Got A Belly

[seemore]

I got a 10 pound belly from a local butcher today, skinned:


I am going to make bacon with this.  I talked to 10.5 about his recipe. 
It sounds good, and I plan to do 5 pounds of this belly using his recipe for maple bacon.
I also would like to do another recipe for the remaining 5 pounds and I would like some input.
I have a bag of Morton sugar cure.  Could I use that?  If so, what is the ratio to use?
OR , do you have other ideas, such as pepper bacon?
Please give me your ideas;  I would appreciate it very much!
Thanks, all!
seemore

[OU812]

WOO HOO BACON!!

If you want to use the TQ start with 1 Tbl TQ pluss 1 TBL brown sugar per pound then add what you like, say some cayenne pepper and black pepper, maybe some garlic powder too.  ;D

Cant wait to see your finished product.

[KyNola]

Curt's got you covered on the TQ.  Be sure you use the brown sugar as TQ has a load of salt.  You need the brown sugar to offset the salt.  I always combine the required amount of the TQ with the same amount of brown sugar and mix thoroughly and then apply to the belly.

This is going to be so stinking good!  You're going to love it.  Will be watching this with a lot of interest.

Knock it out seemore.

[Gizmo]

You can also do 2 different version that being cold smoked and hot smoked.

[jiggerjams]

Great piece of meat. If it is not too late I would trim the fat on the left hand side

[Habanero Smoker]

Seemores;

Just double check and make sure you have the plain Morton's Sugar Cure. If it is the Morton's Smoke Flavor Sugar Cure, that is only used for dry cured meats and sausages; it contains sodium nitrates - there are no sodium nitrites.

If it is the plain Sugar Cure, it does have more sugar in it than regular TQ (regular TQ is about 29% sugar) so you may want to keep that in mind when you use additional sugar.

[OU812]

Morton Plain Sugar Cure and TQ are interchangeable in equal amounts.  ;D

[KyNola]

Seemores;

Just double check and make sure you have the plain Morton's Sugar Cure. If it is the Morton's Smoke Flavor Sugar Cure, that is only used for dry cured meats and sausages; it contains sodium nitrates - there are no sodium nitrites.

If it is the plain Sugar Cure, it does have more sugar in it than regular TQ (regular TQ is about 29% sugar) so you may want to keep that in mind when you use additional sugar.

Good catch habs. I misread the original post and thought it was the regular Tenderquick and not the Sugar Cure.

[mgourley]

Here is a recipe adapted from "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman.

For a 5 pound belly:
Cure:
2 oz Kosher Salt
2 tsp pink salt
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Feel free to add any other spice you might like
1. Combine the salt, pink salt, sugar and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly.
2. Rub the cure mixture over the entire surface of the belly. Place belly in a 2 gallon Ziploc bag.
3. Refrigerate, turning the belly and redistributing the cure every other day for 7 days, or until the belly is firm to the touch.
4. Remove belly from cure, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Place on a rack in a sheet pan, uncovered, and put back into the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
5. Hot smoke the belly at 200 degrees to an IT of 150 degrees.
6. Let the bacon cool and then wrap, refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

[Habanero Smoker]

Morton Plain Sugar Cure and TQ are interchangeable in equal amounts.  ;D

Yes! That is correct, but I was referring to the ratio of sugar. The sugar cure has a greater amount of sugar in the form of added dextrose.

[OU812]

Morton Plain Sugar Cure and TQ are interchangeable in equal amounts.  ;D

Yes! That is correct, but I was referring to the ratio of sugar. The sugar cure has a greater amount of sugar in the form of added dextrose.

I was just saying there interchangeable.

[seemore]

Thanks, Habs, for catching that about the smoked sugar cure.  I looked at the bag today - after reading this -  and it is indeed smoked sugar cure.  So, I will not be using this.
Jiggerjams, I always thought that bacon was to have a lot of fat.  I have never read about trimming the fat on bacon.  Am I missing something on this?
I think I will go back to Cure 1, and go from there with different ideas for seasoning.
Hey Gizmo, what do you mean about hot smoking?  Do you have a recipe for that?
Mgourley, thanks for the recipe.  It sounds like a good recipe, and we might just end up using this.
KyNola and OU, thanks for the encouragement.  I will be keeping you updated on this bacon as we go along.
seemore

[Habanero Smoker]

It a common error, and it has happened in the past to a few members. I feel that Morton should change the labeling to make it clearer. Hopefully you can return or exchange it.

Hot smoking is using temperatures between 100°F - 180° (some sources quote 90° - 200°F). The smoking/cooking method of 10.5's recipe is a hot smoke recipe.

If you use cure #1 and you know you will be curing other meats; such as Canadian Bacon or corned beef, you should make a small batch of the Basic Cure. If you have an air tight container, it will last indefinitely. Half a batch will give you ≈1.75 cups (28 tablespoons or enough for 28 pound of meat).


OU812;
There was nothing wrong with your post. I'm just clarifying my post, on what I meant by the differences in the two.

[bears fan]

I will be watching this.  Please let us know what recipe you go with.  I'm going to try to make some and would like to try different kinds.

[Gizmo]

Hey Gizmo, what do you mean about hot smoking?  Do you have a recipe for that?

Hot smoking is using temperatures between 100°F - 180° (some sources quote 90° - 200°F). The smoking/cooking method of 10.5's recipe is a hot smoke recipe.

Exactly what Habs said. Taking the belly to 148 deg or so is what I refer to as hot smoking.