Bacon my way

[tjkoko]

With the skin/rind scored to allow better penetration of the cure, I take and cut my full pork bellies into thirds. For the cure I use Instacure #1 along with maple sugar cure from AlliedKenco.com. For 25# of belly I use the recommended amount of maple sugar cure mixed with 4 TBS of Instacure #1. They're then placed into ziplocks and refrigerated for just over two weeks and overhauled occasionally.

With the cure completed, the slabs are rinsed and then soak in a water bath for around twenty minutes or so. They spend the next twenty-four hours drying to form a pellicle.

Once ready to smoke, I place my Raichlen rib rack onto the top grate and load as many pieces as possible into the slots. Yes, the pieces set vertically and are therefore totally exposed to the smoke. (Bellies should not be placed into any sort of roasting pan during the smoking. You want all sides to be well smoked.)

Before all of this happens, I place an additional piece or two of belly onto the bottom grate.

Back to the top grate. The two outermost pieces seem to heat the fastest therefore I place a meat probe in each one, two probes therefore, and plug both into my Maverick ET73. Once the internal temperature reaches 145+, the pieces are removed from the smoker and the probes placed into the next outer pieces.

 

[AlWielgosz]

Thanks Tj
What temp are you running smoker at?

 

[Geir Widar]

Why the two week cure? Do you notice any difference between that cure and three to five days, depending on the thickness of the belly?

 

[Bob Correll]

Why the two week cure? Do you notice any difference between that cure and three to five days, depending on the thickness of the belly?

I also wonder why two cures?
One in the amount recommended, and then adding #1 cure too

I'll stick with just MTQ, and maybe some maple or brown sugar.

 

[tjkoko]

Thanks Tj
What temp are you running smoker at?

Four lit coals placed atop a chimney's worth, I try for as long as possible to keep the temp <120 but after a couple of hours the temp climbs. With micromanagement on the vents, the temps will invariable reach 150 and I try to not let it rise too much above it.

The next time I smoke bellies, I'll try using only three lit coals atop the pile to prolong the lower smoke temperature.

 

[tjkoko]

Why the two week cure? Do you notice any difference between that cure and three to five days, depending on the thickness of the belly?

The thickness of my bellies measures around two inches and I've read/heard that the cure time is around seven days per inch thickness. And honestly I've never tried curing for such a short time as three to five days. 8)

 

[tjkoko]

I also wonder why two cures?
One in the amount recommended, and then adding #1 cure too

I'll stick with just MTQ, and maybe some maple or brown sugar.

Using the maple sugar cure alone gives the product some sweetness yet I'm seeking a slightly stronger salty component as well. Hence the Instacure #1, a "pure cure" if you will with no sweetness.

 

[Bob Correll]

Using the maple sugar cure alone gives the product some sweetness yet I'm seeking a slightly stronger salty component as well. Hence the Instacure #1, a "pure cure" if you will with no sweetness.

Hope I wasn't sounding critical of your process.
It's just that adding more cure (nitrites), above the recommended amount could lead to toxicity, for what little I actually know about this subject.
Wouldn't adding salt alone work for more saltiness?

 

[tjkoko]

Hope I wasn't sounding critical of your process.
It's just that adding more cure (nitrites), above the recommended amount could lead to toxicity, for what little I actually know about this subject.
Wouldn't adding salt alone work for more saltiness?

Realize that the slabs are soaked in a water bath prior to drying and smoking, reducing their overall nitrite content. And nitrite adds a bit of sharpness to the flavor.