Tupelo Honey Bacon


 
B

Bryan S

TVWBB Olympian
I made up a cure and let the belly cure for 7 days. I overhauled it once a day. I smoked it on the WSM at 175-180 today using Orange Wood Pellets. As always, I put my 16" pizza stone on the lower grate tabs and then the WSM water pan ontop of the stone to catch any drippings. I use the stone to make the hot zone smaller and it really helps keep the temps even (no hot spots) for smoking cured meats. Here's my recipe and some pics.

Tupelo Honey Bacon Cure
15 grams pink salt
3 ozs Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
1 cup Tupelo Honey.

EDIT Directions: Mix salt and pink salt well and stir in honey. Using a spatula apply evenly on all sides and ends and place in a 2 gal zip bag, removing as much air as possible and place on the bottom shelf of the fridge for 5-7 days. Overhaul it, flip it everyday. Check after 5 days and if it's firmed up and should be really red/pink in color (if not let it go another day or 2) wash off the cure really well with warm water and pat dry. I place the belly skin side down on a cookie cooling rack and place in front of a fan on low for 1-1.5 hrs till a nice pellicle forms. Place on smoker and smoke with the wood of your choice at 180-200 till a internal of 140 is reached. You can cook it up to 150 internal if you wish. 5 days for a belly is good but if using butt a little thicker you might have to go 7 days.
 
That looks fantastik, Bryan! Can't wait to taste it !!
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Post up the sliced pics when you get a chance.

Bill
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Bill, I cooked some up today but forgot to take some pics. It's good, and you can def smell and taste the honey, just one minor glitch. I would not leave the TV with less than 10 laps to go in the 500, so it got a little over cooked in the oven. Based on this taste test, the Maple Bacon cure is better, but the jury is still out. I'll make some more on Monday, and with no race on TV, it should come out better.
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Originally posted by K Kruger:
Well, it looks really good. 5-6-pound piece?
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Thanks Kevin, it easily went 6 lbs, alot bigger than the maple bacon done the week before. This one was the whole side of belly I got for $1.45 lb from a local butcher shop. I cut it to 14" long to give me one inch clearance on each side from the hot zone with the pizza stone in the WSM. The odd size end was used for the roasted pressed pork belly. I'm going to pick up another whole belly this Friday and make the Maple bacon again and with the odd size end, I'm really hungry for some cracklins.
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UPDATE: I fried some of the honey bacon up on Sat, and this time there wasn't a race on, so no over cooking of said bacon. It's pretty darn good with a nice honey nose and flavor, I'm happy how it turned out. Not quite as good as the Maple bacon, but it's not too shabby. I'd def make it again. Next time, I won't fry it up when the Daytona 500 is on.
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This recipe looks great. I have a 3 lb bone in butt in the fridge. If I debone it you think it would work? Should I tie it before brining?
 
Originally posted by Jim Babek:
This recipe looks great. I have a 3 lb bone in butt in the fridge. If I debone it you think it would work? Should I tie it before brining?
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Jim, That recipe is enough for a 6lb belly. If you can weigh out grams and ozs cut the recipe in 1/2. I would not tie it up. Leave it in 1/2's just as you would if slicing it up. If it gets too thick it won't cure right. Let me know if you make it, and how it turns out for you. I just pulled another bag of it out of the freezer for tomorrow.
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Agreed.

I'd bone it and, if thick, butterfly it or halve it as Bryan suggests. If not, make sure you get cure in where you remove the bone.
 
Whoops. We posted at about the same time, Jim, and I didn't see yours. My 'Agreed' post was to echo Bryan's above.

Bryan's recipe is for a dry cure not a curing brine. There is no liquid in it other than the honey. This type of formulation should not be injected. It must be applied to all surfaces.
 
Thanks guys...as I was elbows deep in pork and applying the cure I realized that this was a dry cure. I dont know if this is gonna work. I mixed the #1, salt and honey in a bowl. Deboned the butt and put in in a ziplock bag then added the mix and then rubbed it all over. Got most of the air out and its in the fridge. I figure that by the am some liquid will be comming out and I will mix it around probably twice a day for a while. Since its tuesday and the first chance I will have to smoke it, once the cure is done, will be next saturday that will be 9 days. Is that too long?
 
Originally posted by Jim Babek:
I should have also asked should I inject the brine or submerge. If I inject is the cure time lessened?
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Jim, That's my fault. I should have posted the process in my first post.
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I'll do a edit.
9 days is fine.
 
