Lets cook this virtually... Help me figure this out!

Big Poppa

Administrator
I got my box of Vande Rose Duroc pork and I got a pork belly. I know right off the bat that our Wonder Women Deb and Cowgirl can help.....Ive wanted to do a pork belly as an entree and then make some bacon.Ive never done either

Lets exchange ideas and concepts and then I will try what the consensus suggests...(there is never a consensus!)

Here are pics of the beauty.
P1000046.jpg

P1000045.jpg
 

KyNola

Member
BP, here is a link to maple cured bacon that I have used many times. It is really good.
Maple Cured Bacon

If the lower temps is a problem with whatever unit you're going to be using, you can always cure it as described and then smoke it at 200 until the IT hits 152.
 
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LTS

New member
2nd what KY said, i use that recipe exclusively and absolutely love it, matter of fact got two bellies in the cure right now.

LTS
 

squirtthecat

New member
I've got a few bellies in the queue for that very same recipe as well..
I'm going to do one at the lower temps in the Bradley, and the next one in the Traeger on Smoke + P4.

I ran across a Jalapeno Bacon recipe the other day that looked promising..
 

Deb

New member
I use that recipe as well... it's the recipe (ingredients anyways) from Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman -- did you order that book BP?
 

squirtthecat

New member
I'll dig up the Jalabacon recipe... Most of us use Cure #1 (Instacure, Pink Salt, Prague Powder, goes by many other names) instead of Morton Tenderquick.
 

squirtthecat

New member
Courtesy of Menu In Progress

-----

Jalapeño Bacon

This bacon works best if the belly is somewhat fatty rather than lean.

1 (3-4 pound) slab pork belly, skin on
40 grams (3-4 tablespoons) kosher salt
20 grams (approx. 5 teaspoons) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pink salt
4 canned jalapeños in escabeche, plus 1-2 tablespoons of the liquid
4 garlic cloves, sliced or crushed
2 bay leaves, torn into small pieces
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, slightly crushed

Mix together the salt, sugar and pink salt. Sprinkle generously over all sides of the belly, then gently shake off the excess. Place the belly into a non-reactive dish or zip lock bag. Blitz the jalapeno with the pickling liquid in a food processor or blender. In a bowl, stir the garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns into the jalapeño, then add to the belly being sure to coat all sides fairly evenly.

Let cure in the refrigerator 5 to 8 days, turning the belly every other day. The meat is ready once it is reasonably firm when pressed. Remove the belly and rinse off the cure with cool water. Pat dry, place on an oiled rack and return to the refrigerator to dry uncovered, overnight.

Smoke at 150-180 degrees using apple and oak. The bacon is ready once it reaches 150 degrees - usually in about 3 hours.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Ok break a rule and give me the best supplier for this stuff I looked on amazon and got a little confused...I also want to buy some casings so maybe I will check the sausage thread!
 

squirtthecat

New member
I got cure #1 (very important that it is #1 and not #2), dextrose, encapsulated citric acid and some ham nettings from this place:

Butcher & Packer

Very reasonably priced.

Allied Kenco in Houston has a huge selection as well, but a little pricier.

(dextrose is for a Ham I'm about to start curing, and ECA is used in snack sticks and various summer sausages)


Nepas is on a cross-country vacation, but he can provide a dozen (or more) links to his favorite suppliers.
 

Pete

New member
That looks great! I saw a slab at the local butcher shop but it had already been smoked. I'll be watching this thread to see the bacon...
 

Deb

New member
I have used the two squirt mentioned above and just got a box from sausagemaker.com yesterday. No problems with any of the three - I have been using sausagemaker more only because they are in NY and I get the package in a couple of days if I choose UPS shipping (ground is one day between there & here).
 

Deb

New member
I haven't experimented much but I did one with brown sugar and crushed peppercorns (no maple sugar or syrup) .... of course I took no notes so I can't give details :( I liked it alot, it wasn't sweet --- now I need to recreate it.


I ordered some bacon from a local farm delivery service to get me through til I make some. The flavor I ordered was maple cinnamon -- I'm undecided about whether it will be a good as a bacon flavor.....
 
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