As i did not want to hijack the beef bacon thread I did decide to bite the bullet and make beef bacon, and here is what i have done so as of today
bought a 14 lb brisket
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02587_zpsd18332a3.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02587_zpsd18332a3.jpg.html)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02588_zps58a77f13.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02588_zps58a77f13.jpg.html)
Made the wet cure
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02585_zpsf6c03dcb.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02585_zpsf6c03dcb.jpg.html)
the cure made and remove foam at top
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02586_zpsf6eb577f.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02586_zpsf6eb577f.jpg.html)
Cure is
1 gallon apple juice ( changed from apple cider )
3.2 oz by weight of insta cure # 1
1 cup salt non iodized
1.5 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp pepper
mix all together let stand ,,, remove foam at top mis again, trim a bit of the brisket and remove the ball from the flat ,,, cut id necessary to fit into container, them remove any more foam and mix one last time the cure
place all into container
the brisket cut and look close there is still some fat,,, whats shown if the lean side
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02589_zpsdb360e7b.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02589_zpsdb360e7b.jpg.html)
into the container to soak for 7 days then smoke with apple or maple for 4 hours , with a box temp of 225 till an it of 155- 160
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02590_zps4d6d0a62.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02590_zps4d6d0a62.jpg.html)
am planning to rotate the brisket in the cure every 12 hours till done
Beefman I will keep my eyes posted for this thread, and you could have hijacked my thread with no problem. I can't wait to see how it turns out this is definitely on my list of next few projects, as soon as I'm clear of this strep throat I'm headed to the meat locker to see if they can actually get me some beef belly at a reasonable price to do mine with.
Will be following this. Would be something I'd be interested in trying.
thanks guys and am planing to smoke / cook this coming up monday or tuesday once done will post pics and give my opinion,,, so far every thing is going smoothly and do not anticipate any problems
I know you been waiting for this and here it is.. smoked the beef bacon sunday which had a great flavor and juicy, i would recommend people to try it,,, taste like the name says,,, you can tell that it is beef and it tastes like bacon.. like my family that is use to pork bacon we have mixed reviews on who likes which better but all agree it has great flavor,, So it comes down to personal taste for bacon,, i say give it a try and decide for your self...
out of the wet cure and rinsed off
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02591_zpsa91ca9ef.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02591_zpsa91ca9ef.jpg.html)
added a rub of
2.5 tbsp of black pepper
2.5 tbsp ground mustard
1 tsp of all spice
1 tsp of ground cloves
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02592_zps1b51ae16.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02592_zps1b51ae16.jpg.html)
then into the smoker with 3 hours of smoke with maple, watched the temps pulled at 156 and cut up a piece , thought it was a little tough and left the rest in.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02593_zps941e6ebb.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02593_zps941e6ebb.jpg.html)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02594_zpsb5a34cf5.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02594_zpsb5a34cf5.jpg.html)
pulled the rest at 169 and it was a lot more tender and getting ready to slice it up today
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02601_zps00d559f2.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02601_zps00d559f2.jpg.html)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02602_zpsc673ecaa.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02602_zpsc673ecaa.jpg.html)
Pulling it at 169 - 170 is a great place to pull it,,, going to slice it up later and fry up a few pieces to see how it comes out,,, my opinion this is a great recipe,, and works great on brisket,, if you could fine beef naval,,, might be even better,,, also would be great on a pork belly,,, so give it a try
all sliced up
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh103/beefmann/beef%20bacon/DSC02603_zpsa33ff3f6.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/beefmann/media/beef%20bacon/DSC02603_zpsa33ff3f6.jpg.html)
Great job! Looks amazing!
Great looking beef, Beef. Gonna try that for sure!! Nice post too!
Looks good. How was the texture compared to pork belly bacon? I may make some beef bacon in the future, but I'm still holding out to find beef plate.
Looks good beefman. If they didn't think brisket was gold around here ($4.49#) I would give that a try.
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on July 02, 2013, 05:36:56 AM
Looks good beefman. If they didn't think brisket was gold around here ($4.49#) I would give that a try.
it is great, great flavor bacon taste, though not like pork bacon though i have a hard time finding pork bellies at a good price,,, seen up to $ 7 / lb for it and around here brisket is around $ 2.30 / lb,,, might have to get use to beef bacon around here ;D ;D ;D ;D
I guess I'm blessed to be in Texas the land of beef and hogs, I can get brisket for $1.77 and pork belly for $3.99, what I can't afford anymore is the price of feed to raise my own steers and hogs for slaughter like I used to. There was nothing like having home grown prime beef and pork chops with deep marbling :D.
