# Pancetta and bacon time



## myownidaho (Jun 4, 2017)

I'm out of both so I picked up two very nice half bellies from Cash and Carry.













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Belly #1 is on it's way to pancetta. I'm using Marianski's recipe for this one.













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Belly #2 is in for cold smoked bacon. I added 1tbsp of black pepper, 2 tsp of granulated garlic and two crushed Bay leaves to the diggingdogs.com calculator. I also used brown sugar instead of white sugar.













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Two weeks in the fridge then the pancetta will go into an UMAi bag and the bacon will be prepped for smoking.


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## pc farmer (Jun 4, 2017)

In for the ride


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## b-one (Jun 4, 2017)

Looks like a good time!


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## myownidaho (Jun 17, 2017)

Day 14. Pancetta rinsed, dried, rubbed with a little more BP and into the UMAI. The little piece I sliced off tasted great.













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__ Jun 17, 2017


















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__ Jun 17, 2017






Rinsed and dried the bacon, onto a rack in the fridge until Wednesday. The fry test was just incredible. I'm going to smoke with apple instead of hickory to allow more bacon flavor to shine through.













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__ myownidaho
__ Jun 17, 2017


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jun 17, 2017)

Looks tasty!


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## pc farmer (Jun 17, 2017)

Yup, lookin good.


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## myownidaho (Jun 17, 2017)

Thanks, guys! I think vacuum sealing, and going a full two weeks makes a noticeable difference. The last time around I used ziplock bags and only went ten days. Great product but this is better.


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## pc farmer (Jun 17, 2017)

Vac sealing is for sure better.   I need to start doing that also.


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## myownidaho (Jun 21, 2017)

Five days drying on a rack in the fridge.













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__ Jun 21, 2017






Cold smoked for two hours. Temps ranged from 83-115. Bagged and back in the fridge for another four days.













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__ Jun 21, 2017


















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__ Jun 21, 2017


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## ab canuck (Jun 21, 2017)

Going to be goooood.....


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## myownidaho (Jun 24, 2017)

Four days after smoking.













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__ myownidaho
__ Jun 24, 2017






I'm 50/50 on cold smoking versus hot smoking. Cold smoking produces more subtle flavors and a finer texture when cooked. If you've been able to try fried potatoes cooked in butter versus fried potatoes cooked in goose or duck fat, you know what I mean. 

Hot smoking producers bolder smoke flavors and it's fully cooked(I also hot smoked with hickory, instead of apple). It does have a more chewy texture though. Even with partial freezing, hot smoked is easier to work with.

When it's time to produce another batch, I am going to go with cold smoking. I think some minor tweaks will fix a couple of things. In the meantime, I have a pile of bacon to help me contemplate the differences. [emoji]129300[/emoji]


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## ab canuck (Jun 25, 2017)

Looks good MyOwn. I am looking forward to getting my smokehouse built so we can do this as well as other stuff. Good job..


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## Bearcarver (Jun 25, 2017)

Looks Great !!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






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Nice Job Idaho !!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Bear


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## myownidaho (Jun 25, 2017)

Thanks, guys!


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## myownidaho (Jul 15, 2017)

Four weeks in. There's only been a 12.6% weight loss but it's starting to firm up nicely. I think I'll let it go another week.













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__ Jul 15, 2017


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## tropics (Jul 15, 2017)

Don't know how I missed this but thanks for the reminder I have a piece to cure now. LOL Points 

Richie


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## ab canuck (Jul 15, 2017)

Mmmm Mmmmm it's going to be done soon......


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## myownidaho (Aug 11, 2017)

Here's a question for y'all. I'm at eight weeks on the pancetta but only have an 18% weight loss. It looks good, it's pretty firm but on the UMAi recipe, they talk about a 25-35% weight loss in 6-8 weeks. I'm seriously considering pulling it out tomorrow but I was wondering if any of you smarter folk might have some input.


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## daveomak (Aug 11, 2017)

What type of fridge is the meat in ??   Is it in a "dorm" type fried or "real" fridge....


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## myownidaho (Aug 11, 2017)

DaveOmak said:


> What type of fridge is the meat in ??   Is it in a "dorm" type fried or "real" fridge....



