Anyone cure their own bacon?

[Emerald]

__My urge to learn new stuff is kicking in again and this time it is zeroing in on making and smoking bacon at home. Anyone done this and is it as easy as some of the web sites make sound?
__And can you make it with any fatty cut of pork so that it is meatier? or would that make it some other kind of cured meat? All these questions and so little time:D.
__There is also a site that has the recipe for making and curing your own Canadian Bacon which is a personal favorite of mine-- sliced nice and thick with a poached egg on it and hollandaise sauce! all over a home made English muffin... Great now I am hungry!

[jeffinsgf]

Emerald,

I do. I make it with Boston Butt (pork shoulder). It is far meatier than belly bacon. You can use the same cure on tenderloin to make Canadian Bacon.

You can make your own cure, but for a nice shortcut that takes all the chemistry out of the equation, this is what I use: Buckboard Bacon Cure (http://shop.himtnjerky.com/online/product.php?productid=25&cat=252&page=1)

It comes with pretty good instructions, but This Site (http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/10/buckboard-bacon.html) has a really informative article that expands on the instructions nicely.

If you try it out, let me know. I'll be happy to help any way I can.

I'm patiently (HA!) waiting for one of my Brandywines to ripen so that I can make a BLT with the bacon I smoked a couple weeks ago.

[Emerald]

__:eek: that web site looks sooooo great! Now I want to go and get some nice fatty pork and make my own- lucky for me I know that the place that I get most of my meat at has most of the ingredients for curing meat too! My mom used to make the best venison dried sausages(salami maybe, I will have to ask her) and she got her pink salt/salt peter there plus they have many different boxed kits for curing stuff- so I will write the name down and check for it there.
__I love pastrami too and have heard of a fella near here that uses his smaller venison roasts to make it with! Deer pastrami! how yummy is that?
__I also ran across the "dizzy pig" site yesterday and then found that Cliff uses some of their products- it is a small world- to read about that site and then find Cliff talking about it here on the same day! Their Canadian Bacon recipe looks soooo yummy and pork loin is on sale around here most of the summer, since I can't cook one and have it turn our nice and yummy maybe I will make a CB with it!

__My new goal- to make bacon from scratch to go with the home made bread that I make and the home grown maters! Wouldn't that be a treat!
Thanks for the information Jeff!

[jeffinsgf]

If you can't find the Hi Mountain cure locally, they sell direct. Their service is first rate.

[Emerald]

I will keep that in mind when shopping for ingredients.

[redneckplanter]

when i was a bad lil redneck my dad cured my ''bacon'' a few times....lol

[tweed]

Em,

I highly recommend the book "Back To Basics" by Readers Digest.
It has just about every basic thing you need to know about self-reliance, from canning, to gardening, survival, alternative energy methods, etc.
There is a meat curing section in there that has smokehouse designs (including basic) and brine cures.
I've always wanted to try this.

Steve

[bluelacedredhead]

I cured a hunk of bacon from the last pig we slaughtered, but then my slicer broke and well, the bacon went bad. I never did get to try it. :(

And I agree with Jeff. The Buckboard site is probably the best I've seen for online instructions of meat curing.

[tweed]

I cured a hunk of bacon from the last pig we slaughtered, but then my slicer broke and well, the bacon went bad. I never did get to try it. :(

And I agree with Jeff. The Buckboard site is probably the best I've seen for online instructions of meat curing.

Gonna have to try that.
Thanks for the site, Jeff! :)

Steve

[jeffinsgf]

Steve,

Measure the cure, rub it on, put it in a big Ziploc in the refrigerator for ten days, soak for one day, smoke for 2 hours.

That's how complicated it is. :D

I gave it away for Christmas presents this year. I gave my barber 4 pounds and the whole shop (ten chairs) talks about it every time I get my hair cut.

[tweed]

Steve,

Measure the cure, rub it on, put it in a big Ziploc in the refrigerator for ten days, soak for one day, smoke for 2 hours.

That's how complicated it is. :D

I gave it away for Christmas presents this year. I gave my barber 4 pounds and the whole shop (ten chairs) talks about it every time I get my hair cut.

yer killin' me, Jeff! :D
My wifes favorite new thang is Apple Cured Bacon.
That stuff is awesome!

Steve

[Emerald]

yer killin' me, Jeff! :D
My wifes favorite new thang is Apple Cured Bacon.
That stuff is awesome!

Steve

Steve you must get her to tell us how to make it!! It sounds so yummy-- for my first try I going for peppered bacon! The Amish around here make it and it is sooooo expensive to buy in the cheese store they have but it is soooooo yummy. And the cheese store is soo far away, at least 40 minutes drive- and the flea market that they sell at is only on Thursday mornings. That is one of the reasons that I started making my own breads- the great loaves from the jaunt to the flea market only last a few days!:D

[tweed]

Steve you must get her to tell us how to make it!! It sounds so yummy-- for my first try I going for peppered bacon! The Amish around here make it and it is sooooo expensive to buy in the cheese store they have but it is soooooo yummy. And the cheese store is soo far away, at least 40 minutes drive- and the flea market that they sell at is only on Thursday mornings. That is one of the reasons that I started making my own breads- the great loaves from the jaunt to the flea market only last a few days!:D

I don't know how to tell you this, Em.............it's store bought! :eek:
Only one company (Gwaltney's) makes it.
Although Gwaltney's is a huge company, that bacon is hard to find.

Steve

[mjc]

Bah...you haven't made your own bacon until you've raised the pig first. After that, you could probably smoke it with an old tire and it would taste good...revenge is a dish best served, bbq'd.

