Monty House
TVWBB Pro
Smoked my MTQ-only bacon today. Guess what? It tasted like B-A-C-O-N.... maybe a little commercial but good honest bacon. Especially good in a BLT&A.
Use of spices & sugar in smoked bacon
- Thread starter Monty House
- Start date
Steve_A (Tatoosh)
TVWBB Super Fan
Monty, your sandwich looks superb! And I am sure the taste was superb too.
I found some bacon recipes online from SAVEUR magazine and the New York Times, both have a number of similarities so I suspect the SAVEUR recipe came from or was inspired by Ruhlman & Polcyn book Charcuterie. The NYT mentioned them by name and also mentioned was "Well Preserved" by Eugenia Bone. I will try a couple of them on my next bacon go.
Base Cure for 2 1/2 pounds of pork belly (rind removed)
2 1/2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Cure #1
Sweet: Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, white sugar or molasses
also 2 tablespoons of cold strong black coffee, bourbon, or apple cider
Savory: Add 2 gloves smashed garlic, 1 tablespoon crushed peppercorns, 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon fennel seed (toasted), 1 teaspoon coriander seed (toasted)
I plan to make at least two types of the sweet bacon and the savory bacon as well, though I will have to substitute dried thyme for fresh unless I luck out in the market. The one's underlined are at the top of the lineup for my next bacon making session.
Previously I mentioned a Chinese influenced recipe that I hope to try soon, but finding a couple of the ingredients has not been successful. I can substitute a different dry wine for the Shaoxing wine, but I am not sure what the flavor profile of the Sichuan peppercorns is, so I am not sure what to use there if I can't find any. They purportedly have a slightly different effect upon the tongue than black pepper as well as a different flavor. They are handy for tea smoked chicken and when making kung pao <insert protein of choice>. Here NPR talks about the effect they have on the palate --> hua jiao
I'm not really sure mouth numbing is a good thing when it comes to bacon but I wanna give it a try. And the tea smoked chicken as well. That might sit well with even the most finicky of my family's "maarte" taste buds. I love simple bacon, I do. But like a kid in a candy shop, I'm wandering the back alleys of spice markets.
*maarte is Filipino for very picky.
I found some bacon recipes online from SAVEUR magazine and the New York Times, both have a number of similarities so I suspect the SAVEUR recipe came from or was inspired by Ruhlman & Polcyn book Charcuterie. The NYT mentioned them by name and also mentioned was "Well Preserved" by Eugenia Bone. I will try a couple of them on my next bacon go.
Base Cure for 2 1/2 pounds of pork belly (rind removed)
2 1/2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Cure #1
Sweet: Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, white sugar or molasses
also 2 tablespoons of cold strong black coffee, bourbon, or apple cider
Savory: Add 2 gloves smashed garlic, 1 tablespoon crushed peppercorns, 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon fennel seed (toasted), 1 teaspoon coriander seed (toasted)
I plan to make at least two types of the sweet bacon and the savory bacon as well, though I will have to substitute dried thyme for fresh unless I luck out in the market. The one's underlined are at the top of the lineup for my next bacon making session.
Previously I mentioned a Chinese influenced recipe that I hope to try soon, but finding a couple of the ingredients has not been successful. I can substitute a different dry wine for the Shaoxing wine, but I am not sure what the flavor profile of the Sichuan peppercorns is, so I am not sure what to use there if I can't find any. They purportedly have a slightly different effect upon the tongue than black pepper as well as a different flavor. They are handy for tea smoked chicken and when making kung pao <insert protein of choice>. Here NPR talks about the effect they have on the palate --> hua jiao
I'm not really sure mouth numbing is a good thing when it comes to bacon but I wanna give it a try. And the tea smoked chicken as well. That might sit well with even the most finicky of my family's "maarte" taste buds. I love simple bacon, I do. But like a kid in a candy shop, I'm wandering the back alleys of spice markets.
*maarte is Filipino for very picky.
Last edited:
Bob Correll
R.I.P. 3/31/2022
Great looking bacon Monty!
