Well damn I made bacon !!!

[destrouk]

Here is what I did

Brine
2 ltrs of water , 2ltrs of apple juice , 2 cups of kosher salt , 600mls of Molasses ( spelling ) , 1 cup of sugar and then 1 cup of maple ..
Please note Bacon was not sweet or to salty

10lbs of pork belly

..ok side note here folks I have done it with and without the skin ..I would say leave it on and here is a trick take the skin off after you have smoked it and its resting . Its a lot easier BUT LEAVE IT ON THE BACON !!!!!!!!! trust me on this it helps retain flavor moisture etc ..
Bacon in the brine bags

Ok here is what I did every morning I would flip my bacon and sing it a song LOL ..hey its bacon we all love it LOL . I did this for 7 days you are on 5 but 7 if you can , by the way I kept it in the fridge !
so after its been in the brine it will have a nice colour and you will be super excited by your love of bacon !!!




ok so let that happy wee bit of bacon chill in the fridge for at least a day ..give it a rinse first !!!!!!!!

now get yer smoker pumping smoke I went with maple 1 hour then apple the next and did this for 5 hours dont go to hot !!!!

Take that sucker out check the IT for 150


Now take off the skin as said before and let that wonderful thing chill then pop it in the fridge ..I then sliced and vacum packed mine .



now I have head people asking about double smoked bacon and is 4 hours enough .
first off 4 hours is plenty everyone who has taken the bacon has said that the house smells of the smoke after .
Double smoke UK method is to do a 3 hour cold smoke after the meat has chilled .


thats it thats all my wife calls me the Baconator now...I am also making a hot sauce bacon will keep u posted ...

[destrouk]

oops smoker temp was like 130

[SouthernSmoked]

Dude that all looks good! Nice job!

[KyNola]

Good looking stuff.  I assume you used the 2 cups of kosher salt in lieu of any type of curing agent?

[sjmcdowall]

I was surprised by the lack of any curing agent too -- so this is a nitrate free bacon?  Cool!

[destrouk]

100 % niterate free !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[destrouk]

After I read up on the pink salt etc and found out how deadly it can be I went with kosher salt ... ;D

[destrouk]

I was surprised by the lack of any curing agent too -- so this is a nitrate free bacon?  Cool!

Sure is
a rule of thumb with doing it this way is as my grandad said "The length of time its in the brine is how long its ok in the fridge without frezzing !!"

[Keymaster]

Nice job !! Thanks for the great pictures, You look like a hoot to be around :)

[destrouk]

Nice job !! Thanks for the great pictures, You look like a hoot to be around :)

My Mrs says deranged !!! LOL ..I am kinda hyper !!

[KyNola]

I was surprised by the lack of any curing agent too -- so this is a nitrate free bacon?  Cool!

Guys, that would be Nitrite, not Nitrate.  Nitrate is used for long term dry curing like salami, etc.

Used correctly both Nitrite and Nitrate are safe.  Next time you go to the grocery and see Nitrite free cured bacon or organic cured bacon, check the ingredients list and see if you find celery powder.  It is a form of Nitrite. :o

[NePaSmoKer]

What Ky said.

I would not make bacon without cure............Trust me

[Habanero Smoker]

I haven't calculated your salt, but making bacon without nitrites is alright with the proper amount of salt in your wet brine. I have made Alton Brown's Iron Chef's Bacon. If I recall the recipe correctly, the recipe is very similar to yours, and I just don't like the flavor. It is more like cooking fresh belly; which I do like on occasions. Salt cured bacon lacks the "bacon" flavor that nitrites bring to the meat, and the color.

[destrouk]

Well the bacon taste like good old smoked bacon the smoke and the fact that the temp is at 150 IT kills what you are worried about ...Then the fact that it is vacum packed also ..try it before you say its not going to taste like this and that .. Because to be honest unless you make it and eat it how can you tell me it doesn't taste like bacon ?????

[destrouk]

What Ky said.

I would not make bacon without cure............Trust me

its salted the old fashioned way ..then smoked ..then vacum packed then frozen then cooked to eat ... at what point do you think you will get the nasty attack????? .. trust me when i say you wont