Need some bacon tips


 
D

Dom R

TVWBB Super Fan
Looking for some last tips before I go ahead a screw up a slab of pork belly. A few questions......
What should I look for with regards to the belly? A good amount of lean meat throughout, uniformity in thickness etc. Basically when you folks go buy a belly what do you look for?
Since this is my first try, what curing or recipe should I try. Maple syrup cure or something basic? I want my bacon to taste like bacon and not sweet candy.
What type of smoke wood?

Sorry for all the question but as you can tell I'm kind of nervous about doing this.
 
I'll second what Troy said.

I honestly don't have much choice when it comes to pork belly, so I buy what I can get. If you have a choice you obviously want meaty but also try to go for uniform thickness so it cures evenly.

Regarding the cure, if you use Morton Tender Quick (which I do because it's easy to find) it contains sugar. I do still add brown sugar to my cure along with black pepper and garlic powder. The final result is too smoky and salty (and I mean that as a positive) to notice the sugar, although it does necessitate cooking slowly because the sugar will burn.

Don't sweat it! Making bacon is far easier than you think and the results are far better than you imagine.
 
I use the Ruhlman method and have had great success. I also add two smashed cloves of garlic to each zip loc containing two slabs each, plus some fresh ground pepper and a sprinkling of maple sugar. I live near a Chinese market so pork belly is easy to get. Basically I just look for lean pieces. Go for it, you'll love it.
 
Thanks for all your replies everyone.

I decided to do MR's Maple Cure Bacon since I had all the ingredients available at home.
I have a small problem thou....the cure time should be 7 days plus 1 day in the fridge but I can only cure it for 5 days as I'll be away. Anyone see any issues with the curing process being cut short?
 
Hey Mike. Just wondering where you go to purchase your slab pork belly, and what the cost is. I live in T.O. as well.

Thanks Mike,

Kevin.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kevin H.:
Hey Mike. Just wondering where you go to purchase your slab pork belly, and what the cost is. I live in T.O. as well.

Thanks Mike,

Kevin. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

There is a place in the St Lawrence Market called "sausage King" or something like that who sells pork belly. I think its Berkshire Pork thou so it will cost more than your regular belly from chinatown or a supermarket. Pork belly is easy to find. Call the closes butcher or market with a meat dept and ask them. Most if not all will have it but it may not be on display.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dom R:
Thanks for all your replies everyone.

I decided to do MR's Maple Cure Bacon since I had all the ingredients available at home.
I have a small problem thou....the cure time should be 7 days plus 1 day in the fridge but I can only cure it for 5 days as I'll be away. Anyone see any issues with the curing process being cut short? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think a week is more than enough if the pork belly isn't overly thick due to some sort of mutant swine. I've cut back to 5 days without any problem. Unless you are planning on cold smoking for hours, the lack of a complete cure won't be a problem. If you are concerned, you can always cut the belly in half and take a look at the meat in the center to see if the color (cure) is uniform throughout.

Be sure to test-fry a slice once it's acceptably cured just to test for salt level. You'll most likely have to soak it in water for a few hours to remove some salt. Then let the surface dry out and you should be good to go for smoking.

I have a butt curing in a brine right now for buckboard and can't wait for it to be done!
 
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