Quote from: Saber 4 on July 02, 2013, 05:03:11 PM
I guess I'm blessed to be in Texas the land of beef and hogs, I can get brisket for $1.77 and pork belly for $3.99, what I can't afford anymore is the price of feed to raise my own steers and hogs for slaughter like I used to. There was nothing like having home grown prime beef and pork chops with deep marbling :D.
Cripes! You could almost ship me one and I'd probably be money ahead. $4.99 here today, "on sale"!!
That looks excellent, nice job Beefman!!!
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on July 02, 2013, 03:11:08 AM
Looks good. How was the texture compared to pork belly bacon? I may make some beef bacon in the future, but I'm still holding out to find beef plate.
the texture was like brisket taken to the temps and you could tell it was a beef cut while the flavor leaned towards pork belly bacon... of course the curing process and seasonings make a difference
I still say it is worth a try and I think it needs to be dialed in a bit... out of 15 or so people that have tried it only one had said,,, great flavor but still prefers pork bacon over beef... so it will be a personal choice on texture and taste
also let it sit in the fridge a day before slicing and tasting ,,, the flavor is a lot better the next day
Beefman, I'm going this week looking for beef belly and I was wondering why you went with a wet cure on yours instead of a dry cure, I haven't really found a good explanation of the benefits or differences in the two methods. I was thinking about using a dry cure since that's the only way I've done bacon so far but I'm open to revising my plan. If I can't get beef belly I'm going to find a good sized brisket.
Quote from: Saber 4 on July 22, 2013, 06:27:19 PM
Beefman, I'm going this week looking for beef belly and I was wondering why you went with a wet cure on yours instead of a dry cure, I haven't really found a good explanation of the benefits or differences in the two methods. I was thinking about using a dry cure since that's the only way I've done bacon so far but I'm open to revising my plan. If I can't get beef belly I'm going to find a good sized brisket.
I wanted to try a wet cure... and am glad i did,,, it also added juice / moisture into the meat that made it juicer as well, .. on most of my cured meats this is only the second time i have used a wet cure and by far the best, I have used dry cures all the rest of the time and they seem to leave the meat a bit on the dry side.. so it is a personal choice if you want a juicer piece of meat or one that is dryer,., my choice is a juicer one which means a wet cure.
ithe only other reason would be flavor,,, I also noticed that since i used apple juice it did make a good flavor change along with the rest of the ingredients,,, Hope this helps
I'm glad Someone posted in this Thread again to be able actually read this thread. I prob. wouldn't have found it for a while. The bacon looks great! I'll chalk this up on my list to do's.
Quote from: Saber 4 on July 02, 2013, 05:03:11 PM
I guess I'm blessed to be in Texas the land of beef and hogs, I can get brisket for $1.77 and pork belly for $3.99
Dang those are good prices; the cheapest I can get brisket in my area (when in fact I can find it) is $2.99, and pork belly is not an option at all unless you just want small pieces about 4 inches square.
I'm going to try my hand at Pork Bacon First. I know I can find that here in LA without any issues.
I know all the great Mexican Markets and I know they have killer prices.
Beefman - That makes good sense to me, I liked the idea of the apple juice when I first saw your recipe, If I can get a good price I may try one dry and one wet just to see what happens all things being equal, especially if I can get 2 five pounders off the same belly.
Quote from: pz on July 23, 2013, 12:16:14 PM
Quote from: Saber 4 on July 02, 2013, 05:03:11 PM
I guess I'm blessed to be in Texas the land of beef and hogs, I can get brisket for $1.77 and pork belly for $3.99
Dang those are good prices; the cheapest I can get brisket in my area (when in fact I can find it) is $2.99, and pork belly is not an option at all unless you just want small pieces about 4 inches square.
Have you tried to find a local meat market or meat locker plant? If you're not sure check with a local feed store to find out where rancher's take their beef to be slaughtered.
Quote from: rveal23 on July 23, 2013, 12:40:15 PM
I'm going to try my hand at Pork Bacon First. I know I can find that here in LA without any issues.
I know all the great Mexican Markets and I know they have killer prices.
