What's the consensus on whether to 'de-skin' a cured pork belly (to turn it into bacon) or not before smoking ?
Thanks!
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I usually leave it on for smoking and then remove it before slicing. Others remove it before smoking saying that it gives a stronger smoke flavor to the bacon. My last pork belly I left it on for slicing too. That leaves you with a thin strip of tough rind after the bacon is fried but that is not a big deal (for me). Frankly I haven't noticed much, if any of a taste difference any way I've done it. It's all great!!
Tom
I've tried both ways. Although it is a lot more work I prefer smoking with the skin off. It results in a bacon with a better smoke flavor. I feel that smoke does not penetrate that deeply through the skin, and you end up removing most of the smoke flavor. I remove the skin prior to curing.
consensus ??? Not here ... well on somethings but I think this boils down to what you like and where you want to spend the time. For me I leave it on, maybe lazy and while Habs is probably right, I think my smoke flavor is nice and uniform through out the slab because I leave the skin on and let it rest a day or two before I slice or distrub it in anyway. ;) Brain warps are like that... ;) Enjoy it your way :) and let us know
Although it is getting more difficult to find a fresh side with the rind still attached, that is what I look for. I also cure and smoke the side with the rind on. The rind, separated after smoking, is great for flavoring beans, bean soup, and other recipes that could use a little smoky flavor and a little added fat.
I generally throw my skins in the smoker on a seperate rack, to smoke and also use them for seasoning in beans, soups, and greens.
I've only done two slabs but had great results with leaving the skin on until after the smoke. You can see and read about it here:
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5477.0 (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5477.0)
-Brian