Trying to figure out a mistake

[mrmcdowe]

I have now done many slabs of bacon with success.  But the last batch was a big miss.  I possibly made 2 huge mistakes, one was it was in the cure for 1 day too long the other it may have stayed in the smoker too long.

My question is this, in your opinion which one of these errors would have made the belly taste like ham.  The slab also fried up with VERY little grease.  I save bacon grease so was disappointed by that. 

I think it was over cooking that caused most of these issues.  What is your opinion?

Thanks

[squirtthecat]

You might have to just blame it on the hog..     Maybe that belly was especially lean?

[ArnieM]

I'd guess the ham taste was mainly a result of the cure.  As for grease, agree with squirt, although over smoking (cooking) could cause it to dry out some.

[Habanero Smoker]

It would be better if you provided more details. How many days did you cure them? How overcooked were they; what was the final internal temperature? Are the bellies lean, or the fat did not render while you were frying the slices?

The cure is what gives bacon and ham its distinctive taste. If you measured the cure correctly, curing one extra day than you usually do is not going to make any significant change in flavor. It may increase the saltiness.

I agree with STC, in that the taste may be due to the source of the belly.