K. Smith
TVWBB Member
Our first batch of bacon is finished and it's delicious! I was worried about it as I may have made a mistake in making the cure. I used one of the recipes I found on the forum that required black coffee, boubon or apple cider. I had just purchased some apple cider so that's what I used--or so I thought. I was making several BBQ sauces and rubs that day and I also had apple cider vinegar on the counter. I realized yesterday that the apple cider wasn't opened yet! I thought I put in all the ingredients so I was concerned I might have added vinegar to the cure, although I guess it's possible I just skipped that step. I didn't know what the vinegar might do to the texture of the meat. Turns out that if there was vinegar in there it had no effect on taste or texture. But, I'm not going to try vinegar in the next batch just to see if it was in the first one!
It was very easy to smoke and I used the snake method as recommended. Couldn't have worked out better.
Here is the belly we started with, skin on.
Here it is trimmed, cut in half and beginning the cure.
After being cured and rested overnight.
After a 5 hour smoke with temperature ranging from 150-160.
And sliced and ready to go.
I don't have any pictures of what was cooked this morning as it was eaten too fast. I cooked it in the convection oven at 350 degrees. It wasn't as fatty as store bought and there was a very good smoke taste and smell. We're having friends over today so most of it is vacuum packed and ready to go home with them. Looks like I'll need to get another belly this afternoon as I don't intend to buy bacon from the grocery store again.
It was very easy to smoke and I used the snake method as recommended. Couldn't have worked out better.
Here is the belly we started with, skin on.
Here it is trimmed, cut in half and beginning the cure.
After being cured and rested overnight.
After a 5 hour smoke with temperature ranging from 150-160.
And sliced and ready to go.
I don't have any pictures of what was cooked this morning as it was eaten too fast. I cooked it in the convection oven at 350 degrees. It wasn't as fatty as store bought and there was a very good smoke taste and smell. We're having friends over today so most of it is vacuum packed and ready to go home with them. Looks like I'll need to get another belly this afternoon as I don't intend to buy bacon from the grocery store again.
