Decided to do a big batch of bacon this month.
Started with a 12 pound pork loin for Canadian Bacon and 3 butts at about 8 pounds each for some Buckboard.
Trimmed most of the loin and left a section with fat cap to see how it tastes:
Took the bone out of the butts:
Put them in two separate buckets for the brine. Followed Pop's to a T with 3/4 cup of the salt with the loins and one of the butts, added some garlic into the brine for the other bucket:
Had them in the brine for 22 days. No specific reason for the brine time but it's when I had the time to get them out. I know it was long enough, but hoping it's not too long (if there's such a thing).
Stirred up the buckets every few days, and opened them up today and everything looked great.
Put them into fresh water for a little over an hour to get the surface salt off and did a test fry. Took one end off a loin and took a middle slice on another as well as a couple of slices of the BBB:
Wow, it wasn't salty at all and I had a hard time not cutting more to eat. It was that good and I can't wait to see what it's like with smoke on it!
Now they're on racks for a time in the fridge. Will probably smoke in two days when I've got a little time. Still not sure if it's going to be a cold smoke, or a warming smoke that ends with the loins at 145.
Put some cracked pepper on one of the half loins and one of the half butts. Also made up a cracked pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder rub and put it on a few as well. Gonna see what turns out the best, but 36 pounds of bacon has to be a goo thing.
Thanks for viewing and I'll post the smoking pics on another post.
Started with a 12 pound pork loin for Canadian Bacon and 3 butts at about 8 pounds each for some Buckboard.
Trimmed most of the loin and left a section with fat cap to see how it tastes:
Took the bone out of the butts:
Put them in two separate buckets for the brine. Followed Pop's to a T with 3/4 cup of the salt with the loins and one of the butts, added some garlic into the brine for the other bucket:
Had them in the brine for 22 days. No specific reason for the brine time but it's when I had the time to get them out. I know it was long enough, but hoping it's not too long (if there's such a thing).
Stirred up the buckets every few days, and opened them up today and everything looked great.
Put them into fresh water for a little over an hour to get the surface salt off and did a test fry. Took one end off a loin and took a middle slice on another as well as a couple of slices of the BBB:
Wow, it wasn't salty at all and I had a hard time not cutting more to eat. It was that good and I can't wait to see what it's like with smoke on it!
Now they're on racks for a time in the fridge. Will probably smoke in two days when I've got a little time. Still not sure if it's going to be a cold smoke, or a warming smoke that ends with the loins at 145.
Put some cracked pepper on one of the half loins and one of the half butts. Also made up a cracked pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder rub and put it on a few as well. Gonna see what turns out the best, but 36 pounds of bacon has to be a goo thing.
Thanks for viewing and I'll post the smoking pics on another post.