[tweed]

Bah...you haven't made your own bacon until you've raised the pig first. After that, you could probably smoke it with an old tire and it would taste good...revenge is a dish best served, bbq'd.

I've been threatening to build a smokehouse.
Shoot, I have enough block to do the outside, easy.
Even have the perfect spot for it.
I don't raise animals though.
Would have to buy my meat from a butcher house.

Steve

[jeffinsgf]

Nothing magic about apple wood bacon. The curing is exactly the same. Just use apple wood when you smoke it. Usually any orchard will give you all the pruned branches you want. Cherry (wild or cultivated, either one) is great as well, but I'm a traditionalist and pretty much stick to hickory.

Pepper bacon is simple, too. Once it's cured and rinsed you coat liberally with coarse cracked black peppercorns. Smoke as normal.

Em, What sort of cooker do you have to smoke your bacon in?

[jeffinsgf]

Tweed, unless you're intent on doing hams, a smokehouse really isn't necessary. An offset barrel smoker or a ceramic grill (Big Green Egg or copy) will do bacon as well or better than a smokehouse.

Hams are cold smoked. Some sausage is cold smoked. Bacon can be, but I prefer warm smoked.

You just need to be able to hold the temperature to 200 degrees or less for 2 to 3 hours.

Heck, if you have two Eggs, you can even cold smoke. You duct the smoke from one into the other, where there's no fire. You can hold the temps anywhere in the 100 to 160 range.

[lreef]

Ok jeff no yelling :) ......isn't there a way to turn a gas grill into sort of a smoker?? the grill was not my idea i wanted a real one gas grills are a joke. i seem to remember a way to put the chips in the bottom and then put a pan of water over the burner i believe. i'm going blank on it but i know i've seen it somewhere.

[tweed]

Tweed, unless you're intent on doing hams, a smokehouse really isn't necessary. An offset barrel smoker or a ceramic grill (Big Green Egg or copy) will do bacon as well or better than a smokehouse.

Hams are cold smoked. Some sausage is cold smoked. Bacon can be, but I prefer warm smoked.

You just need to be able to hold the temperature to 200 degrees or less for 2 to 3 hours.

Heck, if you have two Eggs, you can even cold smoke. You duct the smoke from one into the other, where there's no fire. You can hold the temps anywhere in the 100 to 160 range.

Wow, so I can cold smoke after brine curing, for long term storage?

Steve

[jeffinsgf]

lreef,

You can buy one of the fancy little boxes or just wrap some sapling chips in heavy duty aluminum foil. That will work to add smoke to a steak or chop, but most gas grills won't hold low temperatures well enough to smoke bacon. You just can't keep them under about 300. They don't have sufficient insulation and then when you turn the fire down enough to get down to 200, it blows out.

[lreef]

cool jeff you just gave me an excuse to buy a real grill :).

[jeffinsgf]

Wow, so I can cold smoke after brine curing, for long term storage?

Steve

How do you think your great-great grandpa did it? "Long term storage" is a tricky term. There's nothing magic that Hormel (or any other food giant) does to a ham to make it last a long time. Salt, smoke and careful storage will do it. That said, I store my home cured bacon in the refrigerator -- but then, so does Hormel. I haven't done a ham, but when I do, I won't have to worry too much about long term storage, 'cause I'm gonna eat it. :D

[jeffinsgf]

cool jeff you just gave me an excuse to buy a real grill :).

Come to This event (http://www.outdoorhome.com/eggfest.asp) in Springfield and us Eggheads will teach you all about it.

[Cliff Timmons]

Come to This event (http://www.outdoorhome.com/eggfest.asp) in Springfield and us Eggheads will teach you all about it.

The last page!!!
I'm Famous!!!!

[jeffinsgf]

Guess I oughta get signed up, huh?

[Emerald]

__I just have one of those big red -put the wood chips in the bottom wrapped in tin on the electric element and the water in the middle and then the two wire racks type ones- but if it turns out I might think about making a small smoke house- heck if I had been thinking right I could have put the earth oven in a more open spot, put a chimney on it (I could still put a chimney on it as there is still that last layer to go yet) and then funnel the smoke from the oven to the smoke house, but I would have to dig up and move a bit of garden to do it right now:( That is what I get for putting that Earth oven right in the back patio so it would be easier for me to use!
__I have had two of those red smokers tho- I just totally killed the first one by using it to death- my very favorite thing that I ever smoked- the fresh whole salmon that I got from a friend that fishes in Lake Michigan- lightly brined and smoked whole- I could eat that for weeks without getting sick of it.- But it just does not freeze that well for that long, so it tends to be a feast and famine dish! The smoked game hens are good too.

[jeffinsgf]

Emerald,

That electric smoker should work just fine for bacon.

Got pictures of your earth oven?

[Emerald]

Emerald,

That electric smoker should work just fine for bacon.

Got pictures of your earth oven?

Just look down in Off Topic and there is a whole thread on how I built it from start to well almost finish- right now it is more of a pizza oven than a bread oven, but once that second layer gets put on it will be a full fledged baking Earth oven.

[tweed]

How do you think your great-great grandpa did it? "Long term storage" is a tricky term. There's nothing magic that Hormel (or any other food giant) does to a ham to make it last a long time. Salt, smoke and careful storage will do it. That said, I store my home cured bacon in the refrigerator -- but then, so does Hormel. I haven't done a ham, but when I do, I won't have to worry too much about long term storage, 'cause I'm gonna eat it. :D

LOL
Thanks.
This is an area I need to study on more.
I was of the understanding that even after brine curing that you had to smoke the meat for a long period of time.

Steve

[lreef]

oh cliffie you might just see me there too!! that's only about 3 hours from my house!!

