Pre-Sliced Bacon


 
J

James Dean

New member
Quick question for everyone. I've made bacon one other time before and at that time the belly came in one big piece like it does in all these recipes.
However when I went to Costco this time, they only had pre-sliced belly.
Do I need to adjust the amount of cure I use to account for the increased surface area?
Should I wait until after it is cured to add the pepper so that it's still only on the edges?
Am I vastly over-thinking this? 😊
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
I would not think pre-sliced pork belly would be a good choice for making bacon. Being already sliced, it's going to (over)cook too quickly.
 
Welcome to the forum James.

I was asked this same question by a member in a private message, and here was my reply:

"I've never tried it sliced, but it seems like it could work if you can stack and string tie it in a few places.
Keep the stack sizes reasonable, whatever thickness is comfortable to work with.
Rub on the measured amount of cure per weight, bag, and cure for 6 or 7 days turning each day.

Now the other issue could be the rinse, water will get between the slices.
I would untie, rinse in cool water, dry each slice well, then re-stack but not re-tie, lay flat stacks on a cooling rack and put in fridge for several hours, or overnight.
Cool smoke in the stack or stacks, no higher than 185 grill temp, and remove when the internal hits 140/150.

Another option, after curing, is to actually smoke cook the slices as needed.
Hope this is helpful.
Good luck if you try it!"

Like David said, this might over cure it since the curing liquid will surely find its way between slices.
Personally I'd hold out for a solid piece.
 
Well this is disappointing but thank you for the info.
I've got to do something with it since I've already bought it. The meat guy at Costco said its been selling like crazy, and every time I go in they are having trouble keeping it stocked.
I wonder what everyone else that's buying it is using it for?
I'll try the tying method and see if that works.
 
Since it's from Costco it can be returned, their return policy is outstanding.
If you give it a go, then cut the cure time down to 4-5 days, rinse well, and dry well before smoking.

Also, fry up or grill cook a piece as-is, fresh belly is pretty darn good too in my opinion.
 
I picked up some of the same belly also--anxious to hear methods and results about bacon, and oh yes!! I'll try some uncured also, but want to cure most of it.
 
Update on pre-sliced bacon from Costco
I mentioned that I had purchased some sliced pork belly from Costco and was wondering how to cure it.
It was in 7 "pieces" so I put down some plastic cling rap and laid the slices on the wrap after I weighed them. I had some High Mountain Bacon Cure that I had used previously so i measured it out and put the amount in a shaker jar. I then proceeded to sprinkle the top exposed area of the pork with the rub. after I sprinkled the top, I rotated the slices 1/4 turn and proceeded to sprinkle that exposed area. I did the same to the other sides until I had used all of the required amount of cure on the pork. I then wrapped the bacon in the cling wrap and used a large Foodsaver bag sealed to hold the pork in place. After 6 days, I opened the bag and sliced a small piece of pork to taste the salt level. It was too salty!! I soaked the pieces in water and changed it every 1/2 hour. I soaked for 2 hours and tried frying some more and it was just right. I then fired up a "Amazin" smoke tube and placed it in my 22.5 WSM and smoked it with alder for 6 hours. Put in the refer overnight and today I sliced it. Other than having smaller pieces to slice, it was a success. I then Foodsavered the sliced bacon in packs and will enjoy it for months to come. If I had to do It over, I would opt for a large single piece, but the smaller pieces worked out well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top