Pinging Thirdeye... Buckboard bacon question

wrobs · December 2006

I bought a High mountain Jerky kit a month ago (from Academy Sports) with 5 different flavors... each one will do 4 lbs. of jerky... and there is 5 packs of cure. Using the cure per pound guide, can I use this same cure to make some buckboard bacon? Is there any limitation to what I can rub the meat with in addition to the cure? I was thinking about turbinado or brown sugar... any ideas?
I made 2-3 lbs. of jerky using London Broil and it turned out great but your pictures of BB has me wanting to try it out.
BTW... Academy didn't have the BB kit... they only had the jerky.[p]Thanks a butt,
wrobs[p]

thirdeye · December 2006

wrobs,[p]I've used their jerky cure, just never on a a thick piece of meat like a loin or a butt. Since they make so many flavors, I would think that the jerky cure is heavier on the seasoning than their Buckboard cure. For this year, the cracked pepper & garlic is my favorite.[p]I'm positive that the Buckboard cure takes 10 days (or 240 hours) to cure a 3-1/2" thick boned out butt, which is a little less then 3/8" in 24 hours. If I'm not mistaken, the jerky cure is designed to cure 1/4" thick slices of beef or game in 24 hours. So that would be 14 days to cure a 3-1/2" piece of meat. The Buckboard cure calls for 4-1/4 teaspoons/pound and the jerky cure calls for 3-1/2 teaspoons/pound. The math works out BUT we're talking two different products (with possibly different ratios of cure to seasoning) and two different meats. PLUS the Buckboard cure calls for rinsing and the jerky cure does not. Whew....[p]Why don't you get a couple of 1" pork steaks and try the jerky cure for 2 or 3 days on them? It might be a neat experiment.[p]~thirdeye~[p]PS if you do, remember to share the results.

thirdeye · December 2006

As far as seasonings goes, you can add just about anything except salt to the Buckboarded meats while they are doing the final rest AFTER rinsing. Black pepper is always good or a Canadian style rub or any sweet rub like Dizzy Dust.[p]You can also inject them an hour or two before smoking. A 50:50 mix of maple syrup and water is a good start. I usually rub a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup onto the ones that I have given the sweet kiss to.[p]~thirdeye~

wrobs · December 2006

Hey Thirdeye,
Thanks for all the info... do you think the rinse/no rinse is associated with the shorter time for jerky?
I'm not sure what I will try... maybe the steaks as you suggested. I will post results (good or bad) on whatever I decide. I plan to ask Academy if they can get the BB kit... their prices are the same as the internet for HM and they're only 3 miles away... I also want to ask them if they will ever carry any lump charcoal since all they have right now is bricks.
Thanks, again, for your help... you have inspired me to replace (store bought) Country ham with BB... just haven't told the wife, yet. ;0
wrobs[p]

thirdeye · December 2006

wrobs,[p]I think the no rinse on the jerky is to maintain the distinct flavors that have been added to the jerky cures. I did compare the ingredients of each and found that the Buckboard has 0.7% sodium nitrite and the jerky has 0.85%, but then again these products were designed for two different purposes.[p]Buckboarded pork butt and loin produces something similar to a city ham with respect to flavor and texture. So if you like the hard-cured country ham for it's distinct flavor it will not be a replacement for it. [p]I particularly like slices (the thickness is up to you) of Buckboard cooked on the Egg over a direct fire until the fat just comes to the surface.[p][p]BTW, I have been in discussion with a fellow who uses Buckboard on brisket flats. He makes a pastrami-like product. I'm trying to fine tune "brisket bacon" and "flat iron bacon".[p]~thirdeye~

smokeydrew · December 2006

thirdeye,[p]I have used the jerky cure on pork loins and boneless pork butts to make canadian bacon and buckboard bacon. Since the cure and seasoning are in different packets, I don't think the seasoning is an issue. I just used the ratio of cure to lbs. of meat that they recommend with the jerky instructions and everything worked out fine. I would cure a large piece of meat for 14 days though.[p]-smokeydrew

thirdeye · December 2006

smokeydrew,[p]Gee, you mean my Friday night math in the last post worked out? LOL[p]That's good to hear. I guess the only issue now is cost. the BB cure is $5 and good for 25 lbs of meat. The jerky cure is $7 and good for only 15 lbs.[p]~thirdeye~

Pinging Thirdeye... Buckboard bacon question

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