Xmas bacon...pron
 

Giving some bacon away to some family and friends this Xmas. Bought 22 lbs of good belly from a good butcher

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Maple Bacon from Ruhlman' book

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Maple w/ black pepper corns

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Traditional savory...kosher salt, garlic, nutmeg, all spice, black pepper, bay leaves...second picture also had juniper berries

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Kosher salt, Chipotle in adobo, chipotle pepper, ancho chili powder, honey

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Added my first fatty

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Loaded Stumps...used tooth picks to identify different flavor varieties

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All done...

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Slicing/vac sealing tomorrow....

That looks incredible, I'll send my address so you know were to send samples.....:shock:

sweet. doing my 3rd set tonight. have 12 lbs ready to cure. 1st 2 batches have been good but I'm missing a little something. What internal do you pull yours? I do 150 but it seems to firm already at that temp

Thoughts

I just realized it but........ we are related!!!!! I would love an early xmas present:shock:

I hot smoked this time...so I bring it to 150 as well. Keep the smoker at about 175-185. Not sure what your issue could be...could be w/ the cure.

Thirdeye or cowgirl are more of the authorities on bacon imo...perhaps they will chime in. Though I believe cowgirl usually cold smokes.

Thanks. i have been using a recipe from the Charcuterie book and they say to hot smoke it at 200 to 155 internal. I'm going to try to cold smoke it this time. Going in the cure today and that gives me a few days to build a cold smoke rig for my egg.

Good deal...

Last time I cold smoked...used this device on my Weber Kettle:

http://www.amazenproducts.com/Produc...tCode=AMNPS5X8

Smoked for about 9.5 hours...awesome color... This was the cold smoke batch post cold smoke:

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that is on my radar for sure. You don't use it any more? Why?

Do you like another process better?

I actually love the device and I wil use it again for sure. I have had good results both ways...just chose to hot smoke this time. Some firmly believe in one way or the other...I'm more in the middle

Wow, these look fantastic! Good looking meat for sure. And the flavor I can just imagine. I wish we had a local butcher up here in RI.

Ohh that looks like great bacon.