Making Bacon Questions

Charlesmaneri

 I just got the A-maze-n-smoker  and have been researching on the internet about curing and smoking pork belles Im a little confused here some say to smoke at 200 degrees others say to put in oven at 200 I was under the impression that Bacon was cold smoked any body that has experience doing this please help me out with this any help would be appreciated 

Raymont

Cold smoke & hot smoke are 2 techniquest. I have done hot smoke with great results and am curing now to try cold smoke.

GA_Dawgs

I have used the AMS numerous times to cold smoke.  Just follow your recipe to cure the bacon, rinse it off and let it sit overnight in the fridge, uncovered, to form a pellicle and then cold smoke.  I usually let mine smoke overnight and use a full pellet tray but it's up to you on the level of smoke.  Once it's done all you need to do is cook and enjoy.

When you smoke at 200 you are hot smoking the bacon which cooks it and your aim is to get to about 145-150.  When you do it this way you can eat without pan cooking since it is cooked but it won't rendered and crispy obviously.  Cold smoking creates a different texture in the cooked bacon and I tend to prefer it but both are good.  

Looper

The recipe for maple bacon in Charcuterie is excellent.  It calls for hot smoking - which yields delicious results.

QDude

Looper said:

The recipe for maple bacon in Charcuterie is excellent.  It calls for hot smoking - which yields delicious results.

You can also use the same recipe and cold smoke it.

Charlesmaneri

Looper do you happen to have that recipe and would you share it with me please 

Little Steven

I have the same recipe in cold smoke right now. And I mean cold below zero.

Charlesmaneri

Little Steven can you share the recipe please 

Little Steven

Charles,

Somebody e-mailed it to me and I've been looking through the e-mails from that time frame. I've looked for a few minutes now and haven't found the one. I'll keep looking but it is Rhulman's maple bacon if you want to search it

Charlesmaneri

@Little Steven thanks I found it here it the recipe

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:

2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt

2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2)

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup

5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)

5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

Charlesmaneri

Little Steven that recipe is for 5 lb pork belly 

Little Steven

Charles, That isn't the one I used. I still can't find it and there is no easy way to look. I don't think the seasonings are too important. It's the amount of nitrite in the cure vs salt. We don't get "pink salt " here. We only get a product called ready-cure. It is a one percent nitrite. After trying to calculate the balance of the salt to the nitrite I realised that the ready-cure is the right balance out of the bag. It was just brown sugar and maple syrup after that. I don't know how it turned out but I'm gonna fry up a piece in a couple of hours when it comes off the egg. I'll let you know

onedbguru

my grandfather would just cover with salt/pepper and hang it in the smoke house.  He would then keep the little pot-belly stove smoking for 7-10 days. smoke house would be about 120 to 180.  Then it would hang in the smokehouse until it was time for breakfast,  He would do a bunch of these at one time usually 2-4 hogs worth

Little Steven

onedbguru said:

my grandfather would just cover with salt/pepper and hang it in the smoke house.  He would then keep the little pot-belly stove smoking for 7-10 days. smoke house would be about 120 to 180.  Then it would hang in the smokehouse until it was time for breakfast,  He would do a bunch of these at one time usually 2-4 hogs worth

We do complicate things that were once simple don't we?

QDude

Does the maple syrup quality make a difference?

Charlesmaneri

Little Steven   thank you but I think that I'm going to go with this recipe it sounds good to me   I will in fact omit the  juniper berries  and will not use the maple syrup I will go with the brown sugar and let it set in the fridge for seven days and then introduce it to my Egg with I think apple wood smoke for however the A-Maze-n-smoker last then I will be eating I hope some great Bacon but if you find your recipe please send it on I will try that also 

Little Steven

I can't imagine it does. I had planned on using just maple sugar flakes. I have New Brunswick maple syrup that a friend sent me years ago and used that instead.

gmac

Little Steven said:

Charles, That isn't the one I used. I still can't find it and there is no easy way to look. I don't think the seasonings are too important. It's the amount of nitrite in the cure vs salt. We don't get "pink salt " here. We only get a product called ready-cure. It is a one percent nitrite. After trying to calculate the balance of the salt to the nitrite I realised that the ready-cure is the right balance out of the bag. It was just brown sugar and maple syrup after that. I don't know how it turned out but I'm gonna fry up a piece in a couple of hours when it comes off the egg. I'll let you know

Good to know Readycure is good to go as is for bacon. I have a bag of it but I've been too chicken to try it. I want to use it for Montreal smoked meat and sausages. Not sure how the ratios go for those though.

Little Steven

Hey,

There was a smoked meat recipe here that a guy swore was identical to Shwartz's. I didn't try it but I might have saved it. Arithmetic has never been my best subject but the Rhulman's recipe and the ready-cure are within like a percent of each other. Calculate it yourself but it's like Mr. oneeyedguru said.

gmac

@littlesteven. Damn, I was hoping math was your thing because its sure as hell not mine. Hence my reluctance to try ready-cure. I agree about how we make it hard. My dad and grandfather used to butcher all their own hogs, smoke it all for winter etc. We are losing too many skills these days.

