Mmmmm......Bacon !!!

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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,454
I have never smoked my own bacon, or anything else, but bacon is a basic food group for me. That, and toast and peanut butter are my breakfasts. Sometimes I will expand with an egg sandwich and potatoes or grits when I eat out, but not much these days. I don't load up on bacon, just that bit of salty crispness to accent the toast and coffee. I should have a prayer of gratitude to all of the pigs that have given me life.
 

BigIrish1

Lurker
Jan 31, 2020
28
89
Tried this on my smoker once. Came out way to salty for my liking. Let us know if you find a good link to directions that work for you. I’m up to trying again.
 
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Reactions: fireground_piper
Jan 30, 2020
1,895
6,260
New Jersey
Tried this on my smoker once. Came out way to salty for my liking. Let us know if you find a good link to directions that work for you. I’m up to trying again.
I hate salty bacon and mostly don’t even buy it from a store anymore because of this. Here’s what I came up with a few years ago and have been making it consistently since:

-5 pound pork belly (full belly is usually around 10 pounds, I cut it in half per cure)
- 5 tbps Morton quick cure
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I prefer dark but light is fine too)
-1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Mix the salt, sugar and syrup together. Slather it on the belly, all sides. Put it in an air tight container and into the fridge for 5-7 days. I put mine in a vacuum bag and seal without vacuum. Makes it easier to handle and flip. Every day, flip the belly in the container as there will be a pool of liquids it’s sitting in. This will keep the curing even.

When ready, remove from fridge and thoroughly rinse with cold water and then soak it in cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly again.

Pat dry, place on a grate or roasting pan and put back in fridge for at least 4 hour or even over night. The purpose is you want to develop a layer of film, it should get a little tacky.

Do your smoke. After, I let it stand room temp for an hour, then wrap it in butcher paper and refrigerate over night before slicing.

The rinsing and cold soak is key to getting excess stuff off. This is what works for me anyway. I also like maple brown sugar and our preferred wood is peach wood but any fruit wood has been great.
 

FurCoat

Lifer
Sep 21, 2020
8,911
80,247
North Carolina
I hate salty bacon and mostly don’t even buy it from a store anymore because of this. Here’s what I came up with a few years ago and have been making it consistently since:

-5 pound pork belly (full belly is usually around 10 pounds, I cut it in half per cure)
- 5 tbps Morton quick cure
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I prefer dark but light is fine too)
-1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Mix the salt, sugar and syrup together. Slather it on the belly, all sides. Put it in an air tight container and into the fridge for 5-7 days. I put mine in a vacuum bag and seal without vacuum. Makes it easier to handle and flip. Every day, flip the belly in the container as there will be a pool of liquids it’s sitting in. This will keep the curing even.

When ready, remove from fridge and thoroughly rinse with cold water and then soak it in cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly again.

Pat dry, place on a grate or roasting pan and put back in fridge for at least 4 hour or even over night. The purpose is you want to develop a layer of film, it should get a little tacky.

Do your smoke. After, I let it stand room temp for an hour, then wrap it in butcher paper and refrigerate over night before slicing.

The rinsing and cold soak is key to getting excess stuff off. This is what works for me anyway. I also like maple brown sugar and our preferred wood is peach wood but any fruit wood has been great.
How long do you smoke it and at what temp? Do you have a target internal temp?
 
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Reactions: fireground_piper
Jan 30, 2020
1,895
6,260
New Jersey
How long do you smoke it and at what temp? Do you have a target internal temp?
I go for 180-200 on the smoker. Too high and you could start melting the fat so the goal is to get it to temp of 155 but maintain the integrity. I used to have a tough time keeping it so low in a side burner but I moved to a Weber Smokey Mountain last year and have hit the numbers even better.

Times vary, usually 4-6 hours depending on thickness. Believe it or not, Costco has pretty good pork bellies though sometimes they can be thin. I mix it up between them and a local butcher when I want something a bit thicker though theirs comes with the skin still on. The downside is remember to cut off the skin before you cure, but the benefit is you can control that top fat layer to your preference of thickness. Something to think about.
 
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Reactions: FurCoat