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Peppered buckboard bacon?


 
V

V. Roberts

TVWBB Member
I like peppered bacon but have never tried to pepper my buckboard bacon.
They’re now on the fifth day with Hi Mountain’s cure and I would like to add pepper to the outside of one of the butts but I haven't got a clue as to when. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate them.

Val
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by V. Roberts:
I like peppered bacon but have never tried to pepper my buckboard bacon.
They’re now on the fifth day with Hi Mountain’s cure and I would like to add pepper to the outside of one of the butts but I haven't got a clue as to when. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate them.

Val </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Val, I would put it on after the rinse phase and right before it goes on the smoker. Rinse, pat dry and then put the cracked black pepper on some parchment, or foil and roll the meat in it to coat. Gently place on smoker and proceed.
 
Yes, agreed. After the rinse phase, pat the meat dry with paper towels the allow to air dry further, uncovered, on a cake cooling rack placed on a sheetpan, either in the fridge for several hours or on the counter, with a small fan aimed on it, for about an hour. (The surfaces will get a bit tacky this way.)

Place a piece of parchment on a sheetpan. Cover the parchment with half your pepper. (I like a combo consisting of predominently coarsely ground with some cracked and some medium or fine, probably a 3:1:1 ratio--but do what suits you; be generous.)

Place the meat on the pepper and press firmly and repeatedly. Scoop up excess pepper from the parchment and press it into the meat's sides and ends. Cover the top of the meat with the remaining pepper and press it into the meat with your fingers. Gently brush off excess and press into sides/ends again. Leave the meat as is and carry out to the smoker. Carefully move it to the grate. (Discard excess pepper that remains on the parchment.)
 
Thank you Bryan and Kevin for your replies, I like all of what you have to say, I will use your suggestions in five days and tell you how it turned out.

Thanks again,

Val
 
Damn. I WAS going to do only a single, maple BB butt. Now I guess I'll double down and add a cracked black pepper as well...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by C. Howlett:
Damn. I WAS going to do only a single, maple BB butt. Now I guess I'll double down and add a cracked black pepper as well... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

C, On my last loin I did for back bacon I put the maple syrup on the loin after the cure was put on and into the bag it went for a 10 day rest in the fridge. It came out really good. Not sure how you are doing yours but figured I'd post my method for you.
 
Thanks for the share. Your idea is exactly what I have planned. I'm around the corner now from the cash & carry store.
icon_biggrin.gif
 
I wonder how this (pepper) would be on Canadian Bacon? I am doing a wet cure starting tomorrow. Anyone tried this?

Hope you don't mind my piggy backing your thread..

Bill
 
I do a cure like this (but I don't use TQ; I use a pink salt mix), and add 2 t black peppercorns to the white already in there.

After the rinse/soak/dry phase I roll the loin(s) well in a mix of cracked, coarse and med/fine black pepper, pressing really well--then off to the smoker.

Peppered Canadian is my bacon of choice under or with poached eggs and I am a big poached egg fan. (Love Hollandaise, cheese sauce, spinach sauce...)
 
I'm using Rytek Kutus' recipe/method this time around and the cure mixture is chilling in the basement fridge. I think I'll roll a couple loin sections in pepper before I smoke them and give it a try. Thanks Kevin.

Bill
 
I peppered one half of a butt and sliced the cured/smoked bacon today, this is the finished product. My wife used the bacon ends with scrambled eggs and it was great.
Thanks for the help guys,

Val

Bacon
 
Nice looking BB! One question...

How did you get it so thin? Did you completely butterfly the butt? and if so, did you do it before or after curing?

I've always made wonderful BB in the past, although I slice it thin (on my slicer), it's always "wider" than in your picture.

Am I making myself clear? Not the actual slices thinner, the finished product.

Whew!

Matt
 
Thanks Matt,
I understand your question; I boned out the butts then cut them so I could have two half’s from each. I did do it before curing, in which I put each half in a one gallon bag and placed two to a two gallon bag, to be safe from leakage.
The meat I cut from the flat sides of the bone and one of the other sides looks like my picture but I needed to fold one in half for smoking.

On a side note; I purchased a Reynolds Handi-Vac to package my bacon. I found this to be sufficient for what I used it for. It’s a fun little vacuum pack; however, it doesn’t replace my Food Saver.

Val
 
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