The Things We Take For Granted - My Dad's Bacon - Page 2

baldbill · 07-10-2011, 08:55 AM

GREAT POST!! I will be watching as now my interest in trying this has increased greatly! I remember my grandparents doing exactly what you wrote about, nothing better than homemade smoked bacon, cathead bisquits with home churned butter and yes, hoecakes!!! not to mention the homemade suasage and redeye gravy, and they never even heard of the word cholesterol and lived to be in their 80's

rondini · 07-10-2011, 06:54 PM

You're making me want to try it.

N8man · 07-10-2011, 07:51 PM

What a great story, it evoked wonderful memories of my own childhood.
My Mama would make hoecakes and cook home cured bacon that
my Great-Uncles made in their Smokehouse on the Farm.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Looking forward to the fruits of your effort...

jestridge · 07-10-2011, 07:58 PM

We always called it side meat, good stuff with a piece of corn bread and onion.

Hoss · 07-10-2011, 08:08 PM

I LOVE this thread! I too am on my way down the path to ressurecting the lost art of curing/preserving meats.Charcuterie such as it is.I plan to build an AUTHENTIC smokehouse this summer.I have been using the Hi-Mountain cures on butts and loins with success but I am ready to go to the next level.Thanks for the thread and the memories.

jestridge · 07-10-2011, 09:28 PM

Also when green beans come in would cut a hunk off and cook it with garden vegetables

smokinQ2 · 07-10-2011, 10:20 PM

Those are great memories. Me not so lucky but my wife was and tells of hog killing time in October. Her Dad was in town this weekend and had all kinds of stories, how they salted the meat and then knocked it off to put on brown sugar. I've got build a smoke house and have him show me.

Old school rules!!!

Boshizzle · 07-11-2011, 07:59 PM

Something else that sticks in my memory about my Dad's bacon was how incredible is smelled before it was even cooked. It smelled so good I remember asking if it could be eaten without being cooked. Of course, I was told real quick that it needed to be cooked first. The smoked pork from our smokehouse had a nice golden brown color on the skin, the lean meat was nice and red, the smell of hickory mixed with the aroma of the pork and the salt and pepper rub covering the entire outside surface is a memory I will never forget.

After about 30 hours of curing, I took a look at the bacon and some liquid had accumulated in the bags. Since my Dad used to hang his bacon I know that it never cured in liquid.

So, I removed it from the bags and applied some more salt and pepper to it and put it in new bags and back in the fridge. This pic shows that it is already beginning to pick up some of that great red color.

Boshizzle · 07-16-2011, 11:47 PM

The bacon has been curing for about a week in the fridge. This morning at about 7AM I removed a piece of the pork belly from the plastic bag, rinsed off as much salt as I could, patted it dry with paper towels and put it back in the fridge unwrapped in the hopes that it will dry overnight and develop a pellicle.

Tomorrow (Sunday AM) I will smoke this piece of the pork belly with hickory until it reaches an internal temp of about 140-150. I will report the results. I am keeping the other two pieces of belly in the salt/pepper cure for now. I want to see how this piece works out after a week of curing in the salt and pepper.

Now, my Dad's bacon was a beautiful brownish color on the outside, smelled of pepper and hickory, and the lean meat had a dry and reddish appearance. So, we'll see tomorrow night how this one measures up.

Thanks for looking!

RevZiLLa · 07-17-2011, 12:01 AM

Looking forward to this

Norm · 07-17-2011, 07:36 AM

Me too!

Ross in Ventura · 07-17-2011, 09:50 AM

This is a must try for me! Thanks for this great post

Ross

Paulie G. · 07-17-2011, 04:50 PM

Thank you for sharing this story. Can't wait to see more pics of the process.

pitbossJB · 07-17-2011, 11:38 PM

I can't wait to try this, I guess I'm off to the butcher for some side meat! JB

Boshizzle · 07-18-2011, 03:55 PM

The slab of belly has been sitting in the fridge uncovered since Saturday morning. Here are some pics.

This is a pic of the belly using the camera's flash. Notice how the light shines on it. That's not moisture causing that shine. The surface of the belly is pretty dry. What's making that great shiny surface is the pellicle that has formed.

The pellicle does three main things. It helps to prevent the fat in the meat from rising to the surface and spoiling; it provides a good surface to hold smoke and it also helps to seal in moisture.

I got a late start today on the smoke process. I will post some pics of it as soon as I can.

07-10-2011, 06:54 PM	#17
rondini Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 09-25-10 Location: Reed City, MI	You're making me want to try it. __________________ Ron, 1 little Chief top loader, 1 UDS (90% built) 1 mini UDS (in plans)

07-10-2011, 07:51 PM	#18
N8man Babbling Farker Join Date: 05-09-07 Location: God's Country Ossipee-Osceola NC	What a great story, it evoked wonderful memories of my own childhood. My Mama would make hoecakes and cook home cured bacon that my Great-Uncles made in their Smokehouse on the Farm. Thanks for sharing!!! Looking forward to the fruits of your effort... __________________ N8man Average Joe Backyard Enthusiast How I Fire Up That Ugly DrumPit Smoker!!!!

