Pete Z
TVWBB Super Fan
I cured my own bacon a couple of weeks ago using the garlic/black pepper cure described elsewhere on this site. Pork belly was obtained at a local Asian grocery (the lady wanted to know what I want 5+ pounds of belly for - apparently there aren't many caucasian-Americans buying up large quantities of belly at this particular store). The belly was cut into strips - that might be where some of my trouble started. The bacon was unpalatably salty after smoking (yes, I rinsed it prior to cooking). After blanching in boiling water it was somewhat improved. So, not wanting to waste all of that blood and effort (blood: I cut the h$ll out of my finger trying to remove the skin), I needed to think of a use...
Answer: chunk it up and use it in split pea soup. I tell you, you never had such good split pea soup. A light smokiness from the first bite. Normally I find the pea part of the soup to be tolerable and I really look forward to the ham chunks. The whole mix was great with the added smokiness brought from the bacon. I guess that a similar outcome would be expected from most any smoked pork product, but you can't go wrong with bacon, right?
Answer: chunk it up and use it in split pea soup. I tell you, you never had such good split pea soup. A light smokiness from the first bite. Normally I find the pea part of the soup to be tolerable and I really look forward to the ham chunks. The whole mix was great with the added smokiness brought from the bacon. I guess that a similar outcome would be expected from most any smoked pork product, but you can't go wrong with bacon, right?
