Side Bacon

[oakville smoker]

Hee haa
Found a great source for bellies today
For you Ontario guys, Highland Farms outside of Hamilton

Anyways i think I am going to do a dry cure for 7 days with Bradley Maple cure and add some maple concentrate
Vac seal and cure for about or 6 days

Sound reasonable?

This is my virgin plunge into side bacon and I dont want to screw it up

[FLBentRider]

Sounds like a plan.

I would check the belly for firmness after 7 days, if there are soft spots I would cure longer, maybe 3 more days.

[smokeitall]

Bacon....yummy, I am out of bellies and ate that last few packs of bacon from the freezer at hunting camp.  :(  I need to find a good supplier since Iowa is so dang far away.
SIA

[oakville smoker]

Well pork bellies have been vac pac'd with Bradley Maple cure and some maple concentrate
They will keep the loing being turned into more peameal bacon
I am going to hang a sign at the end of driveway:  Oakville Smoked Bacon ...   LOL 

[oakville smoker]

Just a little update on my side bacon project

Have been in cure, vac packed and refrigerated since Sunday
Every morning before I leave for work, I make love to my side bacon and flip it
Every evening when I come home, I once again make slow passionate love to the side bacon
I have some peameal bacon on top of the sides, there does not seem to be any cross breeding going on, no infighting or anything like that.

But my wife is getting jealous, she wants to know why a pork belly is getting more attention than she is .....  Twice a day she says.  I swear she thinks I am still in my 20s

I have started to notice already that the meat is firming up.  Now that the ski season starts here on Saturday, I wont be
smoking these babies until at least Sunday which I am hoping is OK.  Looking good though as they used to say on Good Times way back when

[ExpatCanadian]

Dude...  so wrong in so many ways :-\  ...  hope it turns out ok in spite of your strange habits  ;)

I've a got a couple of Costco bellies in my freezer that I'm going to be starting on soon... I'll be really interested in your results, as I bought a tub of Bradley maple cure a while back that has yet to be used, as well as a small bottle of Maple flavour.

[hal4uk]

Good to hear your.. uh... partner.. is uhhh.. firming up...

[bullhead]

Hey oakville what I do is add brown sugar when curing. It gives a real sweat taste.

[Tenpoint5]

Hey oakville what I do is add brown sugar when curing. It gives a real sweat taste.

or pure Maple syrup

[oakville smoker]

We are going to see what happens here
maybe the maple sugar and maple concentrate will make a difference
I just flipped them over and gave them a kiss good nite
Wife is working tonight so just me and my bacon
Makes me wonder if Tiger is sleeping alone tonight ?

[oakville smoker]

STATUS UPDATE

Well my side bacon is finished
I used the Bradley Maple cure and added some maple concentrate in with the cure as well as some brown sugar
Cure time ended up being 8 days as my buddy broke his leg skiing with me Saturday and between hospital visits, it wasn't going to happen

Belly made it into the smoker yesterday, had to finish it in the oven at 180 as I had a meeting I had to run to
Sliced it this morning, freaking unbelievable

I WILL NEVER EAT STORE BOUGHT BACON AGAIN !!!!!!!!!

if you have not done this, you need to do it !

And yes I will posy some pics later today

[3rensho]

I WILL NEVER EAT STORE BOUGHT BACON AGAIN !!!!!!!!!

Precisely my sentiments after making my own.  Looking forward to your pics.  Your cure sounds delicious with the extra maple.

[FLBentRider]

Sliced it this morning, freaking unbelievable

I WILL NEVER EAT STORE BOUGHT BACON AGAIN !!!!!!!!!

if you have not done this, you need to do it !

Welcome to the Club!

[oakville smoker]

OK....  food porn for the masses
just thinking about this cooked gets me excited !







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