# Basic Bacon, Curleys Bacon, and Savory Bacon w/pics



## erain (Jan 21, 2012)

well if you remember my recent sausage thread there were some pork bellies that needed some cure and smoke...


so i decided on 3 recipes and started the cure process on, the first belyl was Ruhlmans basic bacon of which i didnt get a picture of at this stage...

the second i had some Curleys brown sugar cure... 




and the third, a savory bacon recipe with juniper berries, bay leafs, lotsa garlic, etc...




i had these bellies all squared and halved as after the curing was done i planned on taking half of each and giving the CBP treatment... so into baggies they went and in cooler in garage. the cooler really was to keep from freezing. as temps in cooler dropped i would then bring inside house and keep in cold roomtill they got around 38 and back in garage. here they are after the curing. the basic,


Curleys,


and the Savory,


So then into the smoker for 4 days using TJ's Amazin Smokers. i used maple dust til i ran out and then finished off with hickory. i used the dust because i wasnt around to ck to make sure the pellets stayed lit. i would start them going in am and when i came home from work i would start them all over again. so was getting smoke aprx half of that. kept the smoker above freezing with small hotplate on low.

the basic...


Curleys...


Savory...


all...


and to the Weston...


the basic, peppered on left...




Curleys...


Savory...




i also discovered something quite by accident, have had some issues in past with the meat having this flap form on the botto as you slice... 


always used to flip piece over every 3rd slice or so to keep at minimum. a bad pic, but found out because i had some pieces bigger than my table travel that if you lift leading edge,


and then let it drop down on blade starting the kerf...


end up with real purty slices and no need to flip over, best part once you got it down you could fly though a slab...


gonna vac pac it up and to the freezer. thks for checking in!


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## mballi3011 (Jan 21, 2012)

Now thats a good looking bacon you have there Erain. Now I have to get moving doing some more myself.


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## alblancher (Jan 21, 2012)

Looks like a professional job,  Great looking bacon   thanks for the Qview


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## big casino (Jan 21, 2012)




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## DanMcG (Jan 21, 2012)

Looks Great E!!!!

I bet the smoking then letting it rest before smoking again will make it even better then one long smoke.

Thanks for the slicing tip on the flap, I hate that flap.


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## bluebombersfan (Jan 21, 2012)

Nice job!! I am almost out of bacon going to have to get busy!!


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## erain (Jan 21, 2012)

DanMcG said:


> Looks Great E!!!!
> I bet the smoking then letting it rest before smoking again will make it even better then one long smoke.
> Thanks for the slicing tip on the flap, I hate that flap.



i dont know for sure but the thought crossed my mind to while it was going on. i remember my dad telling me about how they used to smoke the bacon and ham in the old days. they had these big smoke houses built outta cement and rock. but every morning they would light a fire in a corner and then get some smoking wood on it and let it go as long as it lasted, they wouldnt worry about it till the next am when they would start all over again. thks Dan


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## desertlites (Jan 21, 2012)

Drool!! fine job buddy.


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## sausageboy (Jan 21, 2012)

Good looking bacon!!!!

:sausage:


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## graystratcat (Jan 21, 2012)

Awesome job and that is definitely some fine looking product!


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## erain (Jan 21, 2012)

desertlites said:


> Drool!! fine job buddy.



well Bob... you may as well take a bow on this. twas you that got me goin down this road!


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## sprky (Jan 21, 2012)

very nice color


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## teeznuts (Jan 22, 2012)

Looks great! I've never heard of Curley's but I think I'd love it. Your savory mix looks amazing! Care to share the recipe?


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## SmokinAl (Jan 22, 2012)

Man that's some great looking bacon!

Have to try your trick the next time I slice bacon!


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