Buckboard bacon/ cottage bacon

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

This is my first attempt making this style bacon at home. I used a dry rub style cure that I’ve used on bellies previously. These have been rubbed and under vacuum for 10 days. I placed them on a rack to form a pelicle overnight. I’m going to do an apple pie spiced rub before smoking. They will go on tomorrow while I work on cutting some beef. Looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

[Denny O]

Were they thick enough to have to inject them as well? I’ve never done the method that I think you are referring to.

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Denny O I did not use a wet brine so no injection was done. They are dry rubbed. It’s kind of an experiment as I haven’t used this method for buckboard bacon before. It works well for the bellies I’ve done though.

[mrobisr]

Deepwoodsbutcher I have and it does work very well if held long enough for complete penetration.

[Dave in AZ]

Looking forward to results, we love this BB stuff at our house!

[Denny O]

Deepwoodsbutcher I have yet to do Buckboard bacon and I’m still searching it, so I have zero relevante input there.

I appreciate that there is no injection! Water and bellie grease are a splattered mess!

I’m being a student here, would you be so kind to forward me the teaching on your process?

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Denny O I just used a prepackaged dry rub bacon cure. Vacuum sealed in a bag, filliped and massage daily. I went 10 days on this. Will smoke low temp until 150

[cdavis]

Deepwoodsbutcher looks like a good start

[shoprat53]

I use the dry rub for my buckboard bacon turns out great make sure to soak for 30 minutes, drain and soak for 30 minutes more before smoking. Smoked some today with cherry pecan wood looks great.

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

shoprat53 is the soaking to adjust salt content?

[Dave in AZ]

Deepwoodsbutcher
Yes. If you just use a correct Equilibrium cure to start, with the correct amount of salt for your final desired content, then no soaking is required, your salt content is perfect for what you desire from the very 1st minute.

You can get exact salt amounts for a dry brine equilibrium cure from genuineideas dot com. I don’t know why this isn’t the absolute standard, it removes all guesswork from flavor profile, no more soaking and hoping it ends up on target. But it is darn close to desired salt %, so a 2% salted bacon is 20g salt per 1000g meat, almost.

Only advantage to an over-salted gradient cure, where you add more salt than desired in final product, is maaaybe a few days less cure. So like 6 or 7 instead of 9. Not worth it to me. See genuineideas dot com 2nd tab for EQ cure times. Ive posted 5 or 6 recipes with full details using this method if you want to see more. Pork belly, loin Canadian bacon, capacolla, buckboard bacon, pastrami, corned beef, etc.

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Dave in AZ Thank you. That is good info. I used this same recipe with bellies and didn’t soak it, just rinsed. It wasn’t too salty then. I did add a rub to the outside of this buckboard bacon, but it should be be fine to my tastes as I’ve used it on hams before

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Almost 4 hours into the smoke

[Dave in AZ]

Deepwoodsbutcher yes, sounds great, and I’m looking forward hoping you post a pic of that buckboard sliced. Yours looks nicer than my chunks, I didnt have as big pieces. I also think I will do a rub on outside just before smoking, next time. I found maple syrup in the cure to be a big waste, almost indetectable and 2 cups wasted. But if you rub it on outside presmoke, after cured, it takes a lot less and is way more flavorful. So I’m just using brown or white sugar to cure now, then rubbing flavors on at end

In truth, even a sugary syrup coating at edges gives issues frying…smartest thing is to just put maple syrup on while eating. But I want to be able to say the bacon has maple flavors lol.

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Dave in AZ It’ll be cut tomorrow. I will post pictures. One of the benefits of cutting for yourself is getting these nice coppas. I had 100# of butts to choose from and saved a couple of the best ones for this purpose. My family makes maple syrup and I’ve brushed it on the outside of belly bacon before. It works nicely. I went with an apple pie bbq rub on these. Should be good

[cdavis]

Deepwoodsbutcher wow. Those are looking really good

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

cdavis Thanks

[Deepwoodsbutcher]

Here they are fresh off the smoker

[shoprat53]

Yes just following the Waltons video on making bacon with A dry rub did not soak it first time too salty to eat. Know nothing about some formula Dave was talking about just followed Jonathan advice in his video turns out good. Will continue to make it that way.

[cdavis]

Deepwoodsbutcher those are some gorgeous hunks of meat . I bet they’ll taste great congrats