[Emerald]

The last page!!!
I'm Famous!!!!

Cliff you should totally put up a thread on your cooking adventures with the Big Green Egg- I had never even heard of one before you mentioned it. And yes you're famous! Your name and your better half's name were right up there in print! :D Do you use sausage gravy as your pizza sauce? or do you use a nice yellow cheese sauce? I love making breakfast pizza. It is so filling and yummy.

[Emerald]

Whoo Hoo! The market had the Hi Mountain's Buckboard Bacon cure and it was only $5.09 a box- that is way cheaper than even going online it was $6.33 online plus shipping. SCORE!:D And since I had to wait for them to cut a pork butt for me I got it for only $1.79lb! So I will be doing some brining this afternoon.:D

[jeffinsgf]

Great going, Em!

Did you have the butcher bone it, or are you doing it yourself? If you got it boned for a $1.79, you scored! Where the bone comes out, you end up with one big piece and a smaller piece joined on one side. Once it is smoked, I cut the small piece free and use it for cubed pieces for cooking. The large piece gets sliced across the grain for frying. One time I the finished bacon back to the butcher to have it sliced on the machine, which was great. When I slice by hand I can get it kinda uniform, but only kinda.

The rinse portion of the Hi Mountain instructions is where I think they're way off. They talk about a couple hours. I do mine at least overnight. I did the first one for about 8 hours and it was on the verge of too salty. Now I do it for about 24 hours and change the water twice.

But, you won't have to worry about any of that for 10 days. Turn it and massage it in 5.

[Emerald]

I didn't think to have them de-bone it but I have great knives and have worked in the kitchen for years so I am not too worried about deboning the roast- I did have him leave the nice layer of fat on tho- I love using the rendered grease from regular bacon for cooking and I figured that I could just render out the fat if it is too thick.
__ Do you ever add other ingredients to the first brine/curing part? I was thinking of just putting a bit of nice fresh ground black pepper in with the cure and then after soaking adding a nice layer of cracked black pepper when smoking. We also just lost a huge limb from my old apple tree and since I really don't spray that tree ever, just a bit of surround on a different limb I think that it would do great for smoking the butt. Another site recommended that after you figure out how to do this the first time then you can start adding a few different things like a bit of apple juice to the brine/cure step. Well I am just about to go and start deboning and then putting it in a light vacuumed bag like the Hi Mountain's site recommended. Wish me luck all! And if I remember I will try to take pictures of each step.

[jeffinsgf]

Em,

I have not tweaked the cure part, but I don't see any reason not to.

[lalbers]

Ok, just tuned into this thread, and come fall when the locals are selling their pigs, I'm gonna get one and try doing my own bacon. We used to get a butchered and packaged pig from a local rancher, and he made THE BEST bacon and chorizo, but he's not doing it any more. Heck, I cut up the elk that hubby gets every year, a pig can't be that much harder. Which brings me to my request. Em, you said your mom made the best venison dry sausage or salami- can you or anyone else get me a good recipie? I tried it with elk this year, and it turned out ok, but I need to do alot of tweaking. I don't think I dried it enough, even tho the internal temp said ok, so ended up freezing it so it wouldn't spoil, taste was ok, texture needs some working on. I'll bet alot of people on this forum will give me some good advice. I have a small slicer that I use for jerkey (toot my own horn- I make great jerkey), and a small grinder. Also, any good chorizo recipies? Most of the stuff in the stores around here are awful

[Emerald]

Here is what the cure looks like- I did add a nice heaping tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper to it.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/phonepicturesjuly11pizzaandbacon009.jpg

Here is the Boston butt with the bone in- just look at that nice fat on there!
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/phonepicturesjuly11pizzaandbacon010.jpg

Here is the bone and the roast after I cut the bone out-- that bone was bigger than it looked in the meat.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/phonepicturesjuly11pizzaandbacon011.jpg

[Emerald]

Here is the butt with the cure all rubbed on, and it started pulling out the moisture almost immediately.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/phonepicturesjuly11pizzaandbacon012.jpg

Now I played it safe and put a double seal on the foodsaver bag.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/phonepicturesjuly11pizzaandbacon013.jpg

All sealed up with a bit of room to spare in the bag, and ready for it's long 10 day sleep in the fridge.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/phonepicturesjuly11pizzaandbacon014.jpg

Look at all of those nice spices floating in there! I can't wait!
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/phonepicturesjuly11pizzaandbacon015.jpg

When I finish it I will put up some pictures of all the stages.

[jeffinsgf]

Steve,

I missed a couple of messages in this thread, including yours regarding length of smoking.

I don't know a lot about smoking ham, and only a little about smoking bacon. When I make Buckboard bacon, I smoke it to an internal temperature of 140º, in a smoker that I keep right around 200º. For an 8 pound Boston butt, that takes 2-1/2 to 3 hours. I don't know nor will I seek to learn how long bacon made like this would last without refrigeration (until the grid fails, and then I guess I will have to face it). Cold smoking is a different animal. That's how some hams are done. Once brined, the ham is held in a vessel where the smoke passes through, but little of the heat from the fire transfers. Most commercial ham today, even most of the very best, may be partially cold smoked, but if the label says, "Fully Cooked" (and most do) it has been raised to an internal temperature 160º for a set period of time. That can't be done at cold smoking temps.

If I ever get a root cellar built and/or run out of freezer and refrigerator space, I may dig deeper into brining and smoking for preservation. Till then, I'll just do it 'cause it's a lot cheaper and a lot better.

