Cottage Bacon

Davekatz

Finally got to try some of the cottage bacon I made last week and it's some good stuff!




Cottage Bacon

2 pork butts (pork shoulder roast), boned and trimmed

1 tablespoon Morton’s Sugar Cure per pound of meat

1 teaspoon white sugar per pound of meat

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons ground black pepper

Place each butt in a large zip-top bag. Combine the black pepper with
1 tablespoon Morton’s Sugar Cure and 1 teaspoon white sugar per pound of meat
(so each butt got 1 tablespoon pepper, 1/2 cup Morton’s cure, and 8
teaspoons sugar). Rub the cure all over the butt, making sure to cover
all sides. Pour 1/4 cup of maple syrup over each butt, and turn to coat.

Seal the bags and store the butts in the fridge. Liquid will begin to
collect to collect in the bags, indicating  that the cure is working.
Cure for 7-10 days, flipping the meat over once a day.

After the butts are cured, remove them from the bag and soak in cold
water for 3 hours to remove some of the salt. Let them drip dry on a
rack while you fire up the grill.

Set your grill up for an indirect cook at 300°F. On the Big Green Egg
this meant filling the firebox with lump charcoal and using a plate
setter and drip pan to diffuse the heat. When the cooker is up to temp,
add some chucks of wood for smoke. Apple or hickory work great here.

Smoke the butts until the internal temperature hits 140°F. That took
about 5 hours for these butts. At this point the meat is cured, but not
fully cooked. Stash the meat in the fridge to cool, and then slice to
your desired thickness.