My First Go Round with Bacon


 

Gene Brownson

TVWBB All-Star
About 2 weeks ago I bought a 5# slab of pork belly from the Amish market.
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I rubbed it down with some TQ and light brown sugar and let it set in the fridge for 7 days. Last Friday I washed and soaked and let air dry for 24 hours. Here's Sunday morning just before going on the WSM.
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Temps were pretty good at 5am while out with the doggies and taking care of some morning things. Wouldn't you know it, by the time I went to get going the wind was whipping up, DANG IT!! The show must go on.
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I threw some more B/S.....uh, brown sugar on just before.
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Foiled the pan and set about 8 pieces of KB in a small area and I placed some hickory chips on there about 3 times through out the cook.
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After 5 hours on the WSM going back and forth between 140 and 170 I pulled off and and placed in a zip lock and threw it into the sink full of ice water. Then I sliced up a couple of pieces.
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Oh yeah, I've been hunting and searching for toys to add to my toy box. I've bought a couple of pieces of CI. I found a 12" Weaver that I had to restore, a 10" Weaver that didn't need much at all, a 3" Favrite in mint and a Weaver corn bread pan, all for under $20. Here's the 12" I'm trying to get it good and seasoned. It had someone's last cook scraps and grease and rust on it. Not anymore.
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Here's the rest o duh gang.
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I'm headed back to the Amish market to get them to slice and package for me, I'll freeze most of it.

Thanks for looking.
I really need to give a big thanks to Mr. Correll with out who, none of this would be possible.THANKS BOB!!! I would also like to thank the many members here. I'm a much better cook on the grill and WSM because of good people like yourselves. Unselfishly share how to's and recipes and, you all are awesome!! and you all rock!!
 
That my friend is bacon CANDY!
It looks terrific Gene!
but credit where credit is due, and that means you.

Heckuva buy on the cast iron, and nice job restoring it!
 
Wow nice Slab of bacon!!you must have been going for the sweeter side! Did the smoke penetrate all the sugar?

Bet it was yummy! Wish I could find some bigger bellies like that!
 
Fantastic looking BCN! So i can send all my CI stuffs to you and get em back In a solid state?! Did you do seasson it on the stove or the oven?
 
Thanks everyone. Morgan, yes it did penetrate. I was wondering how it would all turn out myself. I kind of added that step myself. Not to brag, the wife talked me out if buying the whole thing, 12#'s :) Would've been about $40. She thought my first time I should go small in case things didn't turn out like planned.
Daniel, I first washed all the crud out. Then I used an SOS pad and scrubbed it out really good. Then I used Crisco and coated the whole inside and placed in the oven at 375 for about 20. Then I removed and let cool and repeated this process several times. The last time after cooling I rubbed a thin coat and placed back in and let it cool as the oven did.
Mike, it did make it taste sweet. I removed all the excess before getting it sliced.
Thanks again everyone. Next, a peppered Canadian Bacon. Back to the Amish market :)
 
Making my own bacon before Xmas was the single best thing I did, cooking wise, in 2012. I'm nearly out of the full slab I did and I'm itching to make some more!
 
Nice looking bacon!

My kids wanted to go to a nasty pizza place tonight (the local version of Chuck E. Cheese, last time I ate there I had the worst heartburn ever). So while they ate and played video games, I nursed a soda. Came home and made myself a couple of BLTs with some home made bacon that I took out of the freezer the other day. Can't beat it!
 

 

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