Buckboard Bacon

[tjkoko]

Setting on my shelf for over two years, my Buckboard Bacon Cure from Hi Mountain was finally brought out of hibernation. The directions for preparation and smoking were gotten elsewhere at this site and here's how my smoke went.

Once cured, the meat was placed in the wsm and the temperature brought to a steady 200-205F with only one vent opened at 100%. All this in spite of weather that was questionable: wind gusts to 15 knots with an occasional drizzle to spice things up. The smoke duration was around 3 1/2 hours by the time the meat reached 140F.

As to flavor, it'll be another day or two until I try some - to allow the smokiness to mellow.

EDIT: Oh yes, I left lots of fat on the meat to get more flavor and to prevent the meat from sticking to the frying pan. To blazes with "fat-free"!

 

[tjkoko]

Bump.

It's been over 48 hours since the initial smoke and the BB's flavor has mellowed a bit; it's not as strong tasting in terms of cure and smokiness as the first piece I ate the day after.

The recipe had been altered a bit and so adivce is requested:

1. The BB which weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces was cured for 11 days instead of the recommended 10 just because I wanted to be extra careful for my first ever curing session.

2. Two pieces of pecan wood each the size of my thumb was used - in addition to 1/8 cup of hickory chips.

Would #1 and #2 have contributed to the pronounced flavor or is that strongness characteristic of a product that's just been smoked? BTW I noticed that my beef jerkey, after setting for about a week in the frige inside a ziplock bag, mellows noticeabley.

 

[tjkoko]

A few weeks have gone by and my impression of BB is this:

1. While the meat tastes wonderful, I feel that once smoke, the meat needs a rest in the fridge for about a week to mellow the flavors.

2. Eating the meat the day after smoking, methinks the flavor of cure and smoke is overpowering, way overpowering.

3. Since this was my first cure ever, I allowed the meat to cure for 11 days instead of the indicated 10 days just to ensure bacterial annihilation. Next time I'll shoot for a 10 day cure unless a bigger boston butt is used.


And oh yes, my BB cure is over 2 years old, setting in its own packaging on the shelf at room temperature and the resultant product tastes just fine to me.

 

[K Kruger]

It's thickness that is operative, not size or weight. 1 day is not going to matter much. The cure is primarily salt and curing here is mostly for flavor. 'Bscterial annilhilation' isn't of much concern.