I'm happy how it turned out. Not quite as good as the Maple bacon, but it's not too shabby.
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You know, I was just thinking about this. And I'm thinking a little counterpoint might be the thing. Follow me for a moment: Along with the cure above, I'm thinking adding the zest of one lemon, halved, maybe 6-8 crushed juniper berries, and 2-3 bay leaves and a sprig of thyme, split. Do this:

Mix salt and pink salt well and stir in honey.
Click to expand...
Then add the other ingredients noted and mash a bit. Spread on the belly and divide the new ingredients (as best you can--but don't worry about it) evenly between the two sides.

I'm thinking that the brighter notes, herbal notes, and woodsy notes would add much in the way of depth and breadth to the finish.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'm happy how it turned out. Not quite as good as the Maple bacon, but it's not too shabby.
Click to expand...
You know, I was just thinking about this. And I'm thinking a little counterpoint might be the thing. Follow me for a moment: Along with the cure above, I'm thinking adding the zest of one lemon, halved, maybe 6-8 crushed juniper berries, and 2-3 bay leaves and a sprig of thyme, split. Do this:

Mix salt and pink salt well and stir in honey.
Click to expand...
Then add the other ingredients noted and mash a bit. Spread on the belly and divide the new ingredients (as best you can--but don't worry about it) evenly between the two sides.

I'm thinking that the brighter notes, herbal notes, and woodsy notes would add much in the way of depth and breadth to the finish. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Kevin, it needs something IMO, because while I love honey, it's just a little too much honey flavor going on. Now that might have alot to do with using Tupelo also. Juniper berries I'm not fond of. Mom used to put them in her sauerkraut and I don't like them all that much. Don't flame me but to me it ruined the kraut. I love the lemon zest though. Here's what I was thing. Doing the recipe as I posted and adding the lemon zest along with Sichuan pepper. Thoughts?
 
Wouldn't flame you. There are people with no taste.
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See, no flaming.

Sichuan might be a good idea. Hmm. Maybe a reconstituted mashed chile with that?
 
I'll add a KIS (Keep it simple) suggestion, just cut back on the Tulepo honey.

The standard TQ instructions on the back of the bag don't call for any sugars, go with 1/3 C honey, adjust up from there. Or do something like add 2TBSP Turb sugar, 1/3C Tulepo honey if you really want the extra sugar in there, adjust up.

There is nothing wrong of course with seasoning the bacon, but the advantage of keeping the bacon flavor neutral is versatility. You might not want a juniper - hot chili bacon straight up for breakfast with fried eggs for example, but if it's a little more on the plain side you can season it or what it's added to later to make hot chili bacon chicken sandwiches for example.
 
Originally posted by Bryan S:
I made up a cure and let the belly cure for 7 days. I overhauled it once a day. I smoked it on the WSM at 175-180 today using Orange Wood Pellets. As always, I put my 16" pizza stone on the lower grate tabs and then the WSM water pan ontop of the stone to catch any drippings. I use the stone to make the hot zone smaller and it really helps keep the temps even (no hot spots) for smoking cured meats. Here's my recipe and some pics.

Tupelo Honey Bacon Cure
15 grams pink salt
3 ozs Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
1 cup Tupelo Honey.

EDIT Directions: Mix salt and pink salt well and stir in honey. Using a spatula apply evenly on all sides and ends and place in a 2 gal zip bag, removing as much air as possible and place on the bottom shelf of the fridge for 5-7 days. Overhaul it, flip it everyday. Check after 5 days and if it's firmed up and should be really red/pink in color (if not let it go another day or 2) wash off the cure really well with warm water and pat dry. I place the belly skin side down on a cookie cooling rack and place in front of a fan on low for 1-1.5 hrs till a nice pellicle forms. Place on smoker and smoke with the wood of your choice at 180-200 till a internal of 140 is reached. You can cook it up to 150 internal if you wish. 5 days for a belly is good but if using butt a little thicker you might have to go 7 days.
Click to expand...

Bryan: Could you please provide a teaspoon/tablespoon equivalent of 15 grams of pink salt. I seem to have misplaced my scientific scale.
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Thank you!!
 
Originally posted by C. Howlett:
Bryan: Could you please provide a teaspoon/tablespoon equivalent of 15 grams of pink salt. I seem to have misplaced my scientific scale.
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Thank you!!
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C, For a 5-6lb. belly, 2 tsp will do you. That's from the book Charcuterie.
 
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