Making bacon

[wulf]

I'm quite good at the rubbing your tummy / patting your head trick. Mind you, if there is a sharp blade involved I can see the virtue of playing it safe!

Wulf

[vancheese]

How does curing the bacon go with cold smoking? Any tips
I've a ready-built smoker and I need to do some tests before the piggies arrive :D

[Green Aura]

I'm not sure what you're asking vc. You need to cure it to make it bacon - otherwise you'd have smoked pork! And I would imagine you'd need to do it first while the meat is raw - even cold smoking cooks it - sort of, or is it another type of curing it?

As I said I've only done hot smoking so I don't really know

[Big Al]

If you want smoked bacon then you will need to cure the pork as per Green Aura's instructions then put it in your smoker cabinet and use the cold smoker to produce smoked bacon.

[Big Al]

I've just realised Green Aura that you are doing it all wrong.......

Here's how to make bacon.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0DbcUUO ... re=related

Big Al.

[Green Aura]

I watched it with the sound off because OH was watching the TV. Would the soundtrack have made me feel any less nauseous?

OMG That's me never buying bacon again - not that i have for about 18 months I think

[Odsox]

Wow, those Americans certainly have laziness off to a fine art ... pre-cooked rashers ?
Presumably they are reheated before you eat them, so why not cook them at the same time, it takes 3 to 4 minutes to fry or grill them from raw and probably the same time for reheating, so you are saving nothing and sacrificing freshness.

No need to build a cold smoker, I'll rinse out my spray gun and get some liquid smoke.
Actually you're right Maggie, I'm not sure I want shop bought bacon any more.

[Green Aura]

I used to buy that liquid smoke to make my daughter vegan bacon taste more authentic (I know, don't ask ).

I have no idea what's in it but now I don't have access to it and tend not to buy these type of things anyway I use smoked paprika and she says it's even better!

Another score for natural

[Big Al]

I bought some slices of belly pork that were about 2" thick and rubbed the mixture as described over the lot. I then left it covered in cling film for a day, drained off a shed load of liquor then re rubbed it a second time. Left it for 2 days and then washed, dried and re rubbed it today for a third time / fourth day. Still giving off liquor although very little now.

I might try a bit tomorrow for breaky and leave the rest to keep cureing. I'm also going to have a go at making a cold smoker machine when i get the wood chips mail order.

[Odsox]

Well done Big Al, keep us posted on how you get on with your cold smoker.

Possibly next week is the half yearly trip to the city (the other time is Christmas shopping ) so hopefully I can find some cheapish belly pork and have a go myself. Belly pork around here is hellishly expensive as apparently it's very popular for BBQ kebabs.

[wulf]

I've finally made a start on trying this out (although it will be a little while yet before I can actually comment on the results). I used an off-cut of the belly pork I cooked for yesterday's dinner. If I'm happy with the result, it will be cheaper than pre-made bacon even with a relatively expensive bit of meat due to the discount that comes from buying a larger quantity.

Wulf

[Green Aura]

Having been away for the weekend OH finished it all in my absence so it's time to start again. One thing we have discovered though - it tastes better grilled than fried It still tasted good but was more salty.

I'm not sure why this would be really but I think the hot pan caramelises it too quickly before any excess salt gets out? Any ideas?

[Big Al]

I will certainly back that up Green Aura. I fried mine today and it was sweet but really salty. I'll give the rest a go in the grill and report back.

[wulf]

My experiment ended early when my wife fried me up some bacon and eggs and didn't realise that by 'bacon' I meant the bagged stuff in the freezer and not the stuff I was trying to cure. It was okay but very salty... but, to be fair, it was only about three days into curing and still on the first rub of salt and sugar.

I'll have to get some more belly pork and try again. Perhaps I can find a butcher who will sell me an offcut to experiment with?

Wulf

[Big Al]

My experiment ended early when my wife fried me up some bacon and eggs and didn't realise that by 'bacon' I meant the bagged stuff in the freezer and not the stuff I was trying to cure. It was okay but very salty... but, to be fair, it was only about three days into curing and still on the first rub of salt and sugar.

I'll have to get some more belly pork and try again. Perhaps I can find a butcher who will sell me an offcut to experiment with?

Wulf

It's very cheap round these parts but then it's a throw away cut in the affluent city of hartlepool

I grilled some of what was left and it did seem to be less salty but still quite salty although mrs BA tasted more sugar than salt probably because being sweet was alien to her !!

I think I'll be getting a bit of pork shoulder sliced thinly like proper rashers and have a go at cureing them with a bit more sugar and less salt because they are thinner strips.