My First Bacon Attempt

SmokerKing · 09-16-2021, 01:34 PM

8.50 lb. Costco Pork Belly, dry brined for 10 days, warm smoked with Rockwood, Hickory and Apple....

Lomey · 09-16-2021, 01:40 PM

Looks great! I'm doing 9 lbs of Costco belly for bacon Saturday.

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thirdeye · 09-16-2021, 01:41 PM

Looks good, what are your initial thoughts? The formulation percentages are very straight forward and easy to tickle, but techniques can really vary with finish temps, blooming etc.

SmokerKing · 09-16-2021, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirdeye

Looks good, what are your initial thoughts? The formulation percentages are very straight forward and easy to tickle, but techniques can really vary with finish temps, blooming etc.

For my first attempt, I thought it turned out great. Next time I'll adjust the brine ingredients and back off the salt, add more black pepper, brown sugar and chili powder to tweak it a bit.

I ran the warm smoke to 180 degrees until the bacon hit 150 internal. Smoke permeated well.

SmokerKing · 09-16-2021, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lomey

Looks great! I'm doing 9 lbs of Costco belly for bacon Saturday.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Smoke on Badger Mountain · 09-16-2021, 02:29 PM

Looks good!

thirdeye · 09-16-2021, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokerKing

For my first attempt, I thought it turned out great. Next time I'll adjust the brine ingredients and back off the salt, add more black pepper, brown sugar and chili powder to tweak it a bit.

I ran the warm smoke to 180 degrees until the bacon hit 150 internal. Smoke permeated well.

The majority of people will adjust the salt down after their first batch, but that is the beauty of home curing. I'm with you on the black pepper. I use it during the cure, then re-apply after rinsing. Then mix up the aromatics from batch to batch.

I still do about a 1-hour rinse (it's an old habit that is hard to break), but I base my calculation on 1.5% salt. This is actually a 1.75% because there is some salt in the Cure #1, and I run my numbers longhand. If you are using an online calculator this is all factored in for you.

Don't be afraid to come off the 150° internal temp. Your bacon is technically fully cooked but the fat benefits from an easy frying. In the fall and winter I'll cold smoke in several sessions and my internal never gets above 55°.

SmokerKing · 09-16-2021, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirdeye

The majority of people will adjust the salt down after their first batch, but that is the beauty of home curing. I'm with you on the black pepper. I use it during the cure, then re-apply after rinsing. Then mix up the aromatics from batch to batch.

I still do about a 1-hour rinse (it's an old habit that is hard to break), but I base my calculation on 1.5% salt. This is actually a 1.75% because there is some salt in the Cure #1, and I run my numbers longhand. If you are using an online calculator this is all factored in for you.

Don't be afraid to come off the 150° internal temp. Your bacon is technically fully cooked but the fat benefits from an easy frying. In the fall and winter I'll cold smoke in several sessions and my internal never gets above 55°.

Good info!

yes, I will add some black pepper after the rinse next time.

Yeah, I thought about cold smoking it, but I don't have the time to babysit my smoker for 16-24 hours. Plus, here in AZ, my smoker is already at 115 before I even start a fire....

Bob C Cue · 09-16-2021, 03:22 PM

Very impressive-looking! Congratulations!

Titch · 09-16-2021, 03:34 PM

Looks good from here, great satisfaction

captndan · 09-16-2021, 03:56 PM

I've been using Third eyes sight and Lynn's bacon recipe for years. Always good never fails.

Big George's BBQ · 09-16-2021, 04:01 PM

Looks very good to me

rev0jace · 09-16-2021, 06:01 PM

Looks great.

My next batch I'm thinking of trying ancho chili powder

Learning to BBQ · 09-16-2021, 06:02 PM

The color on that bacon is perfect!

SmokerKing · 09-16-2021, 07:54 PM

thirdeye,
just before placing on the smoker, could I light sprinkle on some other seasonings just before I smoke, ie, chipotle powder, chili powder, etc,?

09-16-2021, 01:34 PM	#1
SmokerKing is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 09-07-10 Location: Sunny AZ	My First Bacon Attempt 8.50 lb. Costco Pork Belly, dry brined for 10 days, warm smoked with Rockwood, Hickory and Apple....
	1 members found this post helpful.

09-16-2021, 01:41 PM	#3
thirdeye somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-14-06 Location: At home on the range in Wyoming	Looks good, what are your initial thoughts? The formulation percentages are very straight forward and easy to tickle, but techniques can really vary with finish temps, blooming etc. __________________ ~thirdeye~ I Play With Fire and Smoke *Barbecuist ~ Charcuterist ~ KCBS Master Judge & CTC* Big Green Eggs, Big Drum Smokers, Big Chiefs, Weber Smokey Joe "Custom Tall Boy" Oil Patch Horizontal, SnS Deluxe Kettle Visit my Cookin' Site by clicking HERE Barbecue is not rocket surgery “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it's hard to verify their authenticity” ~ Abraham Lincoln

09-16-2021, 02:29 PM	#6
Smoke on Badger Mountain Babbling Farker Join Date: 06-20-15 Location: Badger, California Name/Nickname : Josh	Looks good! __________________ Josh 24"x52" Custom Offset, Black 22" Weber Kettle , Deep Ocean Blue 22' Weber Kettle, Camp Chef 2 burner w/ griddle. Char-Broil Table Top gas Grill, One very ugly drum, Nice drum coming soon. Instagram @lumberjacksmokestack [url]https://www.youtube.com/c/LumberjackSmokestack[/url]

09-16-2021, 03:22 PM	#9
Bob C Cue Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 05-16-14 Location: St. Louis, MO	Very impressive-looking! Congratulations! __________________ MAK 1Star Weber OTG Pit Barrel Cooker Thermapen Classic Thermoworks Smoke [I]Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast[/I].

09-16-2021, 03:34 PM	#10
Titch somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 11-17-12 Location: South East Victoria Australia Name/Nickname : Titch :-)	Looks good from here, great satisfaction __________________ Some people are like a Slinky-not really good for anything, but still , you can't help smiling when you shove them down the stairs.:becky:

09-16-2021, 01:40 PM	#2
Lomey is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 02-22-17 Location: Merriam, KS Name/Nickname : Mike	Looks great! I'm doing 9 lbs of Costco belly for bacon Saturday. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

09-16-2021, 03:56 PM	#11
captndan Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-29-11 Location: Greeneville TN	I've been using Third eyes sight and Lynn's bacon recipe for years. Always good never fails.

09-16-2021, 04:01 PM	#12
Big George's BBQ somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 02-07-08 Location: Framingham, MA Name/Nickname : George	Looks very good to me __________________ Large BIG Green EGG- Hatched 8/17/09 Backwoods Extented Party- sold Weber Genesis Gasser Mid Atlantic BBQ Association KCBS Back Porch BBQ Competition BBQ Team Proud Member of the Zero Club When all else fails ask yourself WWGALD

09-16-2021, 06:01 PM	#13
rev0jace On the road to being a farker Join Date: 03-28-10 Location: Saint John, IN Name/Nickname : J	Looks great. My next batch I'm thinking of trying ancho chili powder

09-16-2021, 06:02 PM	#14
Learning to BBQ is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 07-17-15 Location: Cobourg, ontario	The color on that bacon is perfect! __________________ George UDS, 22" Weber Original kettle, Weber Smokey Joe

09-16-2021, 07:54 PM	#15
SmokerKing is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 09-07-10 Location: Sunny AZ	thirdeye, just before placing on the smoker, could I light sprinkle on some other seasonings just before I smoke, ie, chipotle powder, chili powder, etc,?