pics- easy bacon

Looks great.

How was the taste? Anything you'd change in the process?

Nice job QN. Looks delicious.

Those do look great! Do you have to use the baffle at 195 degrees?

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:

How was the taste? Anything you'd change in the process?

taste was great- just the right amount of smoke, I like my bacon a little saltier- fresh out of the brine was a little much, an hour in water was maybe close- might try a little less bathtime next time (maybe 45 minutes)

quote:

Originally posted by Padrefan98:
Those do look great! Do you have to use the baffle at 195 degrees?

Don't know if I had to- was handy and I was trying to keep the bacon in the smoke for a longer period before getting to desired IT.

quote:

Originally posted by Que'n RN:
Did some bacon this weekend- real easy- 1 12 pound slab of pork belly, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup kosher salt, 2.5 teaspoons pink salt. [/url]

Looks mighty yummy. Making this is on my agenda. Finally got shopping rights on a place that sells bellies. I will prob sub with a cup of TQ for white and pink salt. That should work. Now tell us the pros and cons of skin on or skin off. Or if its like a picnic it might be real easy to skin when it gets about half done. I bet that would be the ticket perhaps? Nice photography too.

I like it!

very good quality bellies. A lot better than what I've been seeing lately. Looks great. Also how much water did you add to the brine? I usually dry cure mine.

quote:

Originally posted by Chaplain Bill:
very good quality bellies. A lot better than what I've been seeing lately. Looks great. Also how much water did you add to the brine? I usually dry cure mine.

no water added- it was a dry brine.

Looks great! Bacon is one of those things that is so simple and smokes up nice....way better then the grocery store. Goal is to do a beef bacon one of these days.

Favorite recipe:
Kosher Salt
Agave Nectar
Herbs de Provence (not too much)
Red pepper...to your spicy taste
Vacuum seal for 3-5 days, turning daily
(optional) black pepper...if I do, it is a course pepper coated well
smoke with Kansas pecan @225 for 5 hours (time/temp i would like to experiment with more in the future but this worked)

Sure makes the house smell great when in the skillet

When it comes out of the smoker isn't it fully cooked? Do you still slice it and fry it later?

Oh yeah- wouldn't think much of bacon "raw" but fried.....excellent!

Them smoker temps got me confused too. I was going to cold smoke mine in the jerky making machine. I can't get much past 160 on a hot day. What is the purpose of the high heat? thanks.

The difference between cold smoked and hot smoked bacon is to me a personal preference. Both ways you still need to cook the bacon to your desired doneness.

I was looking over this post. I take my bacon to an internal temp of 150-160 so it is essentially a fully cooked product. You could slice, throw it betwixt two pieces of bread and have a sandwich without cooking it further. But frying it up is nice too, with the rendered fat and all. I cure my pork sirloins for deli ham and smoke to 150-160 and they are as fully cooked at the bacon is when they come out of the fEC. We slice them and eat them on bread. Only thing is with the bacon, you'd ingest more unrendered fat.

Que'n RN -- You stated twice in your original post that you air dried over night -once after rinsing & once after smoking. Did you air-dry at room temp or in the fridge?

Thanks for the info & pics. Looks fantastic!

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Wheelz:
Que'n RN -- You stated twice in your original post that you air dried over night -once after rinsing & once after smoking. Did you air-dry at room temp or in the fridge?

Thanks for the info & pics. Looks fantastic!

Mark

in the fridge.