Cracked pepper bacon (like Walmart's)

[chooch]

Tried some cracked pepper bacon from Walmart the other day.... pretty good. Trying to find a recipe to duplicate something similar. Maybe some kind of standard "buckboard" flavor, or just a "neutral" bacon cure with a method on when and how to apply the cracked black pepper so it stays on the belly after smoking and slicing.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.... I figure I can pick up some cracked pepper somewhere close.

[Habanero Smoker]

When I make it, I just add extra ground black pepper to cure. After curing and rinsing, I just cover it with cracked pepper on all sides, pressing the cracked black pepper corns into the bacon with the palm of my hand. Let it air dry and put it into the smoker. You can also give it a dusting of ground black pepper, or your favorite rub prior to adding the crack black peppercorns.

[chooch]

Is there some sort of "standard" cure mix that's neutral in flavor, kind of a "starter" formula? Like a standard measurement of salt, sugar... etc?

I'd like to try just a basic bacon cure with the pepper thrown in.

[FLBentRider]

Try this http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?441-Basic-Dry-Cure-Morton-s-Tender-Quick-substitute&p=691#post691

[Smokin Soon]

I have used a roller to give it a bit of a set.

[Habanero Smoker]

I have used a roller to give it a bit of a set.

That's a good idea.

[chooch]

Alright then! That link is what I was looking for! Just a basic proportion of salt/sugar/cure for me to build on.

Going to get the pepper today and give it a go.... I'll likely throw a bit of black pepper into the cure and then roll on the cracked corn after it cures.

Good idea with the rolling pin.

Thanks guys

[chooch]

Try this http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?441-Basic-Dry-Cure-Morton-s-Tender-Quick-substitute&p=691#post691

Gonna start a few more batches of bacon again and I wanna make sure I'm understanding the basic cure flavor:

Does the basic cure/tenderquick recipe leave the bacon with the usual salty/bacony flavor or is it sweet at all? With the pepper bacon I wanted to go just "cured" with the usual salty flavor and the added pepper, not looking for "sweet" in the mix.

Does the basic cure leave the bacon with the necessary salty flavor?

[Habanero Smoker]

I believe if you broke the formulas down, Morton TQ and the Basic Dry Cure, they are almost proportionally equal. Both contain ≈ 69% salt (Basic has about 1% less), ≈30 sugar; and ≈ 1% cure (Basic has all sodium nitrite; Morton's has .05% sodium nitrate & .05% sodium nitrite).

For me it is hard to answer your questions on taste, because taste is such an individual matter. I've never tasted teh cracked pepper bacon that Walmart sells. I have purchase commercial bacon that I felt was overly too sweet, to some that were way too overly salty.

Since both Morton TQ and the Basic Dry Cure Mix are cure mixes and contain sugar to take the harshness out of the salt, you could just go with only the cure mix without adding additional sugars, or just reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. If you just use either cure mix, prior to smoking I would slice a piece and pan fry first to see if it is too salty.

[deb415611]

Chooch,

I made some black pepper bacon last week - it was awesome and  not sweet at all.  I have never had Walmart's so I can't compare but here is what I did

I used 10.5's recipe  http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?542-Maple-Cured-Bacon  but made the following subs:
         I used brown sugar
         I left the maple syrup out
         I added ground black pepper to the mix but I did not measure so I'm sorry I can't tell you how much

After rubbing the sugar/cure/salt/pepper mix on I also sprinkled some cracked black pepper on and pressed it down

After taking out of the cure and rinsing I applied another layer of cracked black pepper and pressed it down, then I put in fridge overnight before smoking.

I did this and the recipe as written, the black pepper was the hands down winner

[chooch]

Thanks guys.... I'm trying to do what I always do, substitute experience for other people's knowledge  ;D

I think I'll use 10.5's without the maple sugar. I've got some organic brown Fresh Market I can use. I just didn't want the sweet flavor in the bacon.

I guess my original point was what does bacon taste like with nothing but a basic cure mix on it, no added sugars. Curious if there was any residual salty flavor left or if the bacon is left kind of in the middle between sweet and salt. I tend to think a slightly saltier cure would work best for the black pepper thing, but I'm gonna give deb's 10.5 alternate a try.

I can always do it again with a different mix down the road.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

I do basically what deb does and it's not sweet, just lightly salty.  The amount of sugar serves to balance and moderate what would otherwise be a harsh salty taste without it.