***making bacon from day 1***

[h4ppy-chris]

i am using the recipe from here the first one on the list honey bacon.
http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm#DRY
i am only doing 2 1/2 lb belly pork as a tester and i did not want some of the stuff.
this is what i have used: does this look right to you?

2 1/2 lb belly pork
50g salt
50g brown sugar
5g cure #1



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should i play with the wife or the UDS? hmm, the UDS took some playing with.

[Harry Nutczak]

The recipe on Poli's site is heavy on cure, by at least 1/3rd

I have a honey-cured bacon recipe farther down in this thread, It is very popular with my customers.

The lower the grade of honey, the better the bacon turns out, so if you know a honey producer, ask them for the real dark almost inedible stuff. The A grade is too light of a flavor IMO
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Just remember that the toes you may step on during your climb to the top will also be attached to the a$$es you'll be forced to kiss on your way back down!

[GF]

h4appy-chris, If you want honey cured bacon, I highly recommend harry's recipe.
I tried it myself, very good stuff.

[h4ppy-chris]

[SoEzzy]

Nope, I make some of mine without honey, I make some of mine without Maple Sugar too!

On your belly pork, you have a choice, skin on or skin off, I do some of my bacon with a full rind, but that's the bacon I eat, if I want my family to eat it I skin the belly pork first and then trim some of the fat off the skin side too.

If you are used to eating bacon with a nice rind on it, leave it on... if you prefer streaky bacon without the rind take it off. The only difference in curing the bacon, is that I allow 2 extra days with the skin on, as the penetration is a little slower IMO, for skin on bacon.

I managed to slip one lot of skin on bacon past the family, by removing all the nipples!

Then when I cooked it I snipped the rind every inch, and ones the bacon was cooked, I cut the rind off before I served it to everyone, I had one fantastic BLT and a side of bacon rinds, with the kids all trying not to rubberneck my eating the rinds!
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Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[h4ppy-chris]

[h4ppy-chris]

[h4ppy-chris]

thanks SoEzzy gona leave the rind on
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should i play with the wife or the UDS? hmm, the UDS took some playing with.

[Harry Nutczak]

I do not dabble in metric measurements too much, so I do apologize for not being able to answer that.

Could someone else do the conversion please?

I typically use 1 level tsp of cure #1 per each 5 pounds of meat.
So if you can weight a tsp and break it down from there, it will give you the answer. If you are heavy, do not worry unless you are eating 5 pounds of the stuff at each seating. Just don;t make a habit of being heavy on cure
My other ratios are as follows, I worked this up according to my customers taste preferences, and mine too.
.75 TBS salt per each pound
.5 TBS sugar per each pound
and black pepper to taste.

rinse well after the cure time, hang to dry, smoke heavily, cool slice, fry eat.
_________________
Just remember that the toes you may step on during your climb to the top will also be attached to the a$$es you'll be forced to kiss on your way back down!

[h4ppy-chris]

thanks a lot Harry. 5g=1/4 Tbsp
next time i will go with your "1 level tsp of cure #1 per each 5 pounds of meat."
and just so am clear is:
.75 TBS salt per each pound- is it .75 =>3/4 TBS
.5 TBS sugar per each pound- is it .5 => 1/2 TBS

[Maniac]

not speaking for harry....but i would take .75 to = 3/4

and .5 to = 1/2
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RF Smoker
20" disc
uds

[h4ppy-chris]

thanks Maniac
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should i play with the wife or the UDS? hmm, the UDS took some playing with.

[Harry Nutczak]

Yup, that is correct.

For instance, most of the bellies I see are almost exactly 12.5 pounds.

So I Use 8 TBS kosher salt
4 TBS sugar
2.5 tsp cure #1
and 2 TBS blk pepper

If you break that down , those are the .75 & .5 TBS measurements I was referring to.

As per the honey bacon, the recipe can also be used for maple bacon if you substitute pure maple syrup for the honey. And you can also replace the white sugar with maple sugar for a stronger maple flavor. Do not use that fake maple syrup that is nothing more than corn syrup with imitation flavor and color.

I have almost 50 pounds of belly hitting the smoker tonight, I got peppered, Maple, Garlic, and traditional bacon ready to smoke, it is rinsed and hanging in the walk-in cooler right now.
Anyone wanna stop by later and help me load it up?
_________________
Just remember that the toes you may step on during your climb to the top will also be attached to the a$$es you'll be forced to kiss on your way back down!

[GF]

Harry, I'd be happy to stop by and give you a hand loading.
If you want it on toight though, I may be a little late.

[h4ppy-chris]

if i had the time and the moneys my ass would be on a plane right now to help you out thanks Harry

my belly is about 1"1/2' inch thick so should i leave it to cure for about 5 day?

[SoEzzy]

Cure will generally penetrate 1/4" from each side per day, so if you cure from both sides but I also add a day just because.

So;
1/2" thick = 2 days
1" thick = 3 days
1 1/2" = 4 days
2" thick = 5 days
2 1/2" = 6 days
3" thick = 7 days

These work for me, some folks do nearly double the time, and that's fine if that's the way you like it.

I like to rinse well in water that is just dripping out of the tap / bowl, the water changes out completely every hour or so in a big bowl, and I will rinse for 6 - 8 hours.

Then I like 12 - 24 hours to air dry before it goes in the smoker.
_________________
Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[h4ppy-chris]

[h4ppy-chris]

sorry guys i could not take any more
i had to have a taste 2 days in to the cure

this is it in the bag out of the fridge after 2 days..


two slices 1 thick for me 1 thin for the wife.





hitting the frying pan.



getting there



and on the plate..........



i did not soak it just a quick wash, but OMFG THIS IS NOT BACON THIS IS GOLD PIG. it takes me back to about 20 years ago when bacon was bacon.
you guys are the best no #hit..........................
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should i play with the wife or the UDS? hmm, the UDS took some playing with.

[Harry Nutczak]

[SoEzzy]

That's a good tip Harry.

I do have some sugar in my cure, but I could balance it out a little more by reducing the salt and increasing the sweetness.
_________________
Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!