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Home-made Bacon...I'm not impressed

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lwrehm
lwrehm Posts: 381
in EggHead Forum

I'm smoking some bacon that I cured following Ruhlman's recipe.  Cured for 7 days followed by a rinse and soak for 30-45 minutes and overnight in the fridge to dry.  Cold smoked for 6 hours now, sliced off a couple strips and cooked it up in a pan...not sure I will do it again, it's just not very good.  It is a bit salty, so maybe it just needed to soak longer. 

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  • Tinyfish
    Tinyfish Posts: 1,755
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    Maybe after the first few slices it will be less salty.
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  • Greeno55
    Greeno55 Posts: 635
    edited January 2015
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    I only use Ruhlman as a guide.  This is the site I use to make my cure, and haven't been let down yet.  I also allow to cure for 14 days, flipping every second day, and then a couple days post smoke to mellow before I slice and freeze.

    http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/calculator/dry_cure_bacon/

    I also hot smoke. Some prefer cold smoking, it's just a preference thing.
    LBGE (2012), MiniMax (2014), and too many Eggcessories to list.  - Sudbury, Ontario
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  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,052
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    I had the same experience and won't be doing it again.

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    I soak for 24 hr with at least 2 water changes. No salt issues.
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  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,647
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    I soak for an hour or two then let sit in the fridge for at least a day before smoking. I prefer to hot smoke.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    Next time try fry up a small piece after the soak. For a taste test. Hey you gave it a try. Don't give up
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  • yzzi
    yzzi Posts: 1,843
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    I usually soak for at least an hour, changing water every 30 minutes. I also cold smoke for 12 hours instead of 6.
    Dunedin, FL
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  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
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    I wasn't very impressed either, but I can get great thick-sliced smoked bacon from Amish vendors and decided I couldn't do better. 
    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
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  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    edited January 2015
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    Don't misunderstand me I'm sure homemade bacon is the bomb. But for the price of a variety of Wright Brand bacon at Sam's in bulk. I'll stick to that for now. If I'm gonna invest time it'll be on another whole ham, pancetta, capicola etc.
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
    edited January 2015
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    The edges are more salty than the rest. I only soak for An hour or so and I cold smoke for about 12 hrs.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • lwrehm
    lwrehm Posts: 381
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    I did let it smoke for a few more hours, (I had to help out with some barn chores at my daughters riding stable this morning, and I'm getting old so I need my sleep).   So it smoked for a total of about 9.5 hours, been resting in the beer fridge since last night will slice and try it again tomorrow night. 

    It was not a big loss either way, some friends raised the pig for us and I thought I'd give it a shot.  worse case, I slice it 1/2" thick and we make a crap load of millionaire's bacon, it will be good for that.


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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    My first batch was waaaaay too smokey (hot smoked). I use it as seasoning for beans etc....works great for that.
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
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    For what pork belly cost here Wright's bacon at $5 lb is a better deal. .@NPHuskerFL‌, I agree
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • SkinnyV
    SkinnyV Posts: 3,404
    edited January 2015
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    Agree belly is too expensive to make it worthwhile, the taste is different but I've only done 3 batches.
    Seattle, WA
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,343
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    Another consideration-how do you plan/use the bacon.  For many here (me included) it is with ABT's, pig shots, grilled onions and assorted delicacies recently created by @henapple.  To me high-end bacon is lost in those environments.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    henapple said:
    For what pork belly cost here Wright's bacon at $5 lb is a better deal. .@NPHuskerFL‌, I agree

    I found pork belly marked down with skin on for 1.99 lb at jungle jims
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  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
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    I hot smoked it and it was the best bacon I ever had.
    NOLA
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    henapple said:

    For what pork belly cost here Wright's bacon at $5 lb is a better deal. .@NPHuskerFL‌, I agree

    A hell of a lot cheaper to make own here. Not even close.
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • yzzi
    yzzi Posts: 1,843
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    Lots cheaper for me to make
    Besides, I like the diy bragging rights.
    Dunedin, FL
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    Belly is about half what a pound of store bought is here.
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  • BigWader
    BigWader Posts: 673
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    lwrehm said:

    I'm smoking some bacon that I cured following Ruhlman's recipe.  Cured for 7 days followed by a rinse and soak for 30-45 minutes and overnight in the fridge to dry.  Cold smoked for 6 hours now, sliced off a couple strips and cooked it up in a pan...not sure I will do it again, it's just not very good.  It is a bit salty, so maybe it just needed to soak longer. 

