I can't stand it any longer. I've got to try and make some bacon. I think I may have located a place to buy the raw material, but what exactly am I looking for and about how much per pound should I pay? I assume I want a pork belly, but what else do I need to consider or know? There are lots of "bacon" experts here. Help me please.
Joe
I can get good pork belly for 3.99 to 4.99/lb around here, I usually look for pieces that are about 3 lb's so the cure gets a good distribution with the 10.5 recipe and I they are usually sized so I can get 2 pieces on one rack. I also find them easier to keep cool to hand slice at that size, just take one piece out at a time until it's all sliced. I vac seal mine and label it so I know when to smoke and it's easier for me to flip, I have had ziplocs leak on me so I quit using them. When you are looking at the belly look for pieces that have a good shape for fitting in the bag, rack and slicing, also look for the ration of meat to fat that you like in store bought bacon. Hope this get's you started.
Joe,
to make bacon you would need the following
morton tender quick
brown sugar
onion powder
garlic powder
black pepper
a tupperware type container
measuring spoons
and of course pig belly
the recipe is
1 tbsp morton tender quick per lb
3/4 tbsp brown sugar per lb
3/4 tbsp onion powder per lb
3/4 tbsp garlic powder per lb
1/2 tbsp black pepper per lb
if you want it to have a bit tangy add in 3/4 tbsp ground mustard per lb...
prep the belly removing the skin if it has it,,, coat the belly throughly and place into container ... let stand in fridge for 7 days... ( 1 day is 24 hours ) the remove rinse the belly and let dry,, smoke with hickory for 2 hours and till an it of 145 .. box temp of 225, top vent wide open
also check some of the asian stores they seem to have the best prices on pork belly
Ragweed,
I usually get my bellies between $2.89 and $3.29 a pound when I get them. If the have the skin on them don't worry it is easy to take off. Here is a link to a video I did about skinning a belly.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=31667.0
Joe, check out this thread. Stickbowcrafter is an incredible meat curing guy. Wish he still posted here. I use this recipe exclusively. It works for me every time.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6770.msg66256#msg66256