Fresh Jowl

[Boss Banks]

I came across a piece of fresh jowl from my local butcher. I was thinking of treating it like pork belly to make jowl bacon, but I am open to other suggestions. Anyone else have any ideas/recipes?

 

[Rolf Jacobsen]

Boss I have enjoyed it often but always at a pig roast and taken from the whole pig. Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!! I envy you!!!!!

 

[Boss Banks]

Thanks Rolf!! Usually it is one of the first things to go at a pig roast, and I have not been fortunate enough to try it that way. I hear that it is the bomb!! I was thinking about slow smoking to an internal temp of 185-190 F. I wonder if that would replicate jowl cooked on the whole hog.

 

[Bob Correll]

Boss,
Jowl bacon is some good stuff!
Just cure and smoke it like belly.

 

[Boss Banks]

Thank you so much Bob!! That was my first instinct....and that is probably the best!

 

[Tim Mulvihill]

Ok, now I think I have to try Bob's method.

Bob, when you say "Cool smoke to around 145/F degrees internal." - - - Do you mean 145F on the smoker, or 145F pork belly internal?

Approximate time frame?

 

[S Wagner]

Hi Tim,

A "cool smoke" would mean 140 - 145 degrees internal meat temperature. If your dome thermometer on the smoker is between 175 and 200, it should take about 2.5 -3 hours to finish, depending on how much you have to cook.

One important thing with a cool smoke is not to let the smoker temperature go above 200. If you do, the meat will start to cook, rather than just smoke, and you'll have a completely different product in the end.

 

[Tim Mulvihill]

Ok thanks for the clarification. I just ordered an 8-10 pork belly(I'll find out exactly how big when I pick it up later).

Should I cut in half to shorten the smoke time?