    I find you need to give the smoke time to settle in.  After I smoke I freeze the pieces for a couple weeks before slicing.  I find it tastes better then.

    Toronto, Canada

    Large BGE, Small BGE

     

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  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
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    I have done a few batches of Rhulmans Bacon (maple) and cold-smoked.  Turned out tasty, but it takes work/time and I am not sure I will rush back for a few reasons: 
    1) it was good but not best ever . . . I still like Nueskes more and they sell it down the street  
    2) I felt pressure to eat a $hit load of bacon because I had it on hand and didnt want to fill-up my whole freezer.  Not a doctor, but sure Bacon is not the healthiest thing to eat every meal.

    ~ If I am being 100% honest . . . my fav part was talking about  it to others. "I make my own bacon" always seems to be an interesting topic.  
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    For me, these are the benefits of home-cured bacon.

    1. My family likes the taste better than store bought

    2. Ability to change the flavors to your liking-- adding to cure or changing smoke.

    3. WAY cheaper for us-- not even close actually

    4. Not nearly as greasy as store bought

    5. I give it to friends/family

    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • SeahawksEGGHead
    SeahawksEGGHead Posts: 289
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    A couple of observations I've made while making my bacon:

    1.  I use pork shoulder from Costco.  More cost effective than pork bellies, and meatier.

    2.  I will dry cure for about 10 days, rinse (not soak) and let sit to develop pellicle.

    3.  Apple wood smoke to It 150 takes me about 2 hours.

    4.  Freezes very well and thaws quickly, if stored in 1lb batches.  Bot my wife and I really enjoy not buying processed bacon from the store, and having a store of it in our freezer.

    FWIW

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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,518
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    SeahawksEGGHead said:

    A couple of observations I've made while making my bacon:

    1.  I use pork shoulder from Costco.  More cost effective than pork bellies, and meatier.

    2.  I will dry cure for about 10 days, rinse (not soak) and let sit to develop pellicle.

    3.  Apple wood smoke to It 150 takes me about 2 hours.

    4.  Freezes very well and thaws quickly, if stored in 1lb batches.  Bot my wife and I really enjoy not buying processed bacon from the store, and having a store of it in our freezer.

    FWIW

    +1 with every point ... except I'm using loin, even more lean meat  :)
    canuckland
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  • grey_bri
    grey_bri Posts: 46
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    Here is good one to follow. I have done this many times with pork belly and always turns out great.   1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup kosher salt 3/4 cup maple syrup   1tbls of molasses. Pepper to taste and no insta cure. 6-7 pound belly. flip every day for week take out rinse and then soak for 30 minutes dry in fridge overnight cook at 200-225 till it of 150. Always great  never salty and has never gone bad 
    Owen Sound On. For now 1large 2mini's 1exl and 1 6burner Vermont Casting
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  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,980
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    @chubbs for all the same reasons.

    Working in a commercial kitchen allows me not to clog up my home fridge and when I need to slice it I just par freeze in our freezer and use the slicer. I then take home and cryovac into 1 lb packages. I also buy the bellies from my suppliers so my costs are very good. I buy all my meats this way too. I cant breathe when I look at meat in retail.

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  • MJLivingston
    MJLivingston Posts: 66
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    @henapple you can get frozen pork belly for $2.50 a pound or fresh for $3.50 it is skin on though.  It wouldn't be to far out of your way next time you go west on 40. 
    Lexington TN
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
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    MJLivingston said:

    @henapple you can get frozen pork belly for $2.50 a pound or fresh for $3.50 it is skin on though.  It wouldn't be to far out of your way next time you go west on 40. 

    Where at?
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • fletcherfam
    fletcherfam Posts: 935
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    Check out Cash and Carry if you are in the NW of the country (or Cali), they have bellies right now for $2.39/lb. All said and done I had 11lbs of bacon for $3/lb. Cheaper than I can buy it for sure.

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