[older than dirt]

How do you think your great-great grandpa did it? "Long term storage" is a tricky term. There's nothing magic that Hormel (or any other food giant) does to a ham to make it last a long time. Salt, smoke and careful storage will do it. That said, I store my home cured bacon in the refrigerator -- but then, so does Hormel. I haven't done a ham, but when I do, I won't have to worry too much about long term storage, 'cause I'm gonna eat it. :D



For long term storage one other thing. Reduced moisture. The smoke needs to be cool enough your not cooking the meat & it needs to be smoked long enough to reduce the moisture( dryed kinda) Look at the country cured ham & see what I'm saying. We are talking days not hrs to cool smoke for long trem storage.
I do it pretty much like Jeff does . I cure it for taste & store it in the refegerator. Most years I buy a hog alive butcher it & cure frount sholders & bacon . Allso cure every deer hind leg I can get my hands on ( corned deer leg is best food on earth :D)

[jeffinsgf]

... Allso cure every deer hind leg I can get my hands on ( corned deer leg is best food on earth :D)

Man, that sounds good, but I just cannot get the wife to eat venison.

Brining is an interesting technique that isn't all that hard, you just have to dig out the information, which these days is incredibly easy.

If you like state fair or renaissance festival turkey legs, the key to those is brining, too.

[Emerald]

I just found a whole article about curing "porkless hams" in MEN- and it was on the website too.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1975-11-01/Cure-Porkless-Hams.aspx
I might have to try this!

Plus I was going to ask my Mom for her venison summer sausage but shes not feeling real well after her trip to the UP so I think that I will let her rest before hounding her for recipes.:D

[Imp]

Cold smoking is so great for flavors!

Wright's Bacon in Vernon, Texas, makes some jalapeno bacon sometimes, and it is soooo good. Can't hardly buy it as it sells out almost before they can make it.

Not hot, but has that jalapeno pepper taste along with te mesquite smoking - man that makes the best BLT's.

They make a mash of the peppers and use it as a soak/brine, adding the extra step after the realing cure is done- it's just the peppers, seeded and pureed, smeared thickly on the meat, then kept cool for at least 2 days ( fridge) and then rinsed out as normal and smoked.

[Imp]

Anyone ever have guanciale?? It's sublime, really it is!

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/the_art_of_the_cure.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanciale

another good starting page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcuterie

[ovenbird]

I can't remember the name of the company, but some awesome stupendous people in Texas are curing and smoking wild boar bacon. Every boar they smoke is one less tearing up the fields in Texas and Louisianna. More power to THEM!

[jeffinsgf]

I don't mind them thinning out feral pigs, but in some fancy restaurant a couple years ago I was served some "wild boar bacon", which taught me quite directly why we castrate our livestock that are headed for slaughter. Yuck. Tasted like sweatsocks.

[Emerald]

Jeff, you mentioned that your first try at making the Hi Mountain buckboard bacon was too salty and recommended that it be soaked more than the instructions. I've been surfing and reading all different sites about curing and such and several of them recommend only leaving the bacon/buckboard bacon and Canadian bacon in the brine/cure for 2 days for each pound of meat. I wonder if it would have made a difference in the saltiness of the bacon. But then I thought you said that you make them in 8lb chunks of meat and that would mean that it would have to be cured for 16 days- I think that this, for me at least, is a case of "Stop reading already" and making it harder than it really should be.
So have you ever shortened the brining time or curing time?

[jeffinsgf]

Em,

The "Playing with Fire & Smoke" blogspot page that I linked in the first reply has been my "go to" guide. Wayne goes more by thickness than weight. 10 days for a thick shoulder, 8 days for a thinner shoulder, 6 days for a loin or 5 days for a tenderloin.

On the rinse, Hi Mountain says 2 or 3 hours, Wayne says 6 or 8. To be perfectly honest, the third time I did it, I put the shoulder in the rinse and forgot about it until the next day. It turned out to be our favorite and was salty enough to satisfy us, so now I do an overnight rinse.

[Emerald]

Em,

The "Playing with Fire & Smoke" blogspot page that I linked in the first reply has been my "go to" guide. Wayne goes more by thickness than weight. 10 days for a thick shoulder, 8 days for a thinner shoulder, 6 days for a loin or 5 days for a tenderloin.

On the rinse, Hi Mountain says 2 or 3 hours, Wayne says 6 or 8. To be perfectly honest, the third time I did it, I put the shoulder in the rinse and forgot about it until the next day. It turned out to be our favorite and was salty enough to satisfy us, so now I do an overnight rinse.

Just in case I haven't said it yet--Thanks Jeff for answering all my questions:D- I tend to over read and study stuff before I try and then afterwords I sit and wondered why I worried so much. I tend to love super salty stuff like that little glass jar of beef that is dried- it totally grosses out most of my family, so I do try to not salt stuff at all while cooking and then I can salt my portions the way I like.
Plus I hope that it doesn't hurt it that I look at it everyday and flip it over. The meat has already started to feel firmer- that surprised me as after I boned the roast it was a bit squishy.
I have two small venison roasts from the deer a friend got for me last year and I was thinking that I might get one out of the freezer and try that with the Hi Mountain cure and see if I like it. I know that curing and smoking a meat that has been frozen doesn't always make for the best product,(all the reading suggests that it is not a flavor thing but a texture thing, not a fine/firm grain on the final product) but it will let me know if I like the flavor without ruining a big roast.
That poor deer- laying next to the rest of the deer at the butcher's it looked like a great dane not a deer! But so tender and yummy.

[jeffinsgf]

Just in case I haven't said it yet--Thanks Jeff for answering all my questions:D- ....

