My first stab at slab

Smoking Duck · June 21, 2008, 12:17:17 PM

Having gained a lot of confidence after a successful try at back bacon, I decided to give belly bacon a try. Went to the butcher and got 6 pounds of belly cut into 2 pound pieces with skin on.

Got them in the cure and into the refer yesterday. I used a simple cure of 1 TBL MTQ and 2 TBL DBS per pound of belly. I really like the dark coloring the DBS gives bacon. I was thinking a 7 day cure and then into the smoker, but think I will try and go with a 14 day cure. I know some go 21 days but I don't think I can hold out that long.

Here are some pics and I'll update as the time goes by.

SD

Belly in ints natural state

Better shot of the belly with skin.

In the vac sealed bags and ready to go in the refer for the sweet 14 day cure period

It's been real easy to do so far. If you haven't tried doing it, it's really a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. I am a little concerned that the family may not want store bought bacon any longer, but I'm willing to pay that price ;D

More to follow.................

SD

KyNola · June 21, 2008, 01:34:47 PM

Looks good so far SD. I warned you not to do this because your family is not going to be content with store bought any longer. I figured that out as soon as my wife came to me and said "don't we need to buy another pork belly?". Have a great time and keep us posted. Apple wood smoke is really really good on it. What are you thinking about using?

KyNola

Smoking Duck · June 21, 2008, 01:43:01 PM

I'm contemplating either maple or apple. Maybe a combination of both? I'm not really sure but I am sure that either would probably be great. Maybe you'll get me leaning towards apple.

SD

westexasmoker · June 21, 2008, 01:44:52 PM

Looking good SD, I've got a suggestion for your wood selection! ;D Oh, nevermind!

C

HCT · June 21, 2008, 01:46:03 PM

Looks good SD. Either way you go, apple or maple you'll be pleased with the outcome.

Smoking Duck · June 21, 2008, 01:49:04 PM

Quote from: westexasmoker on June 21, 2008, 01:44:52 PM
Looking good SD, I've got a suggestion for your wood selection! ;D Oh, nevermind!

C

You know, WTS, I was gonna make a disclaimer that there is no way in God's green earth that I was gonna use mesquite on the bacon. However, I didn't want to hurt your feelings so I didn't. I do plan on giving it a try soon (the kids are craving pulled pork) but ain't no way I'm gonna use it on bacon........yet.

SD ;D

FLBentRider · June 22, 2008, 08:23:57 AM

Whilst at Summer camp, I came up with the idea to have My sons "Patrol" (about 5 boys) make their own bacon.

We are going to go to the farmer/butcher, pick up the belly, cut it into equal sections, put the cure on it, bag and send a section home with each boy. (they are all at least 15 years old)

Then they will bring them to my place for Smoking.

I think it important that they understand how "it used to be done", since they spent part of their summer camp forging their own knives from a horseshoe, etc...

Some pics:

La Quinta · June 22, 2008, 01:28:48 PM

That's a great...great idea FLBent!!!

Giggles...I did about 8lbs of belly bacon a month or so ago...I used a combo of hickory and maple...came out really good...I was concerned the hickory would over power the maple...but it didn't. Keep us up to date, if you don't mind!!

T.

Smoking Duck · June 22, 2008, 03:54:20 PM

Will do, T-Bone. Gonna pull it at 10 days now instead of the 14 that I had originally planned. Should be done by the end of the month. I'll post follow up pics.

SD

La Quinta · June 22, 2008, 04:04:39 PM

I did mine for 8 days...and frankly...I could have let it go a leetle longer...so I'll be interested at how yours come out...!

KyNola · June 22, 2008, 06:37:16 PM

Smokin' Giggling like a girl Duck,
I live in Kentucky where hickory is absolutely the smoking wood of choice for all things smoked and I love it but apple wood is becoming my wood of choice for pretty much everything but pork butt. No choice there, pork butt = hickory. Sorry WTS, no mesquite here. Having said that, I can really see maple on the bacon but for me it will continue to be apple but the combo of apple/maple could be really good.

Keep us posted and you are absolutely going to be giggling like a girl when you fry and eat the first piece of your brown sugar cured ____wood smoked bacon. One other thing you can do is throw about 1/4 cup maple syrup in the bag where you are curing the bacon. I also learned that you may want to lower the heat on the stove when you fry the bacon as it has so much sugar in it that the sugar will begin to "burn" before the bacon is cooked.

KyNola

westexasmoker · June 22, 2008, 07:20:21 PM

HeeeHeee....thats funny don't care you are....

Smokin' Giggling like a girl Duck,

Smoking Duck · June 23, 2008, 01:11:45 PM

OK, enuff crap about the Giggling Girl stuff ;)

UPDATE:

After doing some more reading and taking a look at how MallardWacker does his back bacon, I decided to do something. So, I opened the vac seal bags and added about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of grade A Dark Amber Maple syrup to the belly bacon. Put them back in a bag and will let them go a minimum of 8 more days in the cure/syrup mixture.

SD

KyNola · June 24, 2008, 09:21:52 AM

Good choice Duck! You are going to have some fine bacon when you are finished.

KyNola

Smoking Duck · June 24, 2008, 12:03:07 PM

I hope so, KY. Otherwise, it would be difficult to convince my wife again that I need to sit by the refer with a couple of adult beverages to tend to the bacon in the cure ;D