how to do bacon with pork bellies


 
T

TonyG

TVWBB Fan
well, I just got an 8.5lb belly and I want to make some bacon. I would like some help from the experts otu there. The belly is only about 1.5 inches thick. How long should I cure it? what would be good to add to it (maple, garlic, etc.) I'm having a hard time finding some good pics, etc....any help with be great!
thanks guys,

tony
 
Posting links to other websites may not be
exactly 'cricket', but here's a website that has a lot of info on that kind of thing -
Sausage making forum

Scroll down to the Curing/recipes section.

Good luck with it.

(Bad attempt at a pun - the website is located in
the UK)
 
Are you curing with a curing salt or not? Just wondering; I often skip the curing salt for bacon and just use salt, a little sugar, and whatever spices/aromatics I feel like.

If you wish, you can cut the belly crosswise and make two different cure mixes if you'd like to try different approaches.

Is your belly skin-off or -on?
 
If you are looking for cures there are some good ideas on the pork section. Just do a search for bacon in that section. Also, when I started curing my own bacon I used the advice of both Kevin K and Josh Z. They were both of great help when I started making bacon. I now make a new batch ever 3-4 weeks.
 
That curing salt will be fine. You can add to it if you wish (other savory and/or sweet spices/herbs) or you can cure with it alone. You can add maple syrup, ginger, garlic, honey, other sugars (not necessarily all together) to add to the curing process and/or you can make rubs for the bacon to apply before it goes in the smoker.

Though a 1.5-inch belly will not take long to cure--just a few days--but a week is better for flavor development. Overhaul ever other day (turn the belly in the cure) and rinse well when it's done curing. Soaking the belly in cold water at this point is optional (I often do) but I do recommend trimming off a tiny piece and frying it up to taste for the salt level. If it is saltier than you'd like then definitely soak it for a couple hours in cold water in the fridge, changing the water a few times.
 
hey there Kevin.

Question for you... on smoking traditional bacon, what's the temp guidance? Stick to under 90 degrees, right?

At that temp, how long can/should you smoke it for? to infuse it with a good, but not overpowering, smoke flavor?
 
I prefer to wet cure mine….and smoke at temps of 120*…145*.…165*...I’ve found the Kutas book to be very helpful for cured meats.
 
You really don't need to go that low, Adam, as Dave notes; cold-smoking isn't necessary, which makes the process quicker though you can milk the time if you wish by starting with a cold belly and/or with a Minion.

Choice of wood is key to flavor and quantity is important but, of course, relative to your taste preference. I am quite fond of sassafras for my 'usual' bacon (a savory one with peppercorns, juniper, bay and thyme in the cure) but also like apple, hickory, citrus.

Pellicle formation is important for even smoke adsorbtion and best appearance. After curing, rinsing, and soaking if desired, pat the belly dry then place on a rack over a pan in the fridge for further drying; or, easier and quicker if you're ready to smoke, dry the belly well after rinsing/soaking, start a Minion with a smaller amount of lit, assemble, and get the belly in there. With the slower come-up time the belly will dry sufficiently and form a pellicle. Shoot for temps no higher than 200 lid; pull when 150 internal and allow to cool, uncovered, on a rack on the counter.

If you've not done your own bacon I urge you to try it. It is easy and you'll be very pleased. As mentioned above, you can cut your belly crosswise in half--or thirds if you're feeling adventurous--and make 2 or 3 different types of bacon at once. See the threads here and here for some additional ideas from Richard and Josh.

Now go get a belly.
 
thanks kevin. yeah, I've been eyeing the bacon threads for a while now. my only reservation with the method you describe (smoke at 200, pull at 150) is that I want the final smoked product to still be "raw", like what I get at the market/butcher. So I was leaning toward cold smoking. Essentially, I want to replicate mass market bacon, but with the far superior flavor and quality I can get by doing it myself.

But maybe I'm crazy... if you pull at 150, what is it like? when pan fried, does it result in the same kind of bacon I'm familiar with? There are two reasons I want this... first, my wife will like it if it is familiar (she doesn't like english style bacon... I do, but that's a different story).

FWIW. I'm also planning buckboard style as well, but it's really a different product in my mind.

Love you thoughts.

Oh, and good to be back, if not for too terribly long, depending on work and family craziness...
 
Ahh, I see. I had the opposite impression and thought you didn't want to cold-smoke. Though I find the higher-temp results agreeably squishy it is a bit denser. You certainly can cold-smoke.

Imo, the cooked results are not that dissimilar but this is impacted by how hot you cook bacon and at what point 'done' is to you. You mighgt want to try cutting your belly into thirds and curing 2 thirds the same and one differently (flavor-wise). Cold-smoke the two different ones, since your feeling is that you'll prefer those results, and hot-smoke the remaining third. That will give you 2 thirds cured the same but smoked differently and you can compare the two.

(I rarely use a curing salt for bacon so I hot-smoke.)

Now go get a belly!
 
This bacon was done at the temps listed above 120* 145* 165* as long as the smoker temps stays below 180* you are good to go…at 180* the fat starts to liquefy and you lose flavor and fat..








 
Originally posted by adam clyde:
hey there Kevin.

Question for you... on smoking traditional bacon, what's the temp guidance? Stick to under 90 degrees, right?

At that temp, how long can/should you smoke it for? to infuse it with a good, but not overpowering, smoke flavor?
Click to expand...
Adam - I intially cold smoked my bacon and was dissatisfied with my results. I subsequently resmoked it at a higher temp (~190F) to an internal temp of 140F. Much better smoke flavor.

Jim
 
That's some fine looking bacon, Dave. What's going on in this pic? Is this a shower bin for cooling your sausage/bacon down after smoking? Also, where do you get your bellies in the Buffalo area?




Thanks,
Bill
 
Man I can't pass on a good bacon thread. I totally recommend taking the plung and trying it out!

If you're lookin for more pics I have a few of the pig we bought from a farmer in the fall. There are other galleries of bacon and goodies too! MMMM bacon!

Berkshire Bacon


Good luck

Josh
 
Bill that’s my stationary sink that my washer drains into…I lay 2 2x4 across it and then the dowel across them..when the meat is done cooking I leave it there to bloom…so far the two places I’ve been able to find bellies is out in Springville and the grocery store down the street from me (Market in the Square)… the market is hit or mis…
 
Originally posted by JRPfeff:
Adam - I intially cold smoked my bacon and was dissatisfied with my results. I subsequently resmoked it at a higher temp (~190F) to an internal temp of 140F. Much better smoke flavor.

Jim
Click to expand...
Jim - what specifically was it about cold smoking didn't you like? Just that you didn't get the smoke flavor you wanted?

Kevin - I think I'll do what you suggested... separate the belly and do some cold and some hot. Then I can compare.
 
Adam - I used the hot plate method for cold smoking. I don't think it puts out the same amount or type of smoke as from wood burning over charcoal. The bacon ended up with very little smoke flavor after the cold smoking.

Jim
 
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