Em,

It is my pleasure. I like spreading the word about curing and smoking. It is so much easier than folks think it is. Funny thing is, I brought it up in some thread a couple weeks ago (where it was a least a little bit on topic :rolleyes: ) and no one asked a single question. lol

I'm about 20 hours from my first BBLT sandwich (Buckboard Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato) with a Cuor di Bue from the garden and home cured bacon.

[lreef]

That's great Jeff because I'm about three hours from your house you'll PM me directions so I can bring the mayo right!! I think this has been a great topic I've learned a lot and now I know I want an Egg from Santa.

[jeffinsgf]

LReef,

Lunch is at noon. If I don't see you tomorrow, I'll see you at the Eggfest in September. Be there early, I'm going to serve Buckboard Bacon Biscuits when they open the gate until they're gone.

[Emerald]

LOL and I thought I loved bacon!
http://bacontarian.com/?m=200502
The link is to the very first page and you have to at least read why they started the blog- but the whole 4 year's worth of bacon blog is a hoot!:D

[Emerald]

Anyone ever have guanciale?? It's sublime, really it is!

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/how_to/the_art_of_the_cure.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanciale

another good starting page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcuterie

Gee Imp I must have missed this the first time thru! But I have had it, and haven't had it for a long time- there is nothing like pig jowl bacon for cooking into a great pasta! The Italian couple that I used to work for made their own and while I can't remember the name of the pasta dish made with it, it was heaven!:D

[Emerald]

Ok you good folks, here is another silly question! :D
I was looking at my little collection of wood chips and chunks that I use for smoking and noticed that they don't seem to have any bark on them- I want to cut up and use some of the apple wood from the big branch that broke from my tree a few weeks ago and thought- Do I have to take the bark off the wood before I use it in my smoker or do you use the bark too?

[jeffinsgf]

Sapling bark, particularly from fresh cut wood make wonderful smoke. I split off old gnarly trunk bark, but not young bark.

EDITED TO ADD:

You don't see bark in commercially processed wood because it harbors insects.

[Emerald]

Thanks again Jeff- this branch has some gnarly old bark on it, so I might have to get the big machete out and trim it down a bit, before using but I do know that green wood is great for smoking- I guess I was destined to make applewood smoked buttbacon!:D

[jeffinsgf]

Em,

If the branch that broke was a good leafy branch, use the stuff out toward the leaves -- the stuff about an inch in diameter down to half inch. That's my favorite. Split and stack the bigger stuff for your earth oven.

[Emerald]

Em,

If the branch that broke was a good leafy branch, use the stuff out toward the leaves -- the stuff about an inch in diameter down to half inch. That's my favorite. Split and stack the bigger stuff for your earth oven.

It was a good branch, and I can use my loppers to cut them and not have to crank up the chainsaw! whoo hoo less work for me- now to make sure that the baby skunks have vacated the shed and find and clean my smoker and I will be all set!

By the way, how long do you think smoked bacon will last in the freezer? I will be vacuum packing it - that is if there is any left!:D

You posted that you give it for gifts, is it well received by your family and friends? I know that most of my family love getting home made stuff like the jams and home made hats and scarfs and all but I do have a few that are a bit stuffy and think that home made stuff is a tacky gift. My mom loves bacon but she is a bit of a diet heavy person and while she has lost weight she obsesses a bit, and I was thinking that butt bacon or buckboard bacon has a lot less fat she might enjoy it more and not stress that "bacon is bad". I would think that it would have the about the same nutrition guide as just Boston butt roast with maybe a bit of bbq sauce- I know that she will probably ask about it so she can calculate it on her little Weight Watchers thing for points. :D

Gee, I am the gal of neverending questions this week!:o

[jeffinsgf]

My in-laws ask me to bring some every time we visit (that and jerky, which I'm pretty good at, too). I gave some to my barber who shared it with the rest of the guys in the shop, and it's all anyone talks about when I get a hair cut --- still.

[axhandle]

Wish I could , my last encounter was south of Nashville, where they smoked 20,000 lbs. of meat a year. Amazing.
Ax

[lalbers]

Aaugh, you guys are killing me- I'm gonna have to try my own bacon- And Em and OTD, recipies for venison salami and corned venison hind leg? Can't do em till fall or winter, but still.....

[Emerald]

Aaugh, you guys are killing me- I'm gonna have to try my own bacon- And Em and OTD, recipies for venison salami and corned venison hind leg? Can't do em till fall or winter, but still.....

My mom said that she would try and look for the recipes but is not really sure where they might be. But I will be trying the venison ham soon- I just read a whole thread on another site that was saying that thawing out frozen meat and curing it was not a big deal, you just want to do the thawing in the fridge so that your meat is still as fresh as can be and is kept really cold until you put the cure on and if the meat is still a bit icy in the middle then that is ok to put the cure on as the cure will work it's way down to the middle slowly and it should be thawed out by the time the cure hits the middle- they just mentioned that you don't want to cure old meat, as it just does not do that well.

[jeffinsgf]

Had our first Buckboard Bacon BLT's last night for supper. Oh baby, they were good.

Bacon frying up.

http://idigmygarden.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=261&pictureid=2673

Ready to assemble. The tomato is a Cuor di Bue. Very nice flavor, nice balance of meat and juice.

http://idigmygarden.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=261&pictureid=2674

[Emerald]

OH MY! Did ya hear my tummy rumble? That looks soooooo yummy I want to lick the monitor!:eek::D

[lalbers]

Jeff, that is just mean. Cyber teasing isn't a crime yet, but it should merit at least a midnight garden raid- if only you weren't so far away......

[jeffinsgf]

Hey, I'm a lot closer to you than some of the other gardens you rabble have threatened! :eek:

Cute quote in your sig line. What's that from? Seems familiar. Huck Finn??

