Got Bacon?

[Denny O]

Sorry I have been on the naughty list. frown Please forgive me.
So here’s the short version.

Ok, been busy with a work for hire project. I’ve had some meat in the basement fridge for a bit the first one is 26.5 pounds of pork bellies. I try to purchase the heaviest weights of heritage pork bellies that I can find with the rines removed and a uniform thickness.

Brined for 2 to 3 weeks in a soft solution of ;
1 cup kosher salt (Not less than a 1/2 cup)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 heaping tablespoon #1 pink cure (Do Not Confuse Pink Salt with this!!!)
1 gallon water.

I use a 5 gal bucket that is food grade and it has never been used for anything else but food in it. For 4 t0 6 bellies I need 2-5 gal buckets and a double batch of brine. I can fit/hang 5 racks into my smaller smoker at one time.

I make a double batch of brine and set the bellies in rotate every day or two, Fill a gallon ziplock with the brine and lay on top to keep the bellies submerged into the brine. Keep these in a cold place that maintains a 33 to 39 degree temp for the duration of 2 to 3 weeks, (you can do less time but,). My basement fridge.

Removed from the brine and rinsed off underwater

Laid out uncovered in the fridge to dry for 1 to 2 days (or hung in the smoker).

Hang in the smoker and using the “A-maze-N” full of my choice pellets, cold smoke for a day till gone and then the next day cold smoke them all over again.
The third day fire up the smoker @ 150 for 1 hr, @160 for an hr, @ 170 for an hr then @ 180 till the internal temp is 145 to 150. Shut off the smoker and let them rest. (Side note here I’m doing them during the cold weather months with no worries of heat and freezing).

After a day or two rest slice then to your desired thickness. Slice and portion into bags then vac, then freeze!

Excellent smokey bacon!

You will find if you slice this bacon thick or thicker than the store bought, it will;
Taste better
Splatter less (Barely a need for a splatter screen)
Needs to have a lower fry temp (keep the burner on a lower temp!!)
Cook it to a tid bit lesser done, but still to your liking.

Biggest reason, it is not injected with solution and you know exactly what is in it!
Heritage breed pork that is just salt and sugar.
The curing salt is at a level of less than 1/3 of the norm and still extremely lesser than the commercial processors that you get at the stores, plus there is nothing injected into it!

Let me know If I may be of any other help on this.

Lately I’ve been making this for others as well as myself. This last batch has been all spoken for.

But I’d rather be on the lake with my mind on God than in a church with my mind on fishin’ Denny Orfield

[Denny O]

Thanks John for the like!

[cdavis]

@dennyo man your bacon looks great

[cdavis]

@dennyo haven’t heard from you in a while. Good to see you back. I always enjoy your posts and pictures. Congrats on the bacon.

[Denny O]

cdavis Charley, good to hear from you!
Ya, I’ve been on the naughty list for some time. It might continue for a bit more too. I’ve got some shop work to attend to, over 60 lbs of deer to deal with and a new to me boat to rig. The boat will take some doing!

[cdavis]

@dennyo good luck on your projects and don’t be a stranger. I hope you had a good Christmas and I wish you a happy new year.

[Bob Stehlik]

@dennyo Thanks for the detailed instructions. You explained your process to the “T”. I’ve bookmarked this to try in the future and your finished product is beautiful and I’m sure very tasty. Thanx for posting your recipe and good to see you back! Happy New Year!

[gus4416]

@dennyo That bacon looks awesome wish we could get heritage pork belly’s here looks like they are much more meaty

[Denny O]

Thanks chefs! Once you start making your own ya will never go back to store bought!

[PapaSop]

@dennyo
Awesome. Just tried it myself for the first time. No going back now.

[YooperDog]

@dennyo Nice looking slabs. Appreciate the steps to the process.

[Denny O]

This is mid March and maybe I’ll get to keep some bacon for our selves!
I have 3 Duroc 1/2 belly’s and 2 whole Berkshire bellies that have gone through my brine process and then into the fridge to create the tacky surface to aid in the smoke. They have cold smoked for two separate time periods of ten hours each, low and slow smoked for 12 hours each no heat, then a gradual heat of 80 to 180 with a gradual increase for over to 5 hours till the 135 IT degrees max gets close.

[Denny O]

They are coming out of the smoker with in 30 minutes.

This is the 3rd batch that I’ve done this year with the heaviest weight for 5 half pork belly’s being 27 pounds.

I have 2 whole Berkshire and 3 Duroc halves coming out as we speak . Pics to follow from the phone soon.

[Denny O]

@dennyo-s

Here it is comming out of smoker using the Pit Boss 7 for the first time because of the whole length of full bellies slabs.

[Denny O]

Dave in AZ Thanks Chef!

[YooperDog]

@dennyo-s nice looking slabs.

[zbigjeff]

@dennyo-s Your love for “it just takes time” is wonderful. Really like your cold smoke process. Keep it up. Especially with the great product you use.

[GWG8541]

@dennyo-s that picture is a thing of beauty. How do you like the Pitt Boss 7?

[zbigjeff]

@dennyo-s I would think that the color is just about RIGHT!!! Oh, the smell when cooking those beauties.

[Jamieson22]

@DennyO-s

First as a fellow Hawkeye: BIG OOF!

Curious have you ever done EQ method?

Also I will need to give the cold smoke a try once we get back to cold enough weather (IL) as I’ve only done hot smoke so far. Am curious any reason not to just be done after the cold smoke? Assuming you will cook it before eating anyways. Wondering the effect on end product.