Ground Beef Bacon

[kbarnes12]

I wanted to give making ground beef bacon a try. I ordered some Imitation Bacon #2 cure from Waltons Inc. and mixed up a 5 pound batch. Used a rolling pin to press it into a casserole dish that I lined with plastic wrap. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator and the next morning I put it in the Masterbuilt 40 using competition blend pellets at 140º and raised it every hour until I reached 175º. It took about 8 hours to reach an IT of 155º

It came out looking fabulous. I let it rest then sliced. It tasted good but not great when I tried a sample piece. Then this morning I fried up a few pieces and a couple of eggs. Gotta say it tastes great fried. It has a similar taste and consistency to an old product called Sizzlean.

I plan to do several things different the next batch I make. First, I want to get a pan that is not as deep as the casserole dish I used so the bacon will not be as tall. Second, I will only take it to an IT of 125º so it will not be quite as dry when I fry it.

Overall I am very pleased with my ground beef bacon.

[gus4416]

Not a bad experiment looks good and you said it tasted good fried so A for effort

[Dave in AZ]

kbarnes12 very interesting. Thx for posting this experiment. Not sure I can endorse using term “bacon” for ground beef though heh
I cook corned beef hash all the time for breakfast, I can see using cure1 and salt would basically turn ground beef into corned beef, and I think I would enjoy that in slices! Formed Corned Beef

[Cory Brown]

I made the same with a mix of venison and pork fat. Not a replacement for the “real” thing, but definitely tastes good and adds another use for ground. Congrats on the cook!

[kyle]

kbarnes12 I use 11x16x2 inch deep disposable foil pans lined with saran wrap. ( I dont throw them away tho, just wash for next time). That size meat block fits in my smoker nice and 2’’ thick after slicing is close to what size store bought bacon is. Your bacon looks very nice, great job

[kbarnes12]

kyle, thanks for the tip. How many pounds does that foil pan hold?

[Dave in AZ]

kbarnes12
This post has persisted in my hindbrain all morning, it is really making me curious to try it. The color on the whole chunk as well as the slices is just amazing.

I’m wondering, since ground beef is like $3 to $5 a pound, but pork butt is just $1.87 for me, have you tried making this ground and formed cured bacon-like product from pork? I really want to try this from pork now, as well as the corned beef style!

[cdavis]

kbarnes12 looks good to me. Congrats and good luck on your next venture.

[kbarnes12]

Dave in AZ, yes you can grind pork butts and do the same thing, can also use ground turkey as well. I have not done either of those…yet.

[kyle]

kbarnes12 said in Ground Beef Bacon:

kyle, thanks for the tip. How many pounds does that foil pan hold?

25 pounds fit in 4 pans. Another thing I like about the pans is I stack them in the fridge overnight with the meat, I rotate a couple times and it really packs the meat from the weight.

[kyle]

Dave in AZ Dave, when I make mine, I use 1/2 pork butt, 1/2 venison. I dont know why you couldn’t do the same with beef.

[zbigjeff]

kbarnes12 Trying is caring. I do like your idea of making it less high in the pan. I always choose seasoning to be on the high side a bit and most things come out positive. Good luck with your tests.

[Denny O]

kbarnes12 I’m doing the same thing this fall with deer and pork shoulder. I prefer to do this when the weather gets cooler as I like to cold smoke it for a day or two before cooking it in the smoker.

[Denny O]

kbarnes12 Use a silicone mesh mat to lay it on so the wire rack doesn’t push through your loaf and set a pan on a shelf under it to catch any drippings for easier cleaning up.

[kbarnes12]

Denny O, yep that is on my to do next time list too.

[Bob Stehlik]

Denny O I use the silicone mesh mats for smoking cheese. They work great for preventing grate marks or indents on your product.

[cntryboy]

Okay i have to try this on a blt

[calvin]

i might just have to try this