[lalbers]

Yer just lucky the drop top caddy is in for repairs.... Yep, it's huck finn. Always loved that last sentence.

[jeffinsgf]

Hey, trade that Caddy in on a Bonneville.

(If you haven't seen the Cathy Bates movie, look into it for your next rental).

[lalbers]

I don't think hubby'd like to trade it- it's the longest production car ever made,- it's longer than our 79 ford extended cab long bed truck.... when you go over a steep hill, the hood is so long, you can't see the road. She's red, white interior and top- and she moves- remember the song hot rod lincoln?

[jeffinsgf]

Oh, see I thought it was a mythical Caddy. You still need to see Bonneville -- your planned garden raids brought it to mind immediately. And, if you're a drop top Cadillac fan, you should also rent an old Clint Eastwood film called Thunderbolt & Lightfoot.

[jpsmithny]

does anyone know if th erecipes include saltpeter?

[lalbers]

Oh you'll think she's mythical when we come rumbling up your driveway with a bunch of other idiggers! um- driving directions??

[jeffinsgf]

From Springfield east on 60 to Highway 5. 5 south ---- oh, wait, those are the directions to Brian's place in Ava. ;)

[Emerald]

It just depends on what you know as salt peter- what is used in most foods now is not what they used back when my mom cured things. Sodium nitrates have been replaced with sodium nitrites. The Buckboard Bacon Cure from Hi Mountain's does contain sodium nitrite but it is much less than the store brand bacon and ham. Now with some of the reading that I have been doing you can cure meats without it but the meats will be a grey color and not the pink that most of us know as bacon and ham.
sodium nitrite can be purchased mixed with regular salt and it is a pink color and is called Pink salt- not to be confused with Himalayan pink salt which is just a mineral salt(the same with Hawaiian pink salt). Just do a bit of a search for pink salt/curing salts and you will end up with pages of sites about it.:)

[jeffinsgf]

Em,

Is that what is in Morton TenderQuick? I used some of that to brine some turkey legs. Morton has a pretty good website on salt preservation, if the bag is to be believed.

[jpsmithny]

Em,

Is that what is in Morton TenderQuick? I used some of that to brine some turkey legs. Morton has a pretty good website on salt preservation, if the bag is to be believed.

I was just on that site and it looks like they know what they are talking about.

I just saw some of the "pink" salt in the food store the other day. I'll have to go back and check the package.

I have a recipe for home brined pork but it doesn't give any instructions for smoking.

It includes juniper berries and allspice in the recipe as well as sugar and kosher salt.
I trust this particular book as it has the best recipe for pastrami.


Hmm...might have to make some pastrami now.

[Emerald]

I was under the impression that the sodium nitrate was not used anymore but here is the ingredient list for the mortons cures.

Morton® Tender Quick® contains salt, sugar, propylene glycol, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite.

Morton® Sugar Cure® (Plain) contains salt, sugar, propylene glycol, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, spice extractives and dextrose.

And the site gives reference to the Morton home curing guide and that you can buy it, But I just found it the other day and it is in the Archives at Mother Earth News. Just go to the MEN site and put in Morton home curing guide and all three installments should come up. Along with a few other articles on curing meats.

I can buy the tender quick at my local Meijer store and it is only about $3.50 for the bag- and I love the turkey legs that you get at the Renaissance fair! So if that is what is used to make them so yummy I might have to go and buy some and brine some legs and smoke them up too!

I have the venison roast thawing in the fridge right now and will probably put some cure on it tomorrow and then back into the vacuum pack for a few days cure and since the smoker is going to be out- I will be making some Venison "Ham"- maybe I will look up the combo of spices and pepper that they put on pastrami and see if I can make a venison version.

[jeffinsgf]

Em,

Spend some time on the "Playing with Fire & Smoke" link in my first reply. He has step-by-step instructions on pastrami and turkey legs. He probably has something on venison, too, but I haven't read it since I can't get Nancy to try it.

[Emerald]

I would love to figure out how to make a nice hot capicola from venison someday- it is just basically a loin ham/bacon that has a hot pepper and spice rub on the outside and it usually is a dry cure that has to hang for a few months- I wonder where the heck I could find a good place to hang meat in the house?:confused:
I have been reading that site! and the one recommended by Cliff- The dizzy pig. I just can't wait to smoke and eat that BBB!:D

ETA: I have a Grandma who swears she never will eat venison and can tell if anything is made with it-- well needless to say- My Mother and I have made meatballs and meatloaf and a venison pulled roast with bbq sauce that she just loved!;) We did put some beef and pork in with the meatballs and meatloaf, but as far as we know, she still has no clue that we fed her venison.

[jpsmithny]

I would love to figure out how to make a nice hot capicola from venison someday- it is just basically a loin ham/bacon that has a hot pepper and spice rub on the outside and it usually is a dry cure that has to hang for a few months- I wonder where the heck I could find a good place to hang meat in the house?:confused:
I have been reading that site! and the one recommended by Cliff- The dizzy pig. I just can't wait to smoke and eat that BBB!:D



ETA: I have a Grandma who swears she never will eat venison and can tell if anything is made with it-- well needless to say- My Mother and I have made meatballs and meatloaf and a venison pulled roast with bbq sauce that she just loved!;) We did put some beef and pork in with the meatballs and meatloaf, but as far as we know, she still has no clue that we fed her venison.

I used to hang the pastrami over the kitchen sink...lol. Dogs loved me when I did that. Seriously, a covered porch is good but you have to keep the varmints away.

