TQ's bacon tutorial

[mofomatic]

i bought a box of pork bellies today, but i cant find any of the tender quick. just the smoke flavored sugar cure by morton. the sporting goods store has some pink salt and some other cures i'm not sure about for making sausage. not sure what i'll use yet.

[Puff]

Found tender quick on eBay ...no one around here had it

[Frank_Cox]

I am getting ready to do this hopefully tonight. I bought a case of pork bellies this last weekend and they are thawed. I am going to mix TQ's method and SoloQue's method prolly going to use some of porkmafiachicago's rub "sweet hot low down" for seasoning along with some honey. Solo said to be careful frying the bacon when using the honey cus it will tend to burn quicker. thought I would do some with honey and without.

[Gizmo]

Keep us posted Frank … with pics of course….

[SmokinFF]

We found with our bacon cure, we use sugar free syrup. It's the sugar that causes it to burn, cook it on medium heat and all will be fine.

[Puff]

Frank,

Being from Vermont we are big maple syrup users. From hams to bacon...one of the things my wife does when we have maple syrup brushed onto the bacon slices is : put them in the oven about 375 or so using a wire cookie cooling rack that sits in a shallow rectangular baking pan with 1/2" tall sides. This lets the fat drain away from the bacon, it also takes longer to burn the sugar so in just watching it 14-16 minutes it comes out great. Never burnt, crisp and flavored beyond belief... Well, for store bought bacon anyway

[Pete Mazz]

put them in the oven about 375 or so using a wire cookie cooling rack that sits in a shallow rectangular baking pan with 1/2" tall sides

Exactly how I do mine.

[Pete Mazz]

Puff,
I did a Restaurant Depot run yesterday and they had cases of frozen pork bellies. 65 lb case @ $1.86/lb. That's a lot of bacon!!!! I know 1 or 2 friends that would want some if you're interested in splitting it up with us sometime.

[SoloQue]

65 lb case @ $1.86/lb

Now that is a price a fella could put up some bacon with.

[Puff]

Hey Pete,

Thanks for the invitation. It would be great. I am in Hackensack sometimes twice a week. The Restaurant depot there is SO busy they wait in line to park.

[Pete Mazz]

I'll hold off until the weather warms up. Besides, my smoker isn't done yet....

[Oak Grove Bacon]

I have been curing bacon for a couple years, similar recipe. Mortons tender quick-1tbs per lb of meat. I buy whole fresh pork bellies with skin removed. $2.58 per lb last Thursday. 53 lbs in the cure now. I use dark brown sugar, 1/2 as much as tender quick. Fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, and Cavenders Greek seasoning. I have been vaccumn sealing the belly with cure and seasonings for 9 days in a cold refrigerator. Wash cure off in cold water and smoke cold for 4 hours. (About 10 charcoal briquettes in the corner of firebox, and. Some Apple wood chunks for smokey flavor) keep the air intakes closed. I keep cook chamber under 50 deg for 4 hours. Then put bellies in freezer for a day to slice better very cold. Another batch uses maple sugar and espresso powder for flavor.