- Apr 25, 2009
- 72
- 10
This one is for morkdach who asked I start a thread one my experience's with bacon. I need to start with some background. At the Burlingame Locker Company (which started back in the 1920's 1930's) we did our slaughter on Mondays a heavy kill would be 25 to 35 hogs plus beef and we were state inspected. Our smokehouse (I don't not recall the make or model) was 80"tall and 48"x48" don't know how it rated as far as lbs hence why I mentioned our kill rate. It had a natural gas burner about 8" dia. the chip pan was about 12" sq. and 4" deep two drips pans set over the smoke pan to keep fat from falling on the burner and into the bottom of the smokehouse. We used hickory sawdust we bought in a sack about the size of a 50lb. feedsack. We stored it in a lidded rubbermaid type trash can and kept it damp. Not so damp that it would stick together if you balled it up in your hand but enough you could feel the moisture. We had two cures a brown sugar cure we rarely used most people in that area weren't into brown sugar cure. The other was a pink cure and I dont recall where we got it i'm sure it was a #1 cure. We did our cure on Fridays hams were brine injected at 5 points in the muscle using the pink cure in water then placed in a tub of brine to soak. The bellies were rubbed with pink cure. I cannot give amounts as we would simply rub all surfaces, edges and ends with as much cure as would stick. They were then simply layed out on a stainless steel table this was all done in a cooled cure room. These would be allowed to cure for about 7 days. When we smoked we used what would be equlavalent to a couple cottage cheese containers of sawdust. Our temperature in the smoker was 160' and an internal temperature of 145.
Ok fast forward. I have the small GOSM I use the water pan for my chip pan so I can spread the sawdust out. I two cheap disposable aluminum baking pans for drip pans. I can get bellies from a local meat shop that run about 13 lbs. each 2 to a box. I use 2 cups Morton Tender quick and 1/4 cup white sugar ratio mix as much as you need to thouroughly rub the bellies. I have some lidded rubbermaid lugs I pit the bellies in the lugs and in the fridge for a week. The GOSM is a little short to hang a 13 lb belly properly so I had to fix it so I had a way to hang bars right up at the very top. I use 6 1/2" bacon hanges I got from P&S Seasoning. I usualy just do two bellies because I can squeeze 3 or 4 4" fibrous casings of salami or other sausage in with them. I hang everything before I start the smoker then add the sawdust about two handfulls and let it do its thing. I like to smoke the bellies at least 6 hours. Point of information if you want certified bacon increase the cabinet temperature during the last hour to get an internal temperature of 165 and you will have certified bacon. Doesnt require any further cooking great for BLT sandwiches.
Ok fast forward. I have the small GOSM I use the water pan for my chip pan so I can spread the sawdust out. I two cheap disposable aluminum baking pans for drip pans. I can get bellies from a local meat shop that run about 13 lbs. each 2 to a box. I use 2 cups Morton Tender quick and 1/4 cup white sugar ratio mix as much as you need to thouroughly rub the bellies. I have some lidded rubbermaid lugs I pit the bellies in the lugs and in the fridge for a week. The GOSM is a little short to hang a 13 lb belly properly so I had to fix it so I had a way to hang bars right up at the very top. I use 6 1/2" bacon hanges I got from P&S Seasoning. I usualy just do two bellies because I can squeeze 3 or 4 4" fibrous casings of salami or other sausage in with them. I hang everything before I start the smoker then add the sawdust about two handfulls and let it do its thing. I like to smoke the bellies at least 6 hours. Point of information if you want certified bacon increase the cabinet temperature during the last hour to get an internal temperature of 165 and you will have certified bacon. Doesnt require any further cooking great for BLT sandwiches.