My main goal for making bacon is the smoke flavor, from real wood smoke,
the kind you can smell as soon as it heats in the skillet.
My main goal for making bacon is the smoke flavor, from real wood smoke,
the kind you can smell as soon as it heats in the skillet.
Gary H. NJ
TVWBB Platinum Member
That is key. Homemade bacon smells like real smoked meat, a bit different from the commercial stuff. And so easy! I've got 6 lb curing in the frig now...
I have done a few batches of bacon and I tend to think that the flavours people add are often masked by the amount of smoke you put on your bacon. This holds true for most smoked meat. Subtle flavours will be overwhelmed very easy by the powerful taste of the smoke and only very strong competing flavours will be noticed (eg: lots of garlic, fresh ginger, black pepper, etc).
I have tried the Ruhlman maple bacon recipe and i could definitely taste the maple but my bacon was lightly smoked with just apple wood.
Not saying any way is better than another, but if you like really smokey bacon than you might want to stick to basics and keep it simple. I have room for all meats in my pantheon of flavour! Although for the sake of causing drama, i will say that bacon should always be done in the oven..not fried.
I have tried the Ruhlman maple bacon recipe and i could definitely taste the maple but my bacon was lightly smoked with just apple wood.
Not saying any way is better than another, but if you like really smokey bacon than you might want to stick to basics and keep it simple. I have room for all meats in my pantheon of flavour! Although for the sake of causing drama, i will say that bacon should always be done in the oven..not fried.
Steve_A (Tatoosh)
TVWBB Super Fan
While time constraints and hungry tummies make "always" impossible, I agree that oven cooked bacon is really the way to go.
Dave from Denver
TVWBB Wizard
This looks fantastic and would make a great steamed bun filler with some quick pickles like J. Beisinger's red miso bacon.
Steve_A (Tatoosh)
TVWBB Super Fan
I went kind of crazy on my last smoke, but was limited to what I could find in my small pantry. I did 10 pounds of pork belly that was in 4 pieces. All were done with sea salt and Prague Powder #1, but with the following flavorings:
A. Honey 1/4 cup
B. Honey 1/4 cup *& Jack Daniels 3 to 4 Tbsp (supposed to be 2 Tbsp but I spilled some ... oops!)
C. Brown Sugar 1/4 cup & Molasses 1/4 cup
D. Brown Sugar 1/4 cup, Molasses 1/4 cup, & finely ground Coffee 2 Tbsp
Each separately wrapped and in the fridge, turned and massaged every morning (occasionally 2 days between)
Today I will smoke two other bellies that have been in the cure for 6 days, these done similar to the above but with brewed black coffee (2 Tbsp) for each instead of finely ground coffee. One I will give a pepper coating to before smoking. I'll report on these tomorrow after breakfast!
A. Honey 1/4 cup
B. Honey 1/4 cup *& Jack Daniels 3 to 4 Tbsp (supposed to be 2 Tbsp but I spilled some ... oops!)
C. Brown Sugar 1/4 cup & Molasses 1/4 cup
D. Brown Sugar 1/4 cup, Molasses 1/4 cup, & finely ground Coffee 2 Tbsp
Each separately wrapped and in the fridge, turned and massaged every morning (occasionally 2 days between)
Today I will smoke two other bellies that have been in the cure for 6 days, these done similar to the above but with brewed black coffee (2 Tbsp) for each instead of finely ground coffee. One I will give a pepper coating to before smoking. I'll report on these tomorrow after breakfast!
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Michael G. (Canada Mike)
TVWBB All-Star
Garlic. I smash four cloves of garlic for each of two slabs in a curing bag. Also, pepper and a hint of maple sugar. That's it.
Steve_A (Tatoosh)
TVWBB Super Fan
I have been very tempted to order maple sugar and give it a try. It is often found in the sweeter maple cured bacon recipes, as well as a number of barbecue rubs. Most of my efforts have a sweet note due to my wife's strong preference for that. I hope to make some "savory" bacon soon without the sweetness for myself. Thanks for the info about garlic.