First attempt at Smoking Bacon....but.....

[jhunter1102]

My wonderful wife gave me a large BGE for Christmas this year after only a few years of hints and nagging. I am absolutely loving the egg and am getting more and more comfortable with each success i have trying new recipes, but one of the things i was most excited about was smoking bacon on the egg, and it just did not come out quite right.

I picked up the curing salt needed for the brine and bought a copy of "Charcuterie" at the same time. I used the brine recipe from "Charcuterie" and let the porkbelly sit for a week, turning daily. Rinsed off all the brine and cut just a small piece off and fried it to test the salt content. I think the brining went well and the test piece was tasty, so i set the belly to rest on a rack uncovered in the fridge for 16 hours before getting the smoker setup.

I smoked the belly at just over 200 (had trouble getting the egg to settle right at or under 200) for about 3 hours using apple wood until the internal temp of the bacon was 150.

After pulling it off, i cut some slices right away, because i really couldnt wait to try it and they just werent quite right. I can taste the maple syrup from the cure, and for the most part there is a bacon flavour, but it did not get crispy while frying the way i hoped and there was almost a little roast pork taste rather than pure bacon.

I am concerned that i may have smoked it at too high a temp or for too long, or maybe it was something it did not do in the brining. Does anyone have any pro-tips that will produce bacon without that "roast pork" flavour that seems to have crept into my attempt?

Thanks in advance.

Jason

 

[Shagdog]

It is hard to get Home made bacon to crisp the way store bought does without getting burnt. It usually is a bit more on the chewy side, especially since you were hand cutting, I'm guessing it was a pretty thick slice.

I don't think it was your smoking either. I've certainly smoked my bacon just as you did before and never had an issue with an "off" flavor.. Makes me look more at the brine than anything else..

At this point, there's not a lot you can do. I usually think bacon will change its flavor and mellow a bit after smoking. I would let it be for a day and try it again.

Have you had home made bacon before? The flavor is definitely different from store bought, maybe its just not what you were expecting? I find it to be a much heartier and intense flavor than store bought. If you like the cure you did, but feel its just not enough "bacon" taste, try going from 7 to 9 or 10 days, see if that helps. Or just try a different cure. Maybe get a belly and cut it into smaller pieces and try a few recipes to see what you like?

 

[sbramm]

I use the charcuterie recipe for my bacon (substituting brown sugar for maple sugar) and add some garlic, bay leaves and black pepper. that is a great book!

like shag said, one thing I have found is that the bacon is better if you let it rest for a few days to a week after smoking. seems to let the smoke flavor mellow and permeate through the meat. another thing when I smoke on my drum, I make sure that I put in a diffuser so there is no direct heat on the slabs while smoking. my thought is the direct heat will cook the bacon and could add to the roast pork taste you are talking about.

keep at it! homemade bacon is the best!

 

[Fat Woody]

Was your bacon red after you fried it? If it turned grayish - like cooked pork - your cure was not finished and your bacon is fried pork. If not, it's something else, but I don't know what. I use the basic dry rub from Charcuterie to cure my bacon and tweak it with a little (OK a lot) of black pepper. Gives the bacon a really earthy deep flavor.

The only times I've had an issue with bacon burning was because I used too much sugar (or syrup, etc.) in the cure. Frying it longer over lower heat helps some if you use a sugary cure.

 

[jhunter1102]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies guys. I was concerned that it was the temp inside the smoker, but it sounds like i may have an issue with the cure. I will try giving the next batch a little more time. The colour of the bacon seems good, but it is not entirely red, and did turn a little grey when cooking. Sounds like another day or two in the brine may be the right solution.

Jason

 

[HarleyDiva]

I like the homemade bacon better baked, rather than fried. I actually put mine in a Nuwave oven to bake for 8-12 minutes, unless I am cooking a lot. For a larger amount, put into a cold oven set at 400...usually takes about 18-20 minutes.