It's makin' bacon time!
Got all the ingredients lined up for this recipe...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_ingredients.jpg)
Into the dry ingredients, I add the 'wet.'
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_ingredients_mix.jpg)
Well-mixed into a sticky paste that'll be rubbed into the bellies...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_ingredients_mixed.jpg)
I picked up 16.5 pound of pork belly at a 'reasonable' price. Hard to get it in my area, I've discovered. Many places want upwards of $7-8 a pound! This was $3.99/lb special ordered at our local Whole Foods.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_16lbbelly.jpg)
I gave the bellies a thorough rub-down with the maple/honey cure paste, distributing it evenly across all surfaces. These will sit in my fridge for two days while the salt draws moisture out and a brine develops. It's important to allow the brine to cover the meat so I may move the bellies into separate zip-locs to ensure good brine contact & submersion.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_ingredients_rubbed.jpg)
That's all for now. After 5-6 days of curing, it will then be on to the next step: SMOKING. :)
More to come!
Kevin
I didn't think you could buy anything at Whole Foods for 3.99/lb! ;D
Quote from: squirtthecat on June 04, 2012, 10:38:19 AM
I didn't think you could buy anything at Whole Foods for 3.99/lb! ;D
Ain't that the truth!
So you can imagine my surprise when I asked the per-pound price —expecting it to be well-north of my previously gathered prices of $8 & up!
I'm here and with ears and eyes wide open!
Purchased two bellies this weekend at the farmers market.
(http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/a451/SOUTHERNSMOKEDBBQ/DSC_0187.jpg)
lookin' good so far
How much cure #1 did you use for 16.5 lbs. of pork belly?
Quote from: KyNola on June 04, 2012, 12:46:04 PM
How much cure #1 did you use for 16.5 lbs. of pork belly?
The recipe called for 25lbs of pork belly with 1/4 cup of
Cure#1 (= 66.1g). Since my recipe was for 16.5 pounds (65.6%) I used 43.3g (65.5%).
Kevin
Thanks.
OOOOO. I bet that bacon gonna be goooooood! ;)
Well, after 4-6 hours, the brine has formed so I repacked the 4 bellies (2 whole square & 2 end trim pieces) into ziplocks where they are nicely covered in it. Now the wait begins.
ONE Note: I was in error in my original post. Cure time is 5-6 days, not 12 days. I've made that change in my initial post.
So it looks like some smoking will happen either next Sunday or Monday.
Kevin
Kevin, you could have placed them directly in the ziplock bags when the paste was first applied. The brine would have formed in the bags just fine. That being said, the original pic of the raw bellies is some of the best looking bellies I have even seen.
Yeah, in hindsight, I could've save me some extra work had I put the bellies directly into the ziplocs.
But as it turned out, keeping the bellies in the lug allowed me time to a) buy the right-sized ziplocs (13x15'), and to clear sufficient room in our other fridge for the bellies.
Those bellies were beauties!
When the guy behind the counter first brought out the large slab (prior to cutting it into two large squares), I said to myself "Dang!"—& told him, "I'll take all you have in stock!" :) ;)
Kevin
I'm wondering if those were supposed to be 13.99/lb!
Can't wait to see those when they are done! :P
Here's a photo of one of the packed Ziplocs with the brine in evidence.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_ziplocl.jpg)
If all goes well—I'll sample a piece on Saturday for saltiness, and if it's on the mark, I'll hang dry 'em overnight & on to the smoker the next day.
Kevin
Looks like it's coming along just fine.
This morning, I sliced & fried up a sample to check the overall flavor balance (salty vs sweet) after 4.5 days of curing.
Tasted fine— a bit of both saltiness and sweetness, neither overpowering the other. So on to the next step....
I washed & wiped down all the belly pieces quite throughly (2 larger 'squares' and two end hunks) and dried them. Some of the black pepper 'residue remained, but my main concern was to remove any excess cure/salt.
Ready to be hung...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_wipe.jpg)
Dug out my bacon hangers & set up our 2nd fridge to let the bellies hang dry for a day or so. This is to ensure a good dry time (fridges suck out moisture from exposed foods) and really aid in developing good pellicle formation—essential for decent smoke adhesion.
Hangin' & dryin'...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_pellicle.jpg)
Come Sunday eve, I'll be prepping the smoker and getting these bellies ready to move there for a long, cool overnight smoke.
Kevin
We be waiting! Beautiful looking meat!
Those are the best bellies I've seen!
WholeFoods... I might have to give them a try.
Looking pretty dang good so far Kevin
Thank you for the kind words, everyone.
Okay, Sunday eve has rolled around and so now on to the smoker....
Temps were high today (90°F) so I'm glad I waited for a cooler overnight smoke.
After dinner, ambient temp in the smoker was still warmer than I wanted (less than 70°F), so I waited a while.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_temp1.jpg)
By 8:00 pm, the temp had cooled down to 68° so off we go...
A nice dry, firm skin (pellicle) had formed on the bellies, so I was in good shape as far as the condition of the pork.
