Bacon curing and smoking

[Ron A]

I'm curing bacon this week and smoking it this weekend. I picked up a couple 4-5 lb. pork pork bellies from Don & Joe's Meats at Pike Place Market this afternoon. Then, right next door I picked up a couple ounces of pink curing salt (75 cents/ounce) and some real maple sugar (85 cents/ounce) from Market Spice. I already have a few pounds of kosher salt and a good collection of herbs and spices at home, so I'm good to go.

For those of you who live in Seattle, Market Spice is the ONLY place for herbs and spices (other than those you grow in your garden). They have everything you could possibly think of and at prices 80-90% less than grocery stores or specialty shops. They even have some of their own specialty rubs and dry-cure mixtures. The key to their pricing is packaging (or lack thereof). Everything is custom ordered. The spices are scooped from large glass jars, weighed and put into plastic envelopes. Example: A 4 oz. jar of garlic powder will run anywhere from $2 to $5 in the store. A the same 4 oz. envelope from Market Spice will cost about 80 cents.

As soon as the smoking is done (Sunday?), I'll post some pictures of the start-to-finish process.

 

[Amir]

Thanks for the referral there. How fresh are the spices at Market Spice? I often worry that stuff sits in jars in such stores and is not as fresh as sealed glass containers.

 

[Ron A]

Amir, I've been buying spices and herbs there for as long as I've been working downtown (30 years) and have never been disappointed with the quality or freshness of the products. All of the spices, herbs and sugars are stored in sealed glass jars in a climate-controlled space. The lids are only removed to dispense the product then re-sealed and put back on the shelf. Consider that the jarred spices in grocery stores sit first in warehouses and then on store shelves for months and months. Then they sit in your cabinet or spice rack for another few months (or years?). With Market Spice, you buy in the quantity you need (minimum purchase is only 1/2 ounce) so freshness in the store or at home is never an issue. Give it a try and my bet is you'll never buy from a grocery store again.

 

[Amir]

Thanks Ron. I thought they were in open containers like I have seen at other places. Will definitely give it a try. The Pike Place market is such an amazing resource. I wish I lived or worked close to it as you are. I would be shopping there everyday . The used to have free parking and then took that away so when we come we have to buy a bunch of stuff to make it worthwhile.

Thanks again for the information.