My first thought...
But seriously...anyone care to post a primer on DIY bacon? I didn't see a bacon sticky in the meat-smoking section. What equipment is needed? Processes? Best cuts of meat, etc.?
Ericbw: thanks for the detailed instructions! I might have to give that a try. I don't have a smoker, but my neighbor does. The rest of the process looks straightforward. Might have to make up a batch of thick-sliced maple bacon. Mmmmmm...bacon.
I make all sorts of Charcuterie belly bacon, Buckboard Bacon, and Canadian Bacon included. It's really easy to do.
Not having a real full blown smoker and just a weber kettle my issue with getting bacon right has been not being able to keep the temp down for bacon. Have been thinking about trying this out:
http://www.amazenproducts.com
I have and use several different smokers, and I always return to the good old Weber for small jobs. Cool smoking in a Weber kettle is easy with either the Amazen rig or an even simpler method. I use a soldering iron poked through the side of a metal coffee can near the bottom of the can. Pile wood dust or chips over the tip of the soldering iron and plug it in. This will generate a nice smolder without too much heat. I smoke bacons, fish and cheeses this way in my Weber (or any other rig) regularly.
A few things to note:
- Use a brand new soldering iron
- Cool smoking is not cold smoking
- Wood dust works better than chips, but mixing the two works fine as well
- finding a good, clean metal coffee can is getting more difficult!
Your new rig will look like this:
Ironically, I found this pic from another post somwhere here on HBT.
Bacon maker checking in from Canada. I just tried one of my latest recipes on tenderloin instead of belly. Came out great!
Bacon maker checking in from Canada. I just tried one of my latest recipes on tenderloin instead of belly. Came out great!
I will have to find the finished product pic.
I used one of our original bacon cures (http://www.brewandbeast.com/product/brew-and-beast-original-bacon-cure/) on 5lbs of tenderloin.
The recipe is based off this one from Michael Ruhlman (http://blog.ruhlman.com/2010/10/home-cured-bacon-2/)
Basically take your cure and rub it into the meat, put into a pan and place it covered in the fridge for a week. Turn it every other day and rinse off the excess salt. I added some Korean chilli flakes for a little extra kick.
View attachment 310394
And the end result! Texture is similar to a pastrami.
I love making bacon, either belly (streaky in the UK, or hotel bacon as a friend of mine calls it) or back (Canadian) bacon. I tend to cure in salt, sugar, herbs (garlic, thyme, oregano, juniper...all good!) and a tiny amount of salt petre for 5-7 days before smoking.
What cut is the first pic? Back?
Yup, back AKA loin. MY first attempt so just a cheap supermarket tied roasting joint, opened out, hence the slightly funny shape. Now Winter approaches in the UK my local butcher will be getting some more business...
Bought some bacon at the asian market not long ago. Didn't really pay attention to what I got.
Turns out it was uncured pork belly and sliced like bacon. Thing was the skin was still on and being sliced so thin you could even see hair follicles. (shudders)
I fried and tried it anyway. Won't do that again. It was very bland and the skin was far too firm and chewy.
Uncured belly should be cooked low and slow. Could be the base for a pot of beans.
But I don't know why it would be sliced if it's raw.
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