07-10-2011, 10:20 PM	#22
smokinQ2 On the road to being a farker Join Date: 08-12-10 Location: Charlotte	Those are great memories. Me not so lucky but my wife was and tells of hog killing time in October. Her Dad was in town this weekend and had all kinds of stories, how they salted the meat and then knocked it off to put on brown sugar. I've got build a smoke house and have him show me. Old school rules!!! __________________ Bubba Grill 250 Reverse Stick W Rib box, Modified Bubba Keg, CharGriller w FB & Thermapen

07-11-2011, 07:59 PM	#23
Boshizzle somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-26-10 Location: Virginia	Something else that sticks in my memory about my Dad's bacon was how incredible is smelled before it was even cooked. It smelled so good I remember asking if it could be eaten without being cooked. Of course, I was told real quick that it needed to be cooked first. The smoked pork from our smokehouse had a nice golden brown color on the skin, the lean meat was nice and red, the smell of hickory mixed with the aroma of the pork and the salt and pepper rub covering the entire outside surface is a memory I will never forget. After about 30 hours of curing, I took a look at the bacon and some liquid had accumulated in the bags. Since my Dad used to hang his bacon I know that it never cured in liquid. So, I removed it from the bags and applied some more salt and pepper to it and put it in new bags and back in the fridge. This pic shows that it is already beginning to pick up some of that great red color. __________________ Operation BBQ Relief Founding Member - I am Obsessive Compulsive about BBQ. Google it.

07-16-2011, 11:47 PM	#24
Boshizzle somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-26-10 Location: Virginia	The bacon has been curing for about a week in the fridge. This morning at about 7AM I removed a piece of the pork belly from the plastic bag, rinsed off as much salt as I could, patted it dry with paper towels and put it back in the fridge unwrapped in the hopes that it will dry overnight and develop a pellicle. Tomorrow (Sunday AM) I will smoke this piece of the pork belly with hickory until it reaches an internal temp of about 140-150. I will report the results. I am keeping the other two pieces of belly in the salt/pepper cure for now. I want to see how this piece works out after a week of curing in the salt and pepper. Now, my Dad's bacon was a beautiful brownish color on the outside, smelled of pepper and hickory, and the lean meat had a dry and reddish appearance. So, we'll see tomorrow night how this one measures up. Thanks for looking! __________________ Operation BBQ Relief Founding Member - I am Obsessive Compulsive about BBQ. Google it.

07-10-2011, 08:55 AM	#16
baldbill Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 04-12-09 Location: columbiana alabama	GREAT POST!! I will be watching as now my interest in trying this has increased greatly! I remember my grandparents doing exactly what you wrote about, nothing better than homemade smoked bacon, cathead bisquits with home churned butter and yes, hoecakes!!! not to mention the homemade suasage and redeye gravy, and they never even heard of the word cholesterol and lived to be in their 80's

07-10-2011, 07:58 PM	#19
jestridge somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-07 Location: annville ky	We always called it side meat, good stuff with a piece of corn bread and onion.

07-10-2011, 08:08 PM	#20
Hoss Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 12-31-09 Location: Hernando,MS	I LOVE this thread! I too am on my way down the path to ressurecting the lost art of curing/preserving meats.Charcuterie such as it is.I plan to build an AUTHENTIC smokehouse this summer.I have been using the Hi-Mountain cures on butts and loins with success but I am ready to go to the next level.Thanks for the thread and the memories.

07-10-2011, 09:28 PM	#21
jestridge somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-07 Location: annville ky	Also when green beans come in would cut a hunk off and cook it with garden vegetables

07-17-2011, 12:01 AM	#25
RevZiLLa is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 07-02-07 Location: Richmond, VA	Looking forward to this __________________ www.BowlingBallExchange.com on Facebook Brinkman water smokers (elec and charcoal) Weber kettle grill Uniflame Gold Stainless 5 burner propane grill / rotisserie BBQ Grillware upright propane water smoker A trench filled with wood coals and covered with chain link fence

07-17-2011, 07:36 AM	#26
Norm Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 02-22-10 Location: USA Name/Nickname : Private	Me too!

07-17-2011, 09:50 AM	#27
Ross in Ventura is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 05-16-08 Location: Ventura, California	This is a must try for me! Thanks for this great post Ross __________________ My Blog:[URL]http://grillingandsmoking.blogspot.com/[/URL] Large Green Egg The Ultimate Cooking Experience. Hatched 6-21-07, DigiQ2, Supperfast,, Red Thermapen, and Maverick ET-735

07-17-2011, 04:50 PM	#28
Paulie G. is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 08-07-06 Location: Bluffton, SC	Thank you for sharing this story. Can't wait to see more pics of the process. __________________ Paulie G. Pit Boss Coastal Carolina Catering Klose custom 28'x7' Golf Pro Classic mobile pit.

07-17-2011, 11:38 PM	#29
pitbossJB is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 12-05-09 Location: Sandia Park,N.M. (land of entrapment) Name/Nickname : el jefe	I can't wait to try this, I guess I'm off to the butcher for some side meat! JB __________________ "It's all done with smoke and mirrors..............I think I like smoke the best" UDS with 007 mods and pizza top Highly modified Bandera w/ griddle on firebox Mini SJ/UDS micro mini UDS Smokey Joe's 1983 22.5" Weber kettle

07-18-2011, 03:55 PM	#30
Boshizzle somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-26-10 Location: Virginia	The slab of belly has been sitting in the fridge uncovered since Saturday morning. Here are some pics. This is a pic of the belly using the camera's flash. Notice how the light shines on it. That's not moisture causing that shine. The surface of the belly is pretty dry. What's making that great shiny surface is the pellicle that has formed. The pellicle does three main things. It helps to prevent the fat in the meat from rising to the surface and spoiling; it provides a good surface to hold smoke and it also helps to seal in moisture. I got a late start today on the smoke process. I will post some pics of it as soon as I can. __________________ Operation BBQ Relief Founding Member - I am Obsessive Compulsive about BBQ. Google it.

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