Little Steven

The ready cure gives you the amount per pound/kilo on the bag. After all my trying to figure it out I thought....come on man! People have been curing meats for tens of thousands of years and I doubt they were so fussy. I don't follow recipes in cooking and went way over my game to do this stuff. I can make my own seasonings but I don't want to make anyone sick. End of the day, the ready cure seems simpler to me than the pink salt. I now have some really expensive pink salt that I got at Williams Sonoma when I was Christmas shopping. I like Ready Cure

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Charlesmaneri said:

@Little Steven thanks I found it here it the recipe

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:

2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt

2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2)

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup

5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)

5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

This is very similar to what I use. I do not add the garlic or juniper berries. The garlic was way too strong for my taste (and I love garlic) and I didn't have Juniper berries the first time I made it so I just leave them out still. you are on the right track so go for it and enjoy

Little Steven

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Charlesmaneri said:

@Little Steven thanks I found it here it the recipe

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:

2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt

2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2)

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup

5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)

5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

This is very similar to what I use. I do not add the garlic or juniper berries. The garlic was way too strong for my taste (and I love garlic) and I didn't have Juniper berries the first time I made it so I just leave them out still. you are on the right track so go for it and enjoy

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Charlesmaneri said:

@Little Steven thanks I found it here it the recipe

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:

2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt

2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2)

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup

5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)

5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

This is very similar to what I use. I do not add the garlic or juniper berries. The garlic was way too strong for my taste (and I love garlic) and I didn't have Juniper berries the first time I made it so I just leave them out still. you are on the right track so go for it and enjoy

OMG...I just insulted you on another thread. I feel terrible

Charlesmaneri

The Cen-Tex Smoker  As far as I'm concerned their is no such thing as to much Garlic I love love love love did I mention I love garlic but that being said  you said you love it also and u felt  it was too strong so maybe I will cut back  on the amount of Garlic ,now my Question for you is did you cold smoke it if so what kind of wood and for how long did you smoke it for 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Little Steven said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Charlesmaneri said:

@Little Steven thanks I found it here it the recipe

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:

2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt

2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2)

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup

5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)

5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

This is very similar to what I use. I do not add the garlic or juniper berries. The garlic was way too strong for my taste (and I love garlic) and I didn't have Juniper berries the first time I made it so I just leave them out still. you are on the right track so go for it and enjoy

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Charlesmaneri said:

@Little Steven thanks I found it here it the recipe

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:

2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt

2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2)

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup

5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)

5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

This is very similar to what I use. I do not add the garlic or juniper berries. The garlic was way too strong for my taste (and I love garlic) and I didn't have Juniper berries the first time I made it so I just leave them out still. you are on the right track so go for it and enjoy

OMG...I just insulted you on another thread. I feel terrible

that was a Canadian insult. They do not even register down here. That's the nicest thing anyone has said about me all day.

Charlesmaneri

I'm lost here what are you talking about (Canadian insult) please explain 

shtgunal3

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Charlesmaneri said:

@Little Steven thanks I found it here it the recipe

—Mix the following together in a small bowl:

2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt

2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1 (I use this DQ Cure from Butcher-Packer, $2)

4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

4 bay leaves, crumbled

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup

5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)

5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)

This is very similar to what I use. I do not add the garlic or juniper berries. The garlic was way too strong for my taste (and I love garlic) and I didn't have Juniper berries the first time I made it so I just leave them out still. you are on the right track so go for it and enjoy

I used this recipe too. I too love garlic. I will probably end up throwing out the bacon. With that much garlic it is horrible.

Charlesmaneri

shtgunal3 well being now that the consensus is that the garlic was too much I think that I will leave it out thanks for sharing you thoughts I would hate to make this and do all the prep work and seven days of curing to have to throw it out !!

shtgunal3

Yeah mine sucked. I tried blanching and that helped but it still didn't taste good.

Canugghead

Little Steven and @gmac

I was at Canada Compound (manufacturer of Ready Cure) 'open to public' store in Woodbridge recently and asked the salesperson how to substitute pink salt with Ready Cure. I may be over simplifying but what I understood is: follow the recommended dosage on the package and ignore the salt called for in the recipe since RC is mostly salt. I'm not making bacon anytime soon so please experiment and let me know!

laserdoc85

Cold smoke is always the way to go. I'm in the process if doing a vanilla bourbon recipe . My vanilla beans are sitting in a big old jar or sugar. I then will make a syrup out of the sugar and the bourbon and ad my pink salt and kosher salt and cure it for a week. It then goes into the smoker with sugar maple pellets.