Making Bacon

[Pugi]

A knife for now, if I keep making it I would like a slicer.

[buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Pugi

A knife for now, if I keep making it I would like a slicer.

: shock:
Oh you poor deluded fool

[bengel]

Did you smoke it yet? How did it turn out?

[Pugi]

Originally Posted by bengel

Did you smoke it yet? How did it turn out?

You are going to fit in well around here, not many of us want to read, that's why we post a lot of pictures, everyone likes a lot of pictures and can follow along with the story line. Please go back and look at the pictures. :-)

[Pugi]

A observation, I think next time I will cut back on the smoke a little. Its almost to much for breakfast. Also I will add a bit more sweatness. Over all its not to bad for the first time.

[Sub-80]

Not bad at all for first attempt. And yes....you need sweet to go with the salt. You will learn as you go. Like others have said, you will never go back to store-bought bacon. Welcome to the club.

[oifmarine2003]

Looks awesome! I am butchering hogs next weekend and will be making bacon soon.

[Bluehawg]

Originally Posted by oifmarine2003

Looks awesome! I am butchering hogs next weekend and will be making bacon soon.

Do you home butcher or will you be taking them to a custom butcher house? I miss the "hog killins" we used to have when I was a kid. We would have to plan them on the first coldest day we had and would have to watch the weather on the tv to make sure it wouldn't be getting warm for the next few days or so while the hams and bacon was curing in the smokehouse before we started the little tiny fire in the middle. Would keep a little fire going and me and pawpaw would go out in the woods and cut some green sasafras sticks to put on the coals every now and then and would put a washpan with some holes knocked in the bottom of it over the fire with only a little of one side elevated for some inflow ventilation so the fire would smother down and smolder. That meat would stay hung in the smokehouse for several days and sometimes weeks and every so often pawpaw would go in and shave a tiny slice off one of the hams or bacon sides to "test" it to know when it was done.

I truly miss those times I had with the family and it is literally bringing tears to my eyes as I type this reply. I wish I would have had more time with him and had been a little older so I could have remembered more of the details.