Home made shoulder bacon (lotsa pics)

shtgunal3 · September 2014

@Cookinbob‌ made and posted some shoulder bacon a few weeks ago. When I saw his post I new I had to try it myself. So I had an 8lb Boston butt in the freezer that I thawed and cut in half. The boneless half weighed in at exactly 4lbs. I mixed up some dry cure from the book Charcuterie and dredged the butt in it. It was then put in a large zip top bag and put in the refrigerator where it lived for ten days. Each Day I flipped it over and gave it a good rub through the plastic bag. On day 11 I removed from bag and rinsed well with cold water. After rinsing I set it on a rack on a platter and back in the fridge. This time it stayed in the fridge for two days. It came out of the fridge Tuesday and went on the small egg @ 200 dome temp with Ozark Oak lump and a hickory and pecan mix for a good hot smoke. I was really proud of the small egg. I held 200 dome for six hours and it used very little lump. After letting the mahogany hunk of pork cool down I wrapped in plastic wrap and back in the fridge for two more days. I sliced it up today and fried up a couple pieces to sample. OMG this tastes amazing! I will say that it tastes more like cured ham than bacon but WOW, it is very good. I will definitely be doing this again.

Durangler · September 2014

Very nice!! =D>
What was the internal temp after 6 hours when you pulled it from the small??

TTC · September 2014

Wow.

EGGjlmh · September 2014

That looks amazing!

@shtgunal3 PM sent to you.

cook861 · September 2014

WoW i need to find some curing salts then i'm doing that looks great

Biggreenpharmacist · September 2014

I'm doing this and SOON!!! Can you use a bone-in butt?

lkapigian · September 2014

Nice Egggsplaination I appreciate it ^:)^

The Cen-Tex Smoker · September 2014

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I'm doing this and SOON!!! Can you use a bone-in butt?

Yes

Biggreenpharmacist · September 2014

I'm gonna do one like I've been doing the canadian bacon with the buckboard bacon cure.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · September 2014

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I'm doing this and SOON!!! Can you use a bone-in butt?

Yes

if it is real big, I would cut it in half just to be extra safe. You want to get the cure all the way to the middle as soon as you can. It may take 10-14 days to get to the middle of a large bone in butt. That's a little long for me.

Biggreenpharmacist · September 2014

I've been doing pork loins for 2 weeks at a time. Thats not a big deal. Exactly how eould you go about cutting a butt in half. Is there a right and wrong way to do that?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · September 2014

Biggreenpharmacist said:

I've been doing pork loins for 2 weeks at a time. Thats not a big deal. Exactly how eould you go about cutting a butt in half. Is there a right and wrong way to do that?

you my leave loins in for 2 weeks but they are cured to the middle in one week +\- a day or 2. Something as thick as a butt probably wouldn't be. It's a slight risk, but it's a risk. I don't think there is a right way, you just want to reduce the thickness so it cures to the middle faster.

SGH · September 2014

The cut that brother Tex is referring to making is through the long deltoid head it's self. Not separating the individual heads into sections but reducing the entire combined heads to half thickness as it were.

shtgunal3 · September 2014

Thanks everyone for all the comments. @durangler I pulled when IT hit 150 with the therompen.

shtgunal3 · September 2014

@Biggreenpharmacist‌ the book says that this cure can be used on any meat "not more than a few inches thick". I have a piece of pork loin in the freezer that is about 2.5lbs. I was thinking about thawing and curing next week. What is the buckboard bacon cure that you use?

shtgunal3 · September 2014

@EGGjlmh‌ PM answered

Biggreenpharmacist · September 2014

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004RDON22/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1410486626&sr=8-1

I use it for pork loins for canadian bacon.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1166292/canadian-bacon#latest

EGGjlmh · September 2014

@shtgunal3

Thanks for the message!

I plan to do one of these soon! I think @CookinBob and yourself has inspired many, many people here, Thanks again.

Dyal_SC · September 2014

Nice, @shtgunal3‌ !! This looks incredible. Bookmarked. =P~

shtgunal3 · September 2014

Thanks @Dyal_SC‌ now to grill some up on the small!

stemc33 · September 2014

I'm liking it. Two thumbs up. :-bd

SeahawksEGGHead · September 2014

I have 3 lbs from a boston butt curing in my fridge right now. I'm pulling it on Sunday to rinse and dry, smoking it up Wednesday. Your post has renewed my already buzzed excitment over this. Waiting 2 weeks for bacon, the anticipation, I'm hearing it's all worth it. REALLY looking forward to makin bacon.

shtgunal3 · September 2014

@SeahawksEGGHead‌ good luck with the bacon. Take pics and let us know how it turns out.

paqman · September 2014

Will try that soon. Looks good!

shtgunal3 · September 2014

Thanks @paqman I know you're no stranger to making bacon.

paqman · September 2014

shtgunal3 said:
Thanks @paqman I know you're no stranger to making bacon.

I've made traditional bacon with belly and Canadian bacon with loin but never with a shoulder. The lasts few posts I have seen really makes me want to try it. I really like the idea and it is a cheap cut so not a big risk.

Cookinbob · September 2014

Been tied up and off the forum for a couple of days, just caught up with this post. Your slices look awesome, a little less fat than mine had, and the slices look pretty thick - could that be why they taste more like ham? Maybe regular bacon tastes like ham if it is leaner. Looks like yo nailed it. I was getting ready to do another onc, but just reorganized the freezer and found I still have a LOT of bacon

shtgunal3 · September 2014

@Cookinbob‌ mine was sliced with an electric knife. They are a little on the thick side. I really need to get a slicer.

Canugghead · September 2014

count me in!

shtgunal3 · September 2014

@Canugghead‌ heck yeah bro! Looks good. Can't wait to see some sliced pics.

JacksDad · November 2016

Durangler said:

Very nice!! =D>
What was the internal temp after 6 hours when you pulled it from the small??

Bumping this thread. Gonna try this soon! I've made bacon with a Costco belly, want to try a shoulder next...

For all you bacon-making experts out there, why does it matter what the internal temp is when you smoke bacon, if it's already been cured? If the point of the smoking is just to add flavor, why couldn't you just throw it in the egg and let it pick up smoke flavor for a while, and then cool it back down in the fridge? Does the specific temperature matter? I.e. What if I smoked it and only got to 130 degrees? Is this a "danger zone" temperature thing? But if I'm going to slice it up and fry the heck out of it in my cast iron pan, do I need to worry about a little bacteria?

Thanks, and sorry if I'm hijacking the thread...

JacksDad

Home made shoulder bacon (lotsa pics)

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