I loaded up the A-Maze-N smoker with a combination of pellets:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_pellets_sml.jpg)
I positioned the lit amazen over the floor opening in my MB ExtraWide & test to be sure I was getting good airflow into the smoker:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_opening.jpg)
Once I was ensured of good smoke movement, I was ready to hang the bellies.
To do this, I need to insert my 'custom' () sausage-hanging rack.
These will hold up to 25lbs of sausage so I know they'll do okay with the pork belly load:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_bar.jpg)
Finally got the bellies hanging and the smoke rolling. My 'heat deflector' is an old foil-lined cookie sheet. There's not a 'lot' of heat being generated, but indirect is still best.
The smoke isnt as 'intense' as it appears here in this photo (due to the door being wide open)—just a steady stream of light blue smoke:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_smoke1.jpg)
I'll check on it a bit later. We revisit this tomorrow morning after a good 10-12 hours of smoke. I may backfill a few more pellets before calling it a night.
More to come...
Kevin
Lookin good
Early next morning, time to check on the bellies. They've been smoking now almost 12 hours, with the temps in the low 60s outside & in the smoker.
It's supposed to be warm today, so I'll pull the bellies before the smoker temp hits the upper 70s.
After 12 hours of cold smoke:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_smk12hrs.jpg)
The bellies have taken on a nice yellowish-brown color (as expected with cold smoking); much more subdued than the brilliant RED when hot smoking. They smell VERY smokey!....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_pre-rest.jpg)
These will rest in the fridge for the next 2-3 days before I chill them well and slice. I read where, like cold-smoked cheese, resting is essential to 'mellow out' some of the harshness of the smoke.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_rest.jpg)
Slicing & sampling still to come...
Kevin
Wow.................................
man, that looks good. BLT, BLT, BLT. ;)
Very nice looking. Can't wait to see the sliced, fried up and ready to each pictures.
That is looking really good!
They do look pretty awesome...nice color!
After a few days rest, I applied several 'coats' of maple-honey glaze to the hangin' bacon.
Hanging in the fridge the past two days has really firmed them up nicely & they still have a strong smokey aroma.
After a good overnight chill, its off to the slicer....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_glaze.jpg)
This weekend is time to wrap up the big bacon project.
Got the big slicer out & prepped, ready to go.
Time to remove the skin from all the bacon bellies. Some of the bellies were more difficult to skin, others no problem.
Almost there...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_skinning.jpg)
Quite a stack of skins. I considered deep-frying them, but that'll have to wait. i gave a few large slices to my wife as she's making a large pot of baked beans...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_skins.jpg)
Well my slicer was acting squirrelly so I opted to slice a good portion of the bacon with a sharp knife.
Works great just not as fast as the big slicer...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_sliced1.jpg)
I took a number of odds & ends, scraps & uneven pieces and fried them up.
I discovered its best to cook at a much lower temp than store-bought, and to keep an eye on the bacon as it burns quickly. High sugar & low moisture content.
Slowly cooking in cast iron under the Pig Squisher...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_press.jpg)
Smell bacon-y! Boys thought the bacon was great—thicker cut with a real nice smokeiness; a nice sweetness, too. NOT too salty—a concern I had going in.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_fry.jpg)
Wrapped for later. This should keep us in 'bacon Heaven' for a while!
Kevin
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/GuitarPix/Stuffer%20Stuff/bacon_wrapped.jpg)
Speachless!
That looks awesome! Very Nice job! :)
Gonna have to give this a try some day but not till I get one of those pig squishers .... never seen or heard of anything like that ... very cool 8)
Quote from: JZ on June 16, 2012, 08:43:28 PM
Gonna have to give this a try some day but not till I get one of those pig squishers .... never seen or heard of anything like that ... very cool 8)
Those bacon presses do come in handy. you can get em online at amazon or elsewhere. A whole variety of sizes & weights. I like the round one I have as it fits large fry pans perfectly, is heavy, and since it is also cast iron, it get hot (wooden handle stays cool) & 'browns the bacon from the top. flat, crisp bacon in half the time! ;)
Kevin
Great job! Thanks for sharing!
Looks excellent, this has been a great thread, I learned quite a bit from it
I had to get out the popcorn for this one.Better than an adventure movie LOL.Way To Go!Kevin.
Quote from: slowpoke on June 19, 2012, 03:00:44 PM
I had to get out the popcorn for this one.Better than an adventure movie LOL.Way To Go!Kevin.
LOL!
Next time we'll do 3D & 'Smell-o-vision' ;)
Kevin
What was the total smoke time on this?
Quote from: Consooger on June 24, 2012, 09:44:35 PM
What was the total smoke time on this?
almost 14 hours of cold smoke overnight. I could've gone even longer, but it was going to be HOT day & the ambient temps were climbing into the low 80's early in the morn.
Kevin
I'm going to try this recipe, or at least style with the extra smoke.
I just ordered 20 lbs of fresh belly skin off for $2.49 a lb so I say WHY NOT!
- John