Home cure bacon, where do I start?

I've used the Hi-Mountain products for Buckboard Bacon and found it great. Also, have done my own bacon with TQ, adding to the Morton recipe one tsp. brown sugar per pound and 1/4 tsp. maple extract - it's awful close to Hi-Mountain.

For the Morton cookbook and TQ at very good prices, go to www.mortonsalt.com.

I have also done two hams using the Morton book, with excellent results, but they take about 1 1/2 days per pound to cure and another 14 days to equalize, plus however many days you may want to cold smoke them. I prefer to start with the cold smoke as it adds a more subtle smoke flavor. Experiment with seasonings.

For the first time, I'd say use Hi-Mountain. If you like the results try your hand at your own cures. By the way I did a Christmas ham that cold smoked for two days then cooked over a hot smoke on my CS 50 to 160. Nothing but rave reviews.

quote:

Originally posted by freedomca:
[qb].... By the way I did a Christmas ham that cold smoked for two days then cooked over a hot smoke on my CS 50 to 160. Nothing but rave reviews.[/qb]

How do you cold smoke for 2 days? No kidding, I don't know.

better yet where is freedom, calif. have not looked at a map but iam guessing in la or sac. jeff

When I bought the 50, I got the cold smoke baffle. I follow the directions, i.e., insert the baffle, top with a pan of ice (use a 10 lbs. block), heat the unit at 200 for 20 minutes,turn off and let smoke. The internal temperature of the unit did not exceed 77 for the first two hours. After two hours, I opened the unit, let it cool a few minutes and repeated the procedure. Over a 2 day period, it took me about 10 cycles and 2 blocks of ice, with the temperature inside the unit never exceeding 77.

I'd like a simpler way to cold smoke and am looking at a large (35 gallon) tamale pot, mounted on a stand on top of the 50 with a drafted vent from the 50 to the pot as a cold smoker. That way it wouldn't take all the tending and should keep the temperature in the cold smoke addition, if properly drafted, under 80.

To the Fremont, CA neighbor, Freedom is right over the hill from Fremont, in Santa Cruz County, between Watsonville and Aptos.

I like Hi Mountain's Buckboard Bacon cure. You can use it on most any cut you want as long as it is not much over 3 inches thick. I am curing a whole shoulder now, deboned.

Smoked my 'shoulder bacon' yesterday. Sliced it up nice and fried a few pieces last night in a black skillet. We had BLT's for supper. Very good. Gonna use the Hi-Mountain Buckboard Bacon Cure on pork tenderloin next.

Here's another option from Alton Brown

Good Eats Bacon

Richard

Some would say Alton Brown's method is dangerous because it contains no curing ingredients. Plus it won't be the right color.

Could probably substitute TenderQuick for the salt, tho.

quote:

Originally posted by GLH:
[qb]Smoked my 'shoulder bacon' yesterday. Sliced it up nice and fried a few pieces last night in a black skillet. We had BLT's for supper. Very good. Gonna use the Hi-Mountain Buckboard Bacon Cure on pork tenderloin next.[/qb]

I have a tenderloin curing right now.... I'm about 3 days into it. A friend brought in a deer tenderloin that was cured whole, smoked and foodsaver'd. It still had the string on one end where it was hung in the smoker. He said a friend in PA did it for him. We sliced it and ate it like jerky... WOW it was good. That's what I'm going for.