Who makes their own bacon?

[EliteDriver]

This thread got me hungry so I bought a belly at Sams and have it curing now...day 3. Its getting firm and plenty of liquid. I used salt, course pepper, brown sugar, cayenne and a little bit of honey....

First time I've ever made it so I hope it turns out!!! I'll cold smoke it when its done curing, slice and freeze....

Appreciate all the help!!!

[texan4ut]

I bought a pork belly from Costco. The adventure begins. I cut it in 3rds, added cure #1, salt, sugar to each then black pepper in one, cajun seasoning in one, and sweet and smokey rub in the other. headed to the fridge for 14 days turning and messaging each day. Stay tuned.

[dpg481]

Its on the griddle and smelling great. Im ready for a morning bacn sandwich.

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[Jspradley]

I've made it twice and it turned out pretty dang good. It's a long process but worth it.

As far as nitrates, don't worry about 'em, you get WAY more nitrates eating green veggies than from bacon. Plus they've never been shown to cause problems in in vivo studies! Eat away!

[dpg481]

I ended up slicing all of the bacon by hand on this run. My Hobart slicer has seemed to have grown legs and is now gone from my dad's storage building. I was looking at some of the less expensive slicers, but the tray is not long enough to put the bacon slab on it. I ended up with about 75 thick cut slices and a sore hand.

[HoustonR6ryda]

https://youtu.be/jCs0t_mm0uE

[ShoootLow]

I bought a pork belly from Costco. The adventure begins. I cut it in 3rds, added cure #1, salt, sugar to each then black pepper in one, cajun seasoning in one, and sweet and smokey rub in the other. headed to the fridge for 14 days turning and messaging each day. Stay tuned.

I've found that 7 days has been plenty on bacon. If it seems dry consider backing off a few days, it needs to retain a little moisture. I cure pork butts for 14 days for cowboy cut bacon due to thickness of the cut. Not saying you're doing it wrong, but you could be eating bacon a week sooner :-))

[dpg481]

I've found that 7 days has been plenty on bacon. If it seems dry consider backing off a few days, it needs to retain a little moisture. I cure pork butts for 14 days for cowboy cut bacon due to thickness of the cut. Not saying you're doing it wrong, but you could be eating bacon a week sooner :-))

I think the week mark is the way to go also. Im on my second slab that is on day 4 as of now and its looking great. I think my biggest complaint with my first batch is that its pretry salty. I let it soak for about an hour after rinsing, but for this run i will probably let it soak 3 hours. As far ask knowing when its done curing, im going to rely off the feel. From what i can tell the more rigid the bacon the more done it is.

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[ShoootLow]

I think the week mark is the way to go also. Im on my second slab that is on day 4 as of now and its looking great. I think my biggest complaint with my first batch is that its pretry salty. I let it soak for about an hour after rinsing, but for this run i will probably let it soak 3 hours. As far ask knowing when its done curing, im going to rely off the feel. From what i can tell the more rigid the bacon the more done it is.

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I let mine sit overnight in a tub of water and then let it sit and dry overnight to form the pellicle. This is a very important step that is often overlooked.

[AnnaWillson]

I spend a lot of time in Spain. European laws prohibit smoking of rubies, capes, making sprats and other things. Smoked meat is believed to cause cancer. But then there is a huge amount of bacon and various qualities, as well as the fat of all kinds! And Jamon,,,

[texan4ut]

Update after curing in the fridge 19 days, rinsed and put on racks for another 3 days in the fridge it is now time to smoke the bacon.

[texan4ut]

Sliced some this morning. Sure is good. I will slice the rest later.

[Darrenkw]

Ive been doing this for years. If you can swing it, spend a little $$$ on your slicer. I initially bought a $99 L E M slicer from A-cademy and it broke on me about a month ago while slicing a home smoked ham. It is constructed mostly of plastic and not very durable. Also a pain to clean. Im looking for a replacement now.

[JWalker08]

I made 2 slabs back in January and they came out great. If I were to smoke another batch would the heat of a 90 degree day cause reason for concern on a 3-4 hour smoke if I’m using cure?

[BURTONboy]

I made 2 slabs back in January and they came out great. If I were to smoke another batch would the heat of a 90 degree day cause reason for concern on a 3-4 hour smoke if I’m using cure?

I wouldnt think. Youre already heating the meat, so the outside temp shouldnt matter much unless youre wanting to leave hang afterwards for awhile.


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