Smoking Becon

[bassNspear]

Just wondering how you all brine your becon before you smoke it. I have a friend that is going to get two bellies, and he wants to smoke them.

Thanks

[Kidd]

Man, that sounds tasty.

I've never smoked bacon but if I ever get the chance I would use the typical water, salt and sugar. For the sugar I would use brown or Honey.

I think the most important thing here would be to use apple wood. For whatever reason, pork seems to taste better when smoked with apple wood.

Good luck.

[SilverLakeBoy]

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup salt

8 ounces molasses

1/2 gallon (2 quarts) water

1/2 gallon (2 quarts) apple cider

2 tablespoons course ground black pepper

1 (5 pound) piece raw pork belly from the loin-end

Directions

In a large non-reactive pot, bring half the water, 1 cup of sugar, salt, and 8 ounces molasses to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour into a large container with the remaining water, and the apple cider. Place in the refrigerator and cool to 40 degrees F.

Press the black pepper into the pork belly. Once the brine has cooled place the peppered pork belly into the mixture until completely submerged. Refrigerate for three days.

After three days have passed, remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a rack over a sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle. Lay the pork in the box of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Place the strips of bacon onto a sheet pan fitted with a rack and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees F and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels. Enjoy.

[SilverLakeBoy]

Ingredients

1 cup salt

1 cup sugar

2 ounces honey

3 tablespoons mustard powder

1 pound pork belly

Directions

In a small bowl, combine salt and sugar. Spread honey evenly over pork belly, then coat with mustard. Spread the salt and sugar mixture generously over the mustard. Place into a re-sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 3 days.

After three days have passed, remove the pork from the brine, rinse the belly, and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a rack over a sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle. Lay the pork in the protein box of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Place the strips of bacon onto a sheet pan fitted with a rack and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels. Enjoy.

[SilverLakeBoy]

Molasses black pepper cure

Ingredients

1 cup salt

3/4 cup sugar

2 ounces molasses

2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper

1 pound pork belly

Directions

In a small bowl, combine salt and sugar. Spread molasses evenly over pork belly, then coat with the pepper. Spread the salt and sugar mixture generously over the entire slab. Place into a re-sealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 3 days.

After three days have passed, remove the pork from the brine, rinse the belly, and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a rack over a sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle. Lay the pork in the protein box of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Place the strips of bacon onto a sheet pan fitted with a rack and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels. Enjoy.

[buddha]

The recipie from SLB is right on the money, I have usually smoked ours from 8 to 10 hours. As long as you keep the smoke cool side it works fine.

[SilverLakeBoy]

Red Pepper Brine

Ingredients

1 cup cider vinegar

1 medium jalapeno, split

1 teaspoon red chile flakes

1 cup salt

11/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup honey

1/2 gallon water

1 pound pork belly

Directions

In a large saucepot, bring the first six ingredients to a simmer. Cook until all of the solids are dissolved. Add water and submerge pork belly. Remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator for 3 days.

After three days have passed, remove the pork from the brine, rinse the belly, and pat dry with paper towels. Lay on a rack over a sheet pan and place in front of a fan for 1 hour to form a pellicle. Lay the pork in the protein box of a cold smoker and smoke for 4 to 6 hours. Chill the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to stiffen for easy slicing into strips of bacon. Slice what you need and keep the remainder in a freezer safe bag in the refrigerator or freezer.

Place the strips of bacon onto a sheet pan fitted with a rack and place into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400 degrees and cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon. Remove from rack and drain on paper towels. Enjoy.

[SilverLakeBoy]

Soy Honey Brine

Same directions as above

Ingredients

1 cup soy sauce

11/2 cups honey

1/4 cup salt

1/2 gallon apple juice

1 pound pork belly

[bassNspear]

Thanks for your help. I think we have meet before silver!

[bassNspear]

Anyone else have any ideas on how to smoke it!

[MNHuntress]

Bass, I'm more of a picture person, here's the web site I like because they sell the seasonings plus have step by step instructions with pictures and what the final product should look like... Google Curley's Sausage kitchen (they are in Iowa), then click on recipes and it will show you how to make 3 different types of bacon, you can either use the recipes above or order their stuff but at least it's a guide as to what to do

[SilverLakeBoy]

You cold smoke bacon

I hang mine with bacon hangers I bought from Mandeville's butcher supply and smoke for about 6 hours at 90°F no higher than 150°F

[KEN W]

I don't think most people realize that almost all commercially made bacon and ham in grocery stores are processed with liquid smoke.Same with hams and commercial sausages.If you buy it from a butcher then it is probably smoked in a smoke house.But large processors use liquid smoke.

It isn't easy to get the right smoke and heat when doing it yourself.Most times it is left in to long or not long enough.Especially if trying to smoke it at home.

Especially with ham and bacon.I have tried and the results weren't the best.I now use liquid smoke added to the brine.It is almost fool proof.

With bacon or ham......add 4 tsp liquid smoke per gallon of brine.You still have to put it in the smoker or oven to get it finished.But you don't have to worry about how much or how long to smoke it.