Makin Bacon


 
LMichaels

LMichaels

TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Well, I decided to make some bacon. I scoured the net. All different kinds of things. Wet, dry, cold smoke, warm smoke. Made my head spin. So I bought a pork belly at Costco. Trimmed off silver skin and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Made a dry rub. 50/50 coarse kosher salt and brown sugar and one more 90/10 Coarse kosher and brown sugar. Don't know what ratio it is. I just put each piece in it's own bag, put enough rub on each to cover and rub it. All labeled and put in fridge. They will be there for a week (or at least until this weekend). They'll then go into Big Z at 160 until internal is 140 after rinsing and drying.
I will report back. Hoping for good weather no rain
 
Totally missed all that in my research. Bottom line I figured the principal is pretty straight forward. In 19th century and so on there was no digital scales and all this stuff. They just grabbed salt, (likely some kind of sugar likely maple), and the like and just literally coated the bellies with it. No "measuring and weighing" Just slather it on, cure it a few days, and maybe smoke it over whatever fire they had burning. So I just figured the heck with it after having my head spinning looking at all the different recipes (like 2pz salt to every lb of belly plus yada yada yada). I just figured heck with it. Made 3 with more sugar in the rub (about 40% by eye give or take 10%) and one almost all salt. I will treat them all the same. See which I like better. All will be smoked though to the same degree.
Another thing I saw. Some said 7 days, some said 3 days some said 5 days in the salt or the brine. Again my head spinning. We're due for rain mid week (Wed/Thursday) so no Big Z. So likely Friday or Saturday will be smoke day.
I want to use big Z because it can hold lower temps accurately and easily. While the Members Mark I have to play with the "P" settings. I don't want to baby sit this. I can watch the Z and do other things.
 
I’ve been doing Bob Correll’s method using MTQ for years, always turns out great.

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Bacon made easy

Update from Bob & Chris: 10/5/2019 It was recently brought to our attention by a TVWBB member that the Morton salt website says the following about Tender Quick: "We cannot recommend Morton Tender Quick for use with pork belly or bacon. Due to the differing fat content of individual cuts, the...
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This is the method that I use. I make it frequently.
I cold smoke mine for 12 hours everyday for 3 days refrigerating for the other 12 using a mix of apple, hickory and oak. I have done the hot smoke method but we find we like the taste and texture of the cold smoked.

With the equalization dry rub method the bacon will never be too salty as you set the level, usually 2% with the rub. You can change it up using maple sugar, black pepper etc.
 
What is equalization method. I saw all kind of things. All different calculations. I was honestly going nuts. So I just figgered I would "wing it". I figure whatever happens at least I won't get food poisoning :D
 
Not much to see now. It's all in gallon bags and in downstairs fridge in metal tray (in case of leaks). I just went down this AM and flipped them all over. Already quite a lot of "water/brine?" formed in bags. Not gonna drain it or anything. Just leaving it. Until I pull it for smoking. I also think I will be using a sheet pan under the top rack of Big Z. Even though I am going to rinse it and dry it. I suspect it will still exude much "salty" and "corrosive" "juices" which I would just as soon not have in the smoker's oven or deflector, and grease trap system. IDK, maybe over kill but I planned on using top rack for the bacon and the sheet tray(s) under that on bottom rack. Since I like the flavor profile of those Kirkland pellets just gonna stick with them. If the experiment works then next time I will experiment with a different blend. I will start posting photos as soon as I get it all ready for the smoker :D
 
LMichaels said:
What is equalization method. I saw all kind of things. All different calculations. I was honestly going nuts. So I just figgered I would "wing it". I figure whatever happens at least I won't get food poisoning :D
Click to expand...
The equalization method involves calculating the amount of salt, sugar and Cure #1 based on the weight of your meat. Its a dry rub. I put mine in vacuum seal bags but don't pull a full vacuum. I turn them everyday. The rule rule of thumb is that the cure will penetrate 1/4 inch of meat per day. If you have skinned the pork belly then its penetrating 1/2 inch per day (2 sides). If you don't remove the skin, and I don't because I like the crispy rind, you go with the 1/4 in. per day.

The bacon will not get any salter than the ingoing salt amount and you typically use 2%. The calculator on the link I provided will tell you how much salt, sugar and cure is required based on your desired levels. Salt is usually 2% and sugar is 1%. Cure #1 is automatically calculated based on the weight of the piece of belly.
 
OK an update:

Turned all the packages over again today and noticed something curious. The ones higher in ratio of brown sugar are producing more "liquid", than the package with only about 10% sugar but just as much salt. Could the brown sugar pull more moisture than the salt?
 
So I am really kinda puzzled here on this whole "brine/curing process". Went down again today. All the pieces got the same amount of dry material (mostly salt or the salt/sugar mix). There is not nearly the amount of liquid in the bags I see on UTube videos of this process and even less in the mostly salt one. I am 3 full days in. so am a little puzzled if this is the norm. or not?
Anyone with experience here please chime in. My plan is to smoke tomorrow or Saturday depending on what the weather gives me.
 
I would let the bellies cure for at least 2 more days before smoking. I wouldn't be afraid of letting them go for another 4 or 5 days.
 
k walsh said:
I would let the bellies cure for at least 2 more days before smoking. I wouldn't be afraid of letting them go for another 4 or 5 days.
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It's not that I am afraid of it. It's time and weather constraints on my end. I have limited time availability to use Big Z or even Member's Mark though I am staying away from the MM because I cannot run it consistently under about 180 to 200. Because once it goes to smoke it goes off the PID and goes to a simple time algorithm. And while it "smokes" really well on something like this I think better temp control is more the order of the day. Big Z will run very well controlled down to 160. Plus I will not be "married" to the grill as I can control it remotely.
I will see what the weekend brings. If the weather will hold until Sunday I may hold off until then
 
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