Tis the Season for Makin Bacon

[SoloQue]

Started my first attempt at homemade bacon tonight. Made my cure solution with the following:
Kosher Salt 454 g, Sugar 227 g, Pink Salt 56.75 g for a total of 737.75 g this is enough for 50 lbs of meat.
I decided to do 2 slabs for the first go round


Added some hickory salt and honey to the 1st slab


Decided to go crazy and put some pecan bits on the 2nd slab


Everything is bagged and ready to cure for the next 8 days


I'll post some in-process pics as things develope

[DUAYNE B]

Dang SQ, does this mean we have to wait ?,,,, ya wanna hurry the process, out here in Phoenix, pork belly is pretty darn pricey rightnow and hard to find,,,,,,,

[SoloQue]

I'm not quite as lucky as TQ having the hogs on the back 40 but then I aint complaining when the wife can special order me about anything I can think up. I think she's figured out that when I'm smokin I'm stickin close to home.

[The Czar]

...... ....I bet that is going to be good.....

[maccas66]

Oh how long do we have to wait???

[Gizmo]

8 DAYS!?!

plus at least 2 more days UPS to get my sample to me...

...this is unbearable

[Rodcrafter]

I want to try that too, but I'd like samples, until I get around to it.

[SoloQue]

I'll have a few 1lb samples available just in time for Christmas breakfast, just swing by and pick them up.
I'll even vacuum pack for the drive home. mmmmmmm bacon

Sorry Mac, found out the turtle is KOSHER, no bacon heading south.

[HARRY BARKER]

lookin good!!

[Smokeone]

wish I could make it for breakfast!

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[TuscaloosaQ]

Smoke one I am coming to your house invited or not, and that is all I have to say about that!!!!!!

[SMOKIN JAY]

YUMM!!!

[SoloQue]

And on the 11th day it was time to cook
The wife wanted pepper added, pepper added.

[TuscaloosaQ]

I am soo excited!!!! if bacon dont do it nothing will post them finished pics

[The Czar]

Good gravy I love bacon!

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[SoloQue]

Held the smoker at 190 and cooked until internal was 152


Went ahead and did some trimming, love the grill grates on my firebox!


Oh, since I was already cooking really low and slow ... I had a li'l brisket going too .... foiled at 150, pulled at 186


The neighbors came over and helped finish off the grilled trimmings ... always good to have happy neighbors

[SoloQue]

Since I had the brisket going, I knocked out a few bottles of Tzatziki sauce for dippin



No beer so I guess this is roughing it

[TuscaloosaQ]

Dang Solo that looks great!!!!!!!! did you paint that smoke ring on that brisket

[Smokeone]

Sounds like you better get to the store. No beer.............did you forget it was the holidays?

By the way nice smokering on that brisket!

[SoloQue]

The flat wasn't all that big but it sure took the smoke, the first 4 hours were only 190 so it had planty of time. The wife got home and gave it the rubberband test. She says it passed with decent snap after a good stretch, geesh she's a tough customer.

Thanks for the compliments guys, I'm still taking notes on these cooks.

[Cave Man]

Very Nice! Bacon makes the world no round!

[SoloQue]

I saw questions about the bacon process. Here was my post ... spells out the process fairly well
yes it was the best bacon I ever tasted.
Most important is getting the cure measured correctly,
letting it sit long enough 7 days minimum,
letting it air dry over night (forms the pellicle)
and cooking really slow to at least 140 internal

Sorry didn't know how to just post the link to the other thread

[Rodcrafter]

Hey Solo,

I'll be driving to Texas this year for Thanksgiving, so I'll be stopping by for those samples.

[SoloQue]

I'm actually gonna be smoking 4 bellies on Black Friday, I'll post the cook all the way through like before so if anyone has a hankering to try it out hopefully I can cover all the steps.
Since It just means a few extra days brining and everythig can smoke at the same time, I'm doing a few whole pork loins to make some more Canadian Bacon
WOW it just sunk in how many miles you are planning on traveling ... you are gonna be behind the wheel more than a few hours and I thought Alabama to Illinois was a strain. You're coming up from deep Florida right and hanging a left on 10?

[Frank_Cox]

Man Solo, That would make a great how to video! wish I could come video it for ya!!!