[Emerald]

I have cats so I would have to have a very secure place to hang any kind of meat!
I just got done with curing a small roast from the little deer that we got last year and it is only about 2lbs so I feel safe using it- I would have hated to make it with a huge roast and then find out that I don't care for it this way.
I put 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper into the cure.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/curingvenison002.jpg


Then I put it all over the little roast -picture of roast before I put the cure on.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/curingvenison001.jpg

Here it is already for the long 8 to 10 day wait, when I go to smoke it I will probably add more cracked black pepper on the outside, maybe even some nice fresh garlic, chopped up fine.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/curingvenison003.jpg

I will be trying to smoke that buckboard bacon tomorrow- I went and cut up a nice bunch of the smaller apple branches and have the smoker cleaned and tested to make sure that the element was still working, we have misplaced the water pan but one of my cheap stainless bowls for cooking will fit in there to hold the water and keep the heat level. So more pictures then!

[herb girl]

Wow, an amazing thread! I will use it to help further inspire Hubs to get working on that smoker he's been wanting to build.

I was thinking about how Pa, in little house on the prairie (book not movie), smoked his pork in a hollowed out tree. There's actually a pretty detailed description of how they did it.

Thanks for that great site!

[herb girl]

BTW Em, you really should consider opening a restaurant!

[virraszto]

I have not cured my own bacon yet,---it's something I would love to do sometime in the future. Seems like there's not enough hours in the day for all the things I want to do.

I do have a smoker that I used a lot last year. I made my own smoked kolbasz and I want to do it again this winter.

I use a lot of ground pork, so I frequently buy butts and/or shoulders and grind it up myself. I've made my own sausage before. It was pretty good. ;)

One question I would like to know is after you've cured your bacon, how long is it good for? I know you can only freeze smoked stuff for a couple of months. How long does it last in the fridge?

As far as bacon goes, I'm the only bacon eater in the house. ( I know,-- who doesn't like bacon?--- freaks, I tell ya!)

[jeffinsgf]

...
One question I would like to know is after you've cured your bacon, how long is it good for? I know you can only freeze smoked stuff for a couple of months. How long does it last in the fridge?

As far as bacon goes, I'm the only bacon eater in the house. ( I know,-- who doesn't like bacon?--- freaks, I tell ya!)

I just got a grinder attachment for my mixer, and some sausage making is in my immediate future. I'd love to hear more about your kolbasz.

As for bacon life, I'm not sure. It never makes it more than about 6 weeks at our house before it's gone!

[Dramaqueen]

I have been wanting to know this for eons. Ok, I have saltpeter is this all I need to make the bacon? Or is this for a ham?

[Emerald]

I have been wanting to know this for eons. Ok, I have saltpeter is this all I need to make the bacon? Or is this for a ham?

I bookmarked this site as I do want to make the bacon from the belly like the stuff in the stores. But Better!:D
http://www.imafoodblog.com/index.php/2009/02/25/how-to-cure-and-smoke-bacon
Right now I am making bacon from a Boston Butt that was on sale for $1.79 pound I had the butcher leave the nice big fat layer on as I can render it down after curing and smoking for cooking fats. I did bone it myself. It is soaking in cold rinse water right now and in about an hour I will pull it out and do another taste test.(I just cut a small piece off and fried it in a pan and it is just a touch too salty but not bad- the flavor was great as is- almost pancetta like, it only needed a bit more cracked pepper. After the soak I will put some more cracked pepper on the outside and let it dry over and hopefully in a few hours it will be in the smoker with the little applewood chips that I made yesterday afternoon! Then Saturday morning-- fresh bacon and eggs! Why I might even get my hinney around and make some bread too!

[Emerald]

ACK! Jeff! I know that I have to soak the dry wood chips for smoking that I buy from the store, but if the meat is ready later today to smoke, do I have to soak the green apple wood (in water)for smoking? Most of what I have been trying to read about smoking generally deals with store bought wood- I was thinking that green wood is wet enuf so that I would not have to soak it, but the worry wart in me says-"you better ask!:eek:".

[jeffinsgf]

You only cut the limb down a couple weeks ago, right? Should still be plenty green. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Emerald]

You only cut the limb down a couple weeks ago, right? Should still be plenty green. I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks Jeff- and great timing! I just started the smoker to heat up and was just getting ready to make the foil packets of wood! I have the kettle started to put hot boiling water in the water bowl of the smoker so they are getting ready to go!
I did do a final taste test(it reminds me of a great salted pork- very yummy!) and ended up cutting the whole roast into two pieces due to the fact that when deboning I must have cut a bit too deep and it kinda split naturally into two almost equal parts! They have been drying for most of the day and while they could benefit from drying all night- I CAN'T WAIT!:D so they are going on the smoke in about a 1/2 hour from now! I am going out right now to bundle the apple wood into the foil. Pictures are coming!

[Emerald]

I have been wanting to know this for eons. Ok, I have saltpeter is this all I need to make the bacon? Or is this for a ham?

Oh poo! I didn't even answer your question did I!? You sure can use the saltpeter in making bacon- just look around and check to see how much per pound you need to use in your cure mix. I know that there are many different charts on how much to use per pound so I would check out the link that Jeff gave in his first post back on page one- I am pretty sure that it had a chart on it for giving amounts, not only in U.S. measurements but in EU measurements too.

[jeffinsgf]

Well, Emerald, we've been waiting! How'd it turn out?

[Emerald]

Well, Emerald, we've been waiting! How'd it turn out?

Even tho the smoking didn't quite work out like normal (small fire problem) it did turn out very yummy! I have pictures and all but have been quite busy and haven't got them all on the computer yet. But I will probably never be able to go back to store bacon ever again!

