Help.

If your only thought is bacon, I refer you to Chaplain Bill's many recipes and posts. If you're into something different and very good, check out AndyJ's procedure for smoked pork belly. Fantastic! On the refreezing I have had no problem refreezing pork belly cooked but not cured, can't speak to cured bacon, but isn't that what major producers do? Standard food safety rules would apply.

Thanks. I really like Andy J's basic recipe. I will look for the rest tomorrow.

So; I know that salt in these recipes is important. I also know that a teaspoon of fine salt is different than a teaspoon of course salt. When we are talking salt, is it course, or fine?

When measuring salt, measure by weight not by volume. Takes the guess work out of it.

In the following look at Home Storage of Bacon Products. You will see that properly Dry-cured bacon can go 10 day's without refrigeration, and 3 weeks slabbed, making shipping no problem.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/w...fety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Tom

Spend a couple of bucks and get a kitchen scale. But get one that's accurate down to .1 grams. They cost about the same as the ones that are only accurate to 1 gram.

Most of the sausage & bacon recipes you'll find also list ingredients measured in grams. MUCH easier if you want to scale the recipe size, say 25lbs. down to 5lbs. What's easier to figure out 1/5th of 5 grams or 1/5th of a tsp.?

Andy makes a very good point. The following is what I use. Google AWS - 1KG

It also comes in handy when measuring the weight of woods for use in my Cookshacks.

Tom

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Mike:
I am hoping that there is a way that I can freeze part of this, and do just a 1/3rd of it so I can make adjustments as I go. I should say that I am going to try shipping this to friends, so if it is frozen now, can I thaw it and once it is cured and smoked, can it be refrozen?

Yep, you should be just fine. The last big pork belly I bought was a 27lb. whopper. Cut it up, put in the freezer. Took some out now & then, smoked it uncured, made bacon a few times, threw the bacon back in the freezer so it wouldn't go bad. Think I still have a little bacon left.

For a change of pace and a pretty tasty appetizer, slice some of that belly about 1/4 inch thick and make some Char Siu. Good Stuff! I'll try to post one I did a couple weeks ago.

Thanks for the replies. I was going to get right after this, but got bit by the flu bug. I will let you know how it all turns out.

Wow, I missed a discussion on bacon . Sorry, I need to monitor the forum more. If what you're asking is can you freeze a pork belly, thaw it, cure and smoke it and then refreeze it, the answer is yes. Nearly all mine is done like this, as I receive my pork back from the packer frozen. I also saw something about shipping. If you dry cure like I do, your bacon can stand a few days in the mail. I've never had a problem with my bacon or deli ham shipping it thru the mail. Note, my product looses over 35 percent water weight in the process. How did you belly look at Cosco? I herd that Sams in Springfield, MO began carrying pork belly, so I stopped by last time I was in town. It was 3.35 a pound and looked nasty and fatty.

I ordered a scale and it should be here at the end of the week. AndyJ, I really like what I see in your recipe. I am just wondering if you rub the dry cure into the belly and then add the wet ingredients, or do you mix everything together and then pour it over the belly?