Full sized refer. It went from our LG to a new Samsung. The bag has completely pulled away at this point and it looks pretty good.













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__ Aug 11, 2017


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## daveomak (Aug 12, 2017)

I was thinking the fridge wasn't "frost free" and didn't dehydrate like a new fridge..   Soooo, I think you will be happy with the results, when the % weight loss gets to target...  It is not losing weight too fast....  It should not have any case hardening and will be awesome....    I would wait for the % weight loss to get to target.....

Below is from Evan Brady's threads...   70-75 days to % weight loss is desirable...   I love looking at the meat he produces.....   It's the % weight loss that is important.....  The slower the better....













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__ daveomak
__ Aug 12, 2017






Prosciutto d'Agnello is done! Pulled it tonight after about 70 days of aging, losing about 33% its green weight. Lamb from Heather Ridge Farms in the Hudson Valley, NY. Boned out diligently as to not allow too much gaps in the center after drying. The leg was still on the smaller side boned out, so I only cured for 10 days. Cured with 2.5% salt, 0.25% Cure #2 and a small handful of crushed Juniper Berries, Smoked Peppercorns, Fresh Garlic, dried Mint and Italian dried Rosemary. After curing I lightly scraped the coarse spices off, and then I cased in a Hog Bladder. As I was putting the Prosciutto into the drying chamber I remembered I did not prepare a mold solution, but I had some product I was going to package on the table. When I vacuum seal I remove the casing to prevent moisture migrating to the surface, and making the surface slime. What I did was take my mold brush and the salami, aimed the salami at the Prosciutto in the chamber, and then brushed the mold and yeast off the surface of the salami onto the Prosciutto. After I week the mold obviously grew, and propagated around the whole Prosciutto. Thought it was cool, so I thought I'd share... Flavor is phenomenal! I have never dried Lamb before, so this was very new flavor-wise. Lamb is one of my favorites, so some here have described Lamb as being very gamey in flavor, but to me it was super clean and not game forward at all. The spices come through subtly, which was the goal. The juniper first with a slight smoke from the peppercorns, and on the finish the herbs and garlic. Super happy with this, and plan to do a lot more with Lamb from now on!













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__ daveomak
__ Aug 12, 2017






Pretty straight forward here... Local Berkshire Pork (not sure what farm, but was from my towns local version of a "whole foods") cured in 2.50% Trapani Sea Salt, 0.04% Food Grade Potassium Nitrate, 0.05% Texel DCM-1, orange zest, hot Calabrian pepper powder  and flakes, and lastly Calabrian wild fennel seed.

Cured for 14 days, and then re-rubbed with spices only, and then stuffed into a 5.5"+ beef bung cap. Aged for roughly 75 days here now, and final water activity of core 0.83.


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## myownidaho (Aug 12, 2017)

Thanks, Dave. I've got some hardening at the ends but that's it. I'll let it go a while longer.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Aug 12, 2017)

Mine is still going. I keep forgetting to weigh it!


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## jusjimi (Sep 1, 2017)

Awesome


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## myownidaho (Sep 4, 2017)

Eleven weeks, 21% moisture loss, I needed a snack, so no more waiting.













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Nice aroma and a subtle flavor that increases as you chew. Long finish. Delightful stuff that was well worth the wait. 3.3# should last me a little while!


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## rw willy (Sep 4, 2017)

Looks amazing!

How do you get moisture loss in a vacuum sealed bag?


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## myownidaho (Sep 4, 2017)

RW Willy said:


> Looks amazing!
> How do you get moisture loss in a vacuum sealed bag?



I used an UMAi bag.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Sep 4, 2017)

Looks great!  Thumbs Up


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## rw willy (Sep 4, 2017)

MyOwnIdaho said:


> I used an UMAi bag.


​Thanks, got confused with the bacon process.

Looks great.


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## tropics (Sep 5, 2017)

My Oh My does that look great! Did you fry it or eat it like that?

Richie


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## myownidaho (Sep 5, 2017)

tropics said:


> My Oh My does that look great! Did you fry it or eat it like that?
> Richie
> 
> Thumbs Up



Thanks! I just cut off a few thin slices and ate it. I'll cut some of it very thin for charcuterie and the rest of it will be thicker for cooking. I can't wait to try it on a pizza.


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