon posts, some might not tried it yet.
It's easy, a piece of cake, and the result is way beyond the stuff you can buy at most stores.
Funfact- less than 30% of "smoked food" you can buy here in Norway is actually smoked. The rest is sprayed with liquid smoke. I wonder what it's like in the US. I have no idea.
Head over to the charcuterie forum for everything you need to get started, knowledgewise.
I like to dry salt my bacon, as it removes some of the water. Takes three days, but if it suits you, wait for a week. Works like charm. Some pieces of belly loses lots of liquid, others almost nothing. It does not really matter.
Prep the WSM with a snake ring, and some wood. Oak is nice, apple is nice, junipher is nice.. You get the idea.
Rinse the belly the day before, and leave to dry up in a cool place. You do not have to be too picky, because the meat is already salted, but lower than 60F is something you'd want.
Did you notice the nipples? They are a normal part of every mammal, and tastes just the same as the rest of the rind. I like to keep the rind on the bacon, but if you do not want to eat it, remove it before smoking.
Place the belly in the WSM. Omit the water pan, or foil it. There is no need to add water. I normally leave the vents half open, but your climate might be different. You can get more than six hours of smoke from a snake, giving you a temperature of 150F. If you add smoke wood to the whole snake, you will end up with bacon with a strong smoke taste. That's what I'm looking for.
Regarding food safety, I do not bother to go much higher, as I live in Norway, and meats are safe. No worries. If you want to take the meat to over 170f to be safe, it's easy to finish off the meat in the oven/stove. Takes less time, and noone knows that you have been cheating.
After six hours in heavy smoke at 150F, your belly should look something like this:
And this:
Slice it up. If you smoke your bacon for six hours, let it rest for a week. Go ahead and freeze it, it does not matter, but the taste will change from a quite bitter and overwhelming taste to a rich and delicious smoked flavor, with a long aftertaste.
Now, this is my last bacon thread ever, if I do not come up with some new ideas. This forum is full of fantastic bacon threads as it is.
It's easy, a piece of cake, and the result is way beyond the stuff you can buy at most stores.
Funfact- less than 30% of "smoked food" you can buy here in Norway is actually smoked. The rest is sprayed with liquid smoke. I wonder what it's like in the US. I have no idea.
Head over to the charcuterie forum for everything you need to get started, knowledgewise.
I like to dry salt my bacon, as it removes some of the water. Takes three days, but if it suits you, wait for a week. Works like charm. Some pieces of belly loses lots of liquid, others almost nothing. It does not really matter.
Prep the WSM with a snake ring, and some wood. Oak is nice, apple is nice, junipher is nice.. You get the idea.
Rinse the belly the day before, and leave to dry up in a cool place. You do not have to be too picky, because the meat is already salted, but lower than 60F is something you'd want.
Did you notice the nipples? They are a normal part of every mammal, and tastes just the same as the rest of the rind. I like to keep the rind on the bacon, but if you do not want to eat it, remove it before smoking.
Place the belly in the WSM. Omit the water pan, or foil it. There is no need to add water. I normally leave the vents half open, but your climate might be different. You can get more than six hours of smoke from a snake, giving you a temperature of 150F. If you add smoke wood to the whole snake, you will end up with bacon with a strong smoke taste. That's what I'm looking for.
Regarding food safety, I do not bother to go much higher, as I live in Norway, and meats are safe. No worries. If you want to take the meat to over 170f to be safe, it's easy to finish off the meat in the oven/stove. Takes less time, and noone knows that you have been cheating.
After six hours in heavy smoke at 150F, your belly should look something like this:
And this:
Slice it up. If you smoke your bacon for six hours, let it rest for a week. Go ahead and freeze it, it does not matter, but the taste will change from a quite bitter and overwhelming taste to a rich and delicious smoked flavor, with a long aftertaste.
Now, this is my last bacon thread ever, if I do not come up with some new ideas. This forum is full of fantastic bacon threads as it is.
