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MrTom

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A local grocery store popped a sale on pork bellies a week ago and I stopped and grabbed a 7 pounder. After some quality time in the fridge with cure and brown sugar it finally saw some smoke time using applewood. It sure smells nice but will rest and mellow a couple days now before slicing.

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A local grocery store popped a sale on pork bellies a week ago and I stopped and grabbed a 7 pounder. After some quality time in the fridge with cure and brown sugar it finally saw some smoke time using applewood. It sure smells nice but will rest and mellow a couple days now before slicing.

gBCC0yF.jpg
After you test it, please share the particulars. I'm getting ready to butcher a hog soon, and will be making some bacon, would like to follow a good recipe the first time. It's hard to believe, but you can screw up anything, even bacon.
 
Bacon is really simple and the steps may make it sound like a lot of work but its not. There are all sorts of commercial cures flavored in all sorts of ways but I like a traditional bacon and use Morton Tenderquick and dark brown sugar. I use a tupperware cake box large enough to hold the meat. I put the Morton product in a salt shaker and generously coat both sides of the pork and lay it in the tupperware fat side up and put in the fridge for three days, covered. Then I flip the meat so the fat is down and coat with the brown sugar and put back in the fridge another three days. When ready to smoke I rinse the meat well under cool running water, then pat dry and lay on a clean towel, fat side down, on a counter top until its at room temperature, then its ready to smoke.

For smoke I use charcoal for the heat and chunk applewood for the smoke. I wrap three or four pieces of split wood that's cut into 4" lengths in two layers of heavy aluminum foil and lay these "bomb" right on top of the coals. They smoke well and cannot flame being wrapped up tight so controlling the heat is much easier. Three hours of smoke is fine. Use a cool heat for the smoke. Bacon is NOT SMOKE COOKED, simply flavored by the smoke. After the smoke lay the slabs out on a clean towel, fat side down and allow to cool. Bacon needs to mellow for two days either in the fridge or in a very cool place [not freezing] before slicing and packaging for storage. I keep my bacon in the garage work shop in a glass cake pan with loose foil on top to mellow. This way the whole fridge won't smell like its on fire.
 
Thanks for the writeup! Great tip on the aluminum foil wrapping, that would really work to eliminate flare-ups.
 
Great tutorial on your bacon making process. I think that my daughter does something similar to make her bacon
TenderQuick is great stuff! I have used it on venison to simulate Country Ham.
 
Where do you get the Tender Quick? COOP use to carry it, but haven't seen it for a while. Tender quick and deer make the best corned "BEEF". Love it in scalloped potatoes.
 
Our local grocery stores have it usually on the top shelf in most locations.
 
Something many people are un-aware is that when you're working with cured products one DOES NOT want to use aluminum/cast iron bowls or dishes or utensils for the curing. When the smoking is finished, I lay a double layer of freezer wrap on cookie sheets to set the meat on and another layer of freezer wrap atop of the meat before covering with the foil. Any aluminum/cast iron contact can be bad news with curing/handling due to chemical reactions between the cure and the metal. Stainless doesn't create any issues but I still avoid its use unless its in the smoker.
 
I try to avoid any direct contact with metal containers and meat for extended periods of time.
 
Here in Northern Virginia only Wegmans seems to carry it. and of course Amazon. I always soak a squirrel in tenderQuick, unless a nice young one from the spring season in June.
 
A local grocery store popped a sale on pork bellies a week ago and I stopped and grabbed a 7 pounder. After some quality time in the fridge with cure and brown sugar it finally saw some smoke time using applewood. It sure smells nice but will rest and mellow a couple days now before slicing.

gBCC0yF.jpg
Hey thanks for that! My smoker will be here tomorrow...can't wait!!!
 
Your bacon looks delish. I too love to make it a couple of times each year. I get my Tenderquick at Wegmans F232D1F5-F814-4B79-A754-6031810548BA.jpeghere in NJ.
 
I tend to be a creature of habit. Don't shave for months (Sept to March) Never been in a Wegmans. We do have one down the road on the way to Cabalas. I had better stock up.
 
DO NOT ADD ANY EXTRA SALT!....when using the Tenderquick. I know people who have had recipes that call for additional salt when using the Tenderquick and the finish products have been too salty to eat.

Magnum, those sure look good. I sliced an end couple pieces off mine for lunch today and it passes the taste test easily.
 

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