Smokehouse Bacon

[cowgirl]

This is a repost from threads lost during the crash..

I raise my own pork and recently processed a couple of them.


Here is how I cured this last batch of bacon....

I am known for experimenting with my bacon flavors. If you get the Tenderquick cure down, you can add just about anything to suit your taste...just keep in mind that the TQ already has salt.

Start with one of these.. :)



This is the side and one loin from one pig...and a ham.





The first slab is getting a dry cure.
I used...
1 TBS of Tenderquick PER pound of bacon mixed with
1 tsp of the sugar PER pound of bacon..
1 1/2 tsp of cayenne
1 TBS of garlic powder
1 TBS of onion powder
1 TBS of cracked black pepper





I mix the spices well.....





Rub the cure into the meat on both sides...making sure I get the edges too. Then I pick up the bacon slab and shake off any excess.....





This second slab of bacon is getting a simple cure of Tenderquick, turbinado sugar and black pepper.... I use..
1 TBS of tenderquick PER pound of bacon
1 tsp of sugar PER pound of bacon and
1 single TBS of cracked black pepper





After rubbing the slabs with cure and shaking off any excess, I tightly wrap each one separately in plastic wrap...removing any air bubbles. I place the bacon in a container to catch any drips. Then set into my fridge for the next 6 to 7 days to cure.





For my loin or canadian bacon, I am using a brine cure...
I am using tenderquick/water brine with...
10 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, sliced
1 TBS of red pepper flakes
1 TBS of black peppercorns
and 1TBS of dried basil




I disolve the tenderquick into the water and add the remaining ingredients...and the loins
Make sure they will stay submerged... then cover and place them into my fridge to cure for about 6 to 7 days.







After curing, wash the dry cure off of the slabs, scrubbing it off of the sides too...
Soak the loins in fresh water for at least 2 hours.
Make sure they are dry before smoking.

 

[cowgirl]

I use my little smokehouse to COLD smoke the bacon. :)



First I dry cured the bacon slabs for one week, Then divided the slabs into 4 pieces....
I made a peppered bacon..



A pepper/garlic rolled bacon...



A maple bacon...



And one jalapeno bacon....



I brined cured the back loins and made one black pepper canadian bacon, One steakhouse pepper bacon, and one maple bacon with a cayenne kick...




I cold smoked at 65 degrees using a mixture of hickory and apple.






I also cold smoked a bit of cheese, come whole black peppercorns, a bit of clover honey, some pecan halves, black olives and a kosher salt/white pepper/garlic and onion mix...
These were smoked for 7 hours, the bacon cold smoked for 17 hours.






The cold smoked bacon ready to wrap and chill before slicing and cooking....



Thanks for checking out my baconview. :)

 

[pineywoods]

That is awesome can we eat it all now

Thanks for sharing the recipes it all looks fantastic

 

[pignit]

Now thats Shweeeeeet!

 

[cowgirl]

lol Breakfast is at my house, come on over.

Thanks Piney and Dave.

 

[darrin]

Great job Jeanie. Tried to give you give you points for great instructions and pics but:

You have given out too much Reputation in the last 24 hours, try again later.

 

[dysartsmoker]

Thats looks great Girl

 

[Dutch]

Thanks for the post Jeanie!!

That sure brings back memories of when we cured and smoked meats a lot of years ago- Most of the stuff we did was stitch pumped with the curing brine then into the brine barrels for upto a week depending on the meat. Once in a while we would do a dry cure for some of our favorite customers but then they had to ask for it and they understood that the cost of the curing was going to be higher than the brine cure due to the labor involved.

Hmmm-I wonder what happened to the Rytek book that we had??? Guess it time to interigate my little brothers!! BAWAHAHAHA

 

[cowgirl]

Thank you Darrin, Jack and Dutch!

Dutch, I wish you had some pictures to share of your curing/processing. I would love to see them. I wish I coulda been there to watch and learn.

 

[blacklab]

YES! THANKS FOR THE REPOST NEVER SAW THE FIRST ONE. EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT

 

[erain]

super looking bacons and the other goodies too!!! you be eating swell for a little while. you are makin me think of a vacation to OK might be in order LOL. just for breakfast!!! and all right i got to ask. how does that smokehouse still look like brand new inside??? great job points!!!!!

 

[dave958]

Looks so good what time is Breakfast at

 

[wutang]

Great post, great info. This should be a sticky in the bacon forum.

 

[cowgirl]

Thank you Black Lab, Erain, Dave and Wutang!
You're welcome to breakfast anytime.

Erain, I believe in the thin blue stuff...so no billowing white smoke is allowed in my smokehouse.

It stays pretty clean looking....shoot, I guess I built the thing in 2006, It looks better on the inside than the outside.

 

[waysideranch]

Let me re-say Holy smokes to your re-post. Talent, talent.

 

[curious aardvark]

What no salmon ? lol it's about the only thing you left out :-)

How was the honey ? Apart from that and the olives I think I've done the rest :-)

Actually most impressive thig was the little glimpses of the room you process the bacon in.
Somewhere like that has to really help :-)

 

[cowgirl]

Scott, thank you so much!

CA, that's just my kitchen. After butchering, I cut the meat into manageable sizes to bring into the house to finish.
One thing that I have really found handy for cutting up meat is the large commercial baking sheet. They are 25" x 17". I use them for all of my meat processing, pork, venison etc..
I got a bunch of them from e-bay for $5. each. They are really handy.

I smoked the seasonings, nuts, olives and honey cause I was out.

Had to replenish my stash.

 

[irishteabear]

Nice job on the qview and bacon, Jeanie.

Points to you.

 

[cowgirl]

Thank you Dawn...I appreciate it!

 

[rejii]

cowgirle this really looks great and i think im goimg to use it for my first bacon ! thanks for the details and pics