[Emerald]

OK! I finally got the pictures all loaded and have the time to put it all up!
This first picture is of the meat soaking in water to get rid of some of the salt- I found that if I let it soak for an hour and poured the water off and then soaked for another hour and poured off the water and one more hour long soak, the meat tasted just right. I did take a bit of meat off the slab and fry it to taste for saltiness, and while it was good just like that I like smoke in my bacon!

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay003.jpg

Here are two pictures of the slab- I decided to cut it into two pieces as the bone was right in the middle. I have also added the nice ground black pepper- I ground up/cracked (I like it not so fine so it is more like cracked pepper) about 2 tablespoons to put on the outside of the pieces, I had read in several different blogs/websites that most people didn't put enuf pepper on and would use more than you would think. In the end I think that they are right, while it looked like a lot of pepper, the flavor was not that strong in the meat- only on the end pieces.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay004.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay005.jpg

They were put into the fridge with a small fan that I have and I let them set so they could form that skin (pellicul [sp]) and be ready for smoking- I didn't let them set overnight like I should have- I just couldn't wait!

Here is my smoker- just a cheap rip-off of the red bullet, but it gets the job done.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay007.jpg

Here is the first packet of apple wood twigs from my poor broken branch, I had made up two packets for the smoking.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay008.jpg

[Emerald]

I always put hot water from the kettle in the smoker, that way it doesn't take that long to heat up. Gee, you don't notice how yucky the inside looks until ya see it in a picture- I scrubbed it down a bit after the smoking was done.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay009.jpg

Ok two pictures of the meat on the smoker getting ready for the smoke!

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay010.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay011.jpg

Ok now here is the goof up part- Right after I loaded the smoker and got things rolling, my daughter asked us to take care of the Grandbaby for the evening- no biggie I said. Forgot about the smoker and how ya have to check it every so often- peeked out and saw that it had stopped smoking and I put another bigger packet of apple wood on, about 10 minutes later the son goes "hey mom what's up with the billows of smoke coming from the smoker?" I run out and the wood had burst into flame, the water was boiling in the water/drip pan and half the neighborhood probably thought the house was on fire! I think that next time I will soak the wood, even tho it is still green and sticky. So instead of a nice slow smoke- the meat got to temp in under 2 1/2 hours!

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay012.jpg

I was quite bummed. If I had been out there I could have taken the whole thing off the burner and cooled it down. I saw that it looked like quite a bit of the fat was in the water pan and I figured that it was probably not going to be alright.
But we put it in the fridge and crossed our fingers. The next day I got it out and started slicing and to my surprise it didn't look too bad and it cooked up great.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay013.jpg

[Emerald]

The other end of the first one that I cut into looked more like a nice odd shaped Canadian bacon. (The picture is a bit blurry.)

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay014.jpg

I oven cook all my bacon so that the spattering grease doesn't burn me any longer and the slices don't curl all up.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay016.jpg

You can see in this picture the way the meat was fattier on one end and then tapered into more meat on the other.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay017.jpg

All cooked up and yummy smelling! I was totally surprised that there was not that much fat in the baking dish- but I did drain and strain it into a jar for cooking with, I mean, what doesn't taste better fried in bacon fat?

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay018.jpg

Last but not least- the first bacon, egg, cheese bagel sandwich! I can not even begin to say how good that sandwich was!

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb1/emeraldwitch_2007/bacon-wedding-bensplay019.jpg

[erdrasher]

AMAZING!

Thanks for yet another great tutorial Emerald. (clapping clapping)

Watching you makes me brave enough to experiment on my own.:D:D

[Emerald]

AMAZING!

Thanks for yet another great tutorial Emerald. (clapping clapping)

Watching you makes me brave enough to experiment on my own.:D:D

Thanks- helps me feel better about the ribbing I get from my family!:D I will always put up the whoopsys too, as it might keep every one else who wants to try it from making the same mistake.
I have to say, even with the fire mishap it was very easy to do. The venison roast should be ready soon and I will put up the results of that. I am hoping that it will be like smoked pastrami or smoked ham- but don't really know what it will turn out to be. My mom who got to try some and my Aunt, who's bacon I remember eating as a child, said that it was some of the best that they had, had in a long time. My mom also is keeping an eye on some good pork loin so that we can make a nice Canadian style bacon.. If this keeps up I will be making the Holiday Ham too!:eek:
My Aunt also told me about how easy it is to make a small set up with an old fridge as a smoker box and that is what my uncle did, cuz cold smoking them and leaving them with more salt makes them last longer. I must admit that the meat that I tasted before I got all the water soaking stage done reminded me of the salt pork that my family used to eat when I was younger, only it was more unctuous -sinfully fatty, melt in your mouth yummy! My hinny is gonna grow to unheard of proportions!:eek:

[prouddaddy]

I just finished my first bacon. I wish I had the skill to send pictures but I don't. I cured mine with only kosher salt. I didn't want the salt peter so I found a way to do the curing without its' use. I simply made a dry rub just like I was going to do ribs. Mainly brown sugar, chili pepper, and paprika. Rubed this in good and coated with the salt. I placed this on a rack which I placed in a pan, covered with foil and put in the frig. Each day I would pour off the water and add a small amount of salt. I added salt after this on the third and fifth day. After 7 days I smoked with lump coal with dried cherry for smoke. I also used some fig tree wood for the first 3 hours. I smoked it for a total of eight hours at about 180-200 degrees. I wrapped it in foil and put in frig. for a day. I could not hardly wait to try it. I cut some my self but found it way too hard to get thin enough to get chrisp. The first I tried was way too salty but came from the outside. I took the rest to my butcher and had it sliced thinner than I could but not too thin. We have used it since on blt and found it to be the best ever. I will be doing another slab soon as I'm about out.