Cooking bacon question

If you insist on overcooking your bacon, then get a CI or SS skillet.
Bring it to temp.
Add some Veg oil and heat to just before smoking.
Take it off the heat, add bacon, very gently.
Since you have honey in it, you will have to watch it closely.
Return to med high heat and flip.
Cook til done.
Drain on paper towels.

If you want crispy bacon, slice at 16 slices per pound.

Thanks for the reply, Gunny. I'm still puzzled as to why, when I cook store-bought bacon the exact same way, it comes out crispy - and that bacon can be sliced ~12 slices/lb. Does fat content/curing time have anything to do with it? I would imagine the leaner the bacon, the less tendency it would have to crisp up.
Cheers,
Mark

One big difference with most store-bought bacon is that it's injected/pumped with a brine cure and has a higher moisture content that you get to pay extra for. Our method draws moisture out. They cook up differently for sure.

Jarhead, what do you mean by if he insists on over cooking his bacon? I would love to know what you are interpreting as overcooked. Is it taking it to 150 in the smoker? I do my homemade bacon the same way. Mine can be chewey some times as well, and yes, the thicker slices can be chewy.

GratefulB I understand what you mean by the injected vs. our purer product. Ours just needs to be fried quicker for less moisture loss I guess, like jarhead said, we need to start with very hot pans (good solution).

Thanks, Vicki B, for the vote of confidence ) Please note I'm not trying to get my bacon to look like a piece of charcoal. I'll give the hot skillet a try. In the past, when I've cooked bacon on that high a heat, I discovered there's a fine line between decent bacon and burnt bacon; so I've been using med to med-low heat to cook.
Cheers,
Mark

Well, when we all figure out your problem, I will have a solution as well! So, no problem... I have bacon going into the smoker in the morning, then when it cools I am gonna try slicing some thinner as Jarhead suggested and see if that makes a difference.

That sounds good, Vicki. I'd be interested in knowing how the cooking experiments come out (smile).
Cheers,
Mark

I was reading through the book "Charcuterie" (Ruhlman & Polcyn) and found this little nugget on page 43: "If the bacon has cured too long or is too salty...blanching the bacon in simmering water for 1 minute before cooking it will reduce the salt content considerably. Blanched bacon also tends to crisp up especially well ." So, something else to try?

I smoked my bacon this weekend. Three pieces of savory (garlic, bay leaf, pepper - plus the basic brine). Three pieces of sweet (brown sugar plus the basic brine).

I rinsed all well. The savory came out a little too salty. It is a good thing that the savory will be used for BLTs and stews/soups, etc. The sweet came out fine.

I tried something different based on the recc. Of Jarhead. I heated up the pan very hot first then put the bacon on. Got a little crisp on one side then flipped until it was done. Cooked up quick and was not chewy, even though it was on the thicker side. Inthe past, I would put the bacon on cold while the pan was heating up, I guess it was cooking too much.

Vicki, thanks much for the reply. Yes, I know it's been a while - but I have a mind like a sieve and had forgotten all about this forum (plus, I never turned notifications on). Just another data point: I "baked" the bacon in an oven today. Under identical settings, bacon from the store turned out non-chewy, whereas the home-made bacon ended up in this bizarro "crisp-chewy" state. My next experiment will be with blanching (with and without the hot skillet).
Cheers,
Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MarkR:

The problem comes when I fry the bacon. The bacon invariably comes out chewy instead of crisp. I'm hoping someone can provide some insight as to why this occurs and how I can get the bacon crisp. Thanks much.
Mark

Mark,
Is it wet or dry brined? It would be nice to see the recipe.

Cooking sugar cured bacon can be a whole new learning experience from store bought bacon due to the added sugar content and the reduced amount of moisture. It is very easy to caramelize then burn the sugars in the bacon before it is done. This will make the bacon look like it’s done when it’s not, causing it to be chewy.

My sugar cured pork belly will cook differently than my “Maple syrup sugar cured” pork belly. I have had the best results baking it in an oven by placing the sliced bacon on a rack above a pan. Low and slow is best. 200-225° for a couple hours works best for me. If in a hurry, I bake the sugar cured at 375° for approximately 40 minutes; at the same temperature the Maple will be done in around 25-30 minutes. I slice it 3/16 inches thick, give or take. The fat in the bacon almost melts in your mouth.

The pork belly is dry cured in a zip bag for 2 weeks, air dried to form pellicle for 24 hours then cold smoked ( high temp 60°) for 48 hours then refrigerated or vacuum packed and frozen.

As for salty taste, I suspect the salt to sugar ratio is off as sugar will usually negate the salty taste making soaking unnecessary.

Save that grease for delectable eggs, or for other frying needs such as potatoes.

Hope this helps.