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I picked up a couple bellies a week or so ago and flipped them in the freezer until Saturday, then thawed them and got the sugar/cure on them Sunday. I brought the tote in this morning and rinsed the bellies and dried them while the smoker was getting wound up. After about four hours of applewood smoke I let the smoker exhaust itself and cool down a bit. Here they are, ready for slicing, after they mellow a couple days.
The smaller belly weighs in at about 5-1/2 pounds. The larger on right at 6 pounds.
Of all the meats I smoke, I think bacon has the most appealing smell to it. The sugar and cure have no flavorings in the mix and the raw pork smells like raw pork, but after a few hours in the smoker the meat smells like bacon. Not smoked pork, but bacon. Intriguing. Allowing the meat to rest after the smoking lets some of the heavy smoke smell/taste thin out a little. The ends that remain after slicing get chopped up coarse and put in the bean pot with , of course, beans and the fixings to make baked beans. Getting myself ready for some fine dining.
The smaller belly weighs in at about 5-1/2 pounds. The larger on right at 6 pounds.
Of all the meats I smoke, I think bacon has the most appealing smell to it. The sugar and cure have no flavorings in the mix and the raw pork smells like raw pork, but after a few hours in the smoker the meat smells like bacon. Not smoked pork, but bacon. Intriguing. Allowing the meat to rest after the smoking lets some of the heavy smoke smell/taste thin out a little. The ends that remain after slicing get chopped up coarse and put in the bean pot with , of course, beans and the fixings to make baked beans. Getting myself ready for some fine dining.
Mr Tom is my kinda guy!