You will love it, follow TenPoint's Maple cured bacon recipe from the recipe site and you can't go wrong it will make great slab bacon or Canadian Bacon. Then dive in and try the beef bacon with us
Quote from: Saber 4 on July 23, 2013, 06:03:29 PM
Have you tried to find a local meat market or meat locker plant? If you're not sure check with a local feed store to find out where rancher's take their beef to be slaughtered.
I have a relatively local butcher shop (45 minutes away) that I visit when I can get the time, and usually purchase what they call "bag meat" which is some kind of slab of beef that is typically 12-14 pounds. They offer whole brisket@$2.99/lb - they probably have the occasional sale, but I have not seen it at anything less during my infrequent visits.
This is the same place where I recently purchase boneless ribeye for $3.99/lb and New York for $2.99/lb, both of which are very tender and flavorful. I did not see salt pork in the counter, but did not ask - I will next time for sure.
Quote from: Saber 4 on July 23, 2013, 06:03:29 PM
Beefman - That makes good sense to me, I liked the idea of the apple juice when I first saw
Quote from: rveal23 on July 23, 2013, 12:40:15 PM
I'm going to try my hand at Pork Bacon First. I know I can find that here in LA without any issues.
I know all the great Mexican Markets and I know they have killer prices.
You will love it, follow TenPoint's Maple cured bacon recipe from the recipe site and you can't go wrong it will make great slab bacon or Canadian Bacon. Then dive in and try the beef bacon with us
We love Bacon and I know the process takes a while so If I can have my wife fall in love with the end product, I will definitely have no issues ever on making more, even if its beef.. That's why I love smoking, there is hardly anything that turns out horrible and who doesn't like food!
we also like bacon around here,.. family says the beef bacon has a great flavor, though have a split family on which they prefer
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 09:53:22 AM
we also like bacon around here,.. family says the beef bacon has a great flavor, though have a split family on which they prefer
Beefman, you know what that means.. I guess you have to take it upon yourself to have to make both cuts all the time so everyone is happy! Oh no, what am I to do with all this great Bacon?? :o
Quote from: rveal23 on July 24, 2013, 10:18:11 AM
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 09:53:22 AM
we also like bacon around here,.. family says the beef bacon has a great flavor, though have a split family on which they prefer
Beefman, you know what that means.. I guess you have to take it upon yourself to have to make both cuts all the time so everyone is happy! Oh no, what am I to do with all this great Bacon?? :o
Gain 20 lbs per person! ! !
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 10:51:06 AM
Gain 20 lbs per person! ! !
And the problem is??? LOL..
Hey man, you have to sacrifice your body to make sure everyone is happy.. ;D
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 10:51:06 AM
Quote from: rveal23 on July 24, 2013, 10:18:11 AM
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 09:53:22 AM
we also like bacon around here,.. family says the beef bacon has a great flavor, though have a split family on which they prefer
Beefman, you know what that means.. I guess you have to take it upon yourself to have to make both cuts all the time so everyone is happy! Oh no, what am I to do with all this great Bacon?? :o
Gain 20 lbs per person! ! !
At least the whole family gains equally so no one can get upset with you. :D
Quote from: rveal23 on July 24, 2013, 11:47:39 AM
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 10:51:06 AM
Gain 20 lbs per person! ! !
And the problem is??? LOL..
as Earnie ford wold say... sort-of... Another day of smoking and deeper in debt
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 12:32:38 PM
Quote from: rveal23 on July 24, 2013, 11:47:39 AM
Quote from: beefmann on July 24, 2013, 10:51:06 AM
Gain 20 lbs per person! ! !
And the problem is??? LOL..
as Earnie ford wold say... sort-of... Another day of smoking and deeper in debt
I definitely heard that, I've got to get out and start killing some wild hog so I have some free smoker projects
Beefman, I've been re-reading this thread getting ready to start on my beef bacon, what is the purpose of skimming the foam off of the brine before putting meat in, seems like it must be important because you did it twice.
on one of the posts from where i read on making beef bacon. it had indicated to remove the foam. though i can not remember why
Thanks, I'm going to remove it I was just wondering about the why's of it.
Beefmann, if you r doing it there must have been a great reason(even though u can't remember)! What's a few more minutes to pull the foam out! I will remember this when its my time to make bacon
Quote from: rveal23 on July 27, 2013, 11:14:37 AM
Beefmann, if you r doing it there must have been a great reason(even though u can't remember)! What's a few more minutes to pull the foam out! I will remember this when its my time to make bacon
its my old age,,,, you know what they say,,, there is 3 things wrong with old age.... first thing to go is the mind.... i forgot the other two