High Mountain cure

Phone Guy · April 15, 2005, 11:50:41 PM

I am so excited about this smoker. I ordered some various High Mountain items including a Back Board Bacon kit. I have tried to locate bellies but to hard to get here. I guess there are not to many pig farmers in Redding CA area. I have friends that get wild hogs sometimes but not often enough to count on for pork bellies. So with that said I am planning on using butts. I have read that they should not be more than 3 1/2" thick. Do you fillet them in half so you end up with a top and bottom half? Do you want the pieces as large as possible, other that thickness?

tsquared · April 16, 2005, 02:34:45 AM

Phoneguy-I am not the person to talk to for direct bacon advice, having only done it once about 15 years ago. However, there are people on this board who smoke it all the time and have posted lots. Do a search on "bacon" and "High Mountain" and you might find the info you need. Let me know how it goes, I have thought about doing the High Mountain bacon but they don't sell the kit here in Victoria, B.C.
Tom

BigSmoker · April 16, 2005, 02:53:48 AM

You might try a pork loin instead of a belly. I've done tenderloins as well with good results. Mallard Wacker is the loin bacon guy to talk to. Search on jalapeno bacon and maple bacon I believe. Have fun.

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

jaeger · April 16, 2005, 03:28:38 AM

Phone Guy,
Don't cut them in half!!!
Bone out the blade bone. Keep the butt intact as much as possible. You should get a brining needle and pump 10% of the weight of the butt with the brine that you will be using to soak with. Use just a little more as some will leak out. Pump the center of the thicker pieces. This is the part that the cure will have a hard time reaching by just soaking.
A true brining needle has wholes on the sides of the needle as well as the end. If the needle that you use does not, just allow for this by moving the needle around more to distribute the brine. As you are injecting the brine, kind of slowly pull out the needle as you are doing so, to distribute the brine.
Follow your instructions for cure amounts and curing times. Make sure you use enough water to help prevent to much salt flavor when completed. After brining time is completed, rinse very well with cold water and soak in fresh water for at least an hour.
Usually when you make bacon with butts (I call cottage bacon), one would net each one and then put in a press to form a kind of flat oval shape. You can reach this same objective by putting the butt on a rack, laying another rack on top and tying this one down to create a press. Just try to keep a flat butt shape.
I would cook/smoke this at 200-225 F (with 4 hours of smoke) until internal temp of 155 F. Cool completely before removing from the press and slicing. I would also consider a rack of bacon on the top shelf to baste as you are smoking.
When you slice, slice the face where the wide end of the bone was.(Across the grain).

Go For It!!!

Doug

JJC · April 16, 2005, 04:00:43 AM

Phone Guy,

Definitely listen to Tom! Mallard does things a bit differently, I believe, and I hope he has a chance to chime in here before you start, but as I read their recipes they are pretty similar in the major aspects. Good luck!

John
Newton MA

MallardWacker · April 18, 2005, 01:59:42 PM

Phone Dude,

I like using loin instead.

Here is my disortation.

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

whitetailfan · April 18, 2005, 03:39:55 PM

Phoneguy,
My first attempt at bacon was buckboard using a butt. I think it turned out just fine. I was before I had a slicer, so the pieces were less than uniform, but good nonetheless.

Reminds you a lot of ham pieces, but tastes saltier and different enough to be worth you while. The real smoke helps out a lot in making a different flavour for sure!

I got some butcher and packer maple cure, and I like it better, but definitely give BBB a try, you won't wreck anything, I will guarantee it to be edible, and you might prefer it over the other stuff that's available out there, but you wont know if you dont give it a whirl[;)]

whitetailfan
"Nice Rack"
Lethbridge, AB

JJC · April 19, 2005, 04:03:19 AM

Well, PG, you've got the advice from two of the best bacon makers in the biz--Mallard and Jaeger. Lots of great info and possibilities . . . now ya pays yer money and takes yer choice. Let us know how you do!

John
Newton MA

MallardWacker · April 19, 2005, 01:52:39 PM

Guy of Phone,

What ever use. Two things..First measure your cure properly and Second, rinse your meat well when you pull it from the cure. I don't think you can over rinse it. Have fun and let us know, I am always interested in folks Bacon[:p] adventures.

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

Phone Guy · April 19, 2005, 05:23:22 PM

I haven't received my High Mountain kit yet, but I took one of the butts I have and am curing right now with the Hill Billy recipe I posted. I will get the HM cure going on the other meat as soon as it arrives.

Mike

Chez Bubba · April 20, 2005, 02:11:31 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by MallardWacker
 Guy of Phone,

Second, rinse your meat well when you pull it from the ____. I don't think you can over rinse it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I can think of several words to insert here that would entirely change the meaning of that statement![;)][}:)][:D][:D]

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

Phone Guy · April 20, 2005, 06:42:10 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Chez Bubba
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by MallardWacker
 Guy of Phone,

Second, rinse your meat well when you pull it from the ____. I don't think you can over rinse it.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I can think of several words to insert here that would entirely change the meaning of that statement![;)][}:)][:D][:D]

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Thanks for the word picture. I think I'll put my sausages back in the deep freeze now.

MallardWacker · April 20, 2005, 02:06:15 PM

Oh my[:0]. Every once in a while, one gets by me and I am always sure that one guy will pick it up.....Kirk!

Phone Guy----LOL, Way Loud[:D]

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

Phone Guy · April 21, 2005, 11:33:18 PM

Ok I got the BBB cure and some other items from High Mountain. I think I will wait until I get the other pork experiment (Hill Billy Bacon) out of the fridge before I get started on this. Maybe.

Phone Guy · April 27, 2005, 05:57:49 AM

I just put a butt in the ice box with BBB cure and in 10 days I'll soak it and smoke it. The last batch of Hillbilly bacon came out great. I will be giving some away so I'll need more for myself.