shoulder bacon - inspired by @cookinbob and @shtgunal3

Canugghead

Experimented with two thin bone-in butts, cured for nine days flipping twice a day, rinsed and soaked for an hour with couple of water changes (don't like too much salt), air dried in fridge couple of days, smoked with pecan and hickory chunks at 195F for about seven hours till IT 140, wrapped and rested in fridge two days.  Thick-sliced and fried up a batch tonight, wow! can't stop eating it.  When cold it tastes more like ham but it's way better after frying. Definitely doing this again, but with bigger butts!  It's easier to find, cheaper and less fat than belly, what's not to like!

edit: the hardest part was calculating the Ready Cure amount based on manufacturer's dosage guide to match Ruhlman's basic cure recipe and each butt's weight  

paqman

I will have to do that soon!

Canugghead

You'll love it!

shtgunal3

Holy Moly!!! That looks great my northern friend. Note for future reference.... If you use the "salt box method" you don't have to calculate anything. You just dredge the meat in the dry cure until evenly coated on all sides and then shake off the excess. Looks like you nailed it though! Bravo!

minniemoh

I thought Canadians could only make Canadian bacon?!?! WTH? Looks fantastic! It's on my shot list but I would like to use the A-Maz-N smoker and try to cold smoke. My wife got one for my birthday in May I have yet to use it. I guess I should try some cheese or something just to start - that way I can save the pig.

Egghead_Daron

@minniemoh, this is off-topic but dude smoke some cheese. Try Gouda. Wow is all I can say and a great way to break in the AmazNSmoker. Swiss is really good too.

That shoulder bacon looks great. I have a butt in the fridge that has been cured and now drying for 3 days in the fridge that I plan to smoke tomorrow if I get a chance between soccer tournaments and wifey participating in a mini marathon and leaving me with kids.

Canugghead

@shtgunal3 - Thanks. I didn't want to mess with the 'salt box' approximation, fearing that any margin of error may be amplified.

@minniemoh - Thanks. Haha, I make Southern pulled pork and French fries too!  I should have cold smoked one of them and compared.

Egghead_Daron - Thanks. My favourite cheese for smoking is mozzarella. Hope you get to smoke yours this weekend, share some pics please!

Cookinbob

Looks like you nailed it. FWIW, mine is sliced thin and tastes like regular bacon, cooks up really nice!

Cookinbob

Also I have cold smoked and hot smoked bacon. I prefer the hot smoked. YMMV

Canugghead

Thanks Bob, next time I'll try some thin-sliced as well. Guess I probably won't bother cold smoking, feel a little uneasy handling uncooked pork repeatedly and storing/freezing.

Cookinbob

Canugghead said:

 Guess I probably won't bother cold smoking, feel a little uneasy handling uncooked pork repeatedly and storing/freezing.

I don't think there is a food safety issue with cold smoking - a proper cure should take care of everything.  If you read up on Pancetta, once cured, there is no cook, no smoke, not even refrigeration, just roll it and hang it for a few days in a cool place.  

With that said, I will keep on hot smoking (very low around 190 to an IT of 140), and I do vacuum seal and freeze the finished bacon.  It is great to have a freezer full of bacon 

Also, I notice yours is really lean, not nearly as fatty as mine.  Maybe that's why mine tastes more like bacon

shtgunal3

I had a shoulder bacon and tomato sandwich today. It was soooo good.