Dirty Bacon + pr0n

I picked up some pork belly yesterday to make bacon. Yes, in the pictures you see that it's cut already. Such is life here. Can't always get the perfect cut of anything. So, one does what one can.

I decided to try an experiment. I had some Todd's Dirt. Thought I'd try to make some Dirty Bacon. Basically, the rub was Dirt, salt, and some cure #1.

I also made my usual bacon cure mix.

Both got rubbed. Both got vac-sealed. And, both are now in my chest fridge for the week.

landarc said:

Nice job, you got a vacuum frame?

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Haha, that would be cool. Small and powerful.

But, no. What I have is bulky. An ARY VacMaster VP215.

Update

Well, it's a week later and I have some results.

After spending a week in the fridge, being flipped daily, I smoked the bacon to 150°F internal. Then, I chilled it in the fridge over night to make slicing easier. This morning, I sliced it.

Both sets of bacon were good. My usual bacon was yummy (that's why it's my usual). The Dirty Bacon was good, too.

Was there a difference? A little. But, nothing spectacular. And, neither was really better than the other. Just different flavors. Probably because part of the process is to wash the spices off before smoking.

Would I make Dirty Bacon again? No. Todd's Dirt is too expensive (remember: shipping it here is $10+ per bottle plus the cost of the Dirt itself) for this. I'd rather save the Dirt for steaks, chops, and other things where it can shine.

Bacon after smoking and trimming of the skin:


Frying up a taste test (didn't get to the testers because I ate it all, had to make more):


Bacon sliced and ready to go back into the fridge:


My slicer leaves about a quarter-inch of ends. I really hated to waste those ends, so I turned them all sideways and cut up some small bacon pieces. I'll use these on pizza:


Pizza bacon vacuum packed and headed off to the freezer:


Wrapped and headed for the fridge. It won't last long ...

{Midnight ☼ Smoke};1175719 said:

Lot of work for Bacon, but it sure looks worth it!

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It's absolutely worth it. Once you make your own, you'll never buy from the store again.

It's not that much work. Mix up some spices. Rub your belly meat. Seal it. Put it in the fridge for a week (flipping daily). Take it out. Smoke it. Slice it.

The nice thing is, you can make it in bulk. Pop some in the fridge. Freeze the rest.

The spice mixture you can also make ahead in bulk. Just pre-mix it like you might do a rub.

Good looking stuff!