# TQ Bacon



## Rings Я Us (Dec 7, 2018)

A nice 2 inch (mostly) thick, 10.5 lb. belly with skin off, was the subject of my recent cold smoking project. 
  $3.59 per lb. isn't too bad I guess. 







Got 3 good sized pieces I figured would be nice to hang in the wide body. 
I used 1 Tbs of brown sugar and Morton's TQ per lb. I used another Tbs of cracked black per slab for this dry rub. 






The 2 gallon freezer bags work perfectly for this application. I rotated or flipped the bundles of joy everyday for 2 weeks. 











Rinsed each slab for approximately 5 minutes before smoking. Did a taste test with trimmed pieces. Tasted fine. 










Dried on wire racks for 2 days in the fridge. 
 Set the smoker up with 12 hours of lumberjack 100% Apple in a 5x8. I used half a dozen charcoal to get 75-85° heat.
 Reapplied fresh cracked black and hung the slabs.











I may have used 4 or 5 small chunks of hickory in the fire box for added smokiness.  Whatever the case, the temp held out fine in the 80s and I got the bacon out at like 9 pm.  Put the bacon in fresh baggies and Sat those in the fridge for an additional 2 days before slicing. 











Got to try a couple nice meals with the bacon  so far. I enjoyed the taste indeed.. 
I see on the edges that the Brown sugar has stayed in the strips, they caramelized a bit in fact.. 























Overall, I would use TQ and this method again. Great coverage and not a bad result.  The black pepper and brown sugar added good flavor enhancements. 
Thanks for looking.


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## gmc2003 (Dec 7, 2018)

Bacon looks good rings, nice job.

Point for sure.
Chris


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## Co4ch D4ve (Dec 7, 2018)

Great job on the bacon. I use TQ with my bacon and am a fan!  I think I need a couple of bellies right about now....like!


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 7, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Bacon looks good rings, nice job.
> 
> Point for sure.
> Chris





Co4ch D4ve said:


> Great job on the bacon. I use TQ with my bacon and am a fan!  I think I need a couple of bellies right about now....like!


Thanks guy's! 
Had those pics to share at work... decided to put them here for safe keeping. :D


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## Winterrider (Dec 7, 2018)

Nicely done !
Like


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## gary s (Dec 7, 2018)

That is some mighty fine looking Bacon, Nice Job

Gary


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## SonnyE (Dec 7, 2018)

Looks Great, Johnny!
I was thinking you had one piece to many of toast on your bacon sammie, but hey, it looks great!
I've looked for Tender Quick around me, but no find. So I'm using the Prague Powder I have.
Like my Pellet supply, the 1 pound jar of PP, will probably last over 100 years, at current use rates. :rolleyes:

Currently I have another slab of Pork Belly in the curing stage. I think I can see a need to keep it coming to stay ahead of the hungry mouths. ;)


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## zwiller (Dec 7, 2018)

Loved it up until I saw the toast!  :p   LIKE


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## GaryHibbert (Dec 7, 2018)

Nice job on the bacon, Johnny.  I'd sure eat some.  Especially that sammie!!!!!
I sure like the TQ and brown sugar, too.
POINT
Gary


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## tropics (Dec 7, 2018)

Johnny B That is a nice looking piece of Belly,I can't find anything in my area like that. Big Points for the BBQ Skewers turned into Bacon Hooks.
Richie


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## motocrash (Dec 7, 2018)

Very nice.I reckon the equal part brown sugar beat the excessive salt of the TQ down?


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## Bearcarver (Dec 7, 2018)

Bacon Looks Real Nice!!
Good Job!
Like.

Bear


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 7, 2018)

Winterrider said:


> Nicely done !
> Like





gary s said:


> That is some mighty fine looking Bacon, Nice Job
> 
> Gary





SonnyE said:


> Looks Great, Johnny!
> I was thinking you had one piece to many of toast on your bacon sammie, but hey, it looks great!
> I've looked for Tender Quick around me, but no find. So I'm using the Prague Powder I have.
> Like my Pellet supply, the 1 pound jar of PP, will probably last over 100 years, at current use rates. :rolleyes:
> ...





zwiller said:


> Loved it up until I saw the toast!  :p   LIKE





GaryHibbert said:


> Nice job on the bacon, Johnny.  I'd sure eat some.  Especially that sammie!!!!!
> I sure like the TQ and brown sugar, too.
> POINT
> Gary





tropics said:


> Johnny B That is a nice looking piece of Belly,I can't find anything in my area like that. Big Points for the BBQ Skewers turned into Bacon Hooks.
> Richie





motocrash said:


> Very nice.I reckon the equal part brown sugar beat the excessive salt of the TQ down?
> View attachment 382219



So many nice people in here..  Thanks all.
:)

Yeah, those hooks are junk skewers.. Haha I was going to toss them away but kept them anyway. 
  I use a lb of the pink salt #1 in about 6 months here.. making jerky all the time.  10 lbs a week sometimes..  I guess that's like 5 tsp a week in the marinade liquids I use. 
I'm doing 6 lbs of the chili & lime jerky right now. I use the lime juice and garlic chili sauce only. Then I use a rub before it goes in the smoker. It's this Weber chili lime rub. Adds great flavor.


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## Rings Я Us (Dec 7, 2018)

motocrash said:


> Very nice.I reckon the equal part brown sugar beat the excessive salt of the TQ down?
> View attachment 382219



Lmao


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## SmokinAl (Dec 8, 2018)

That is some awesome looking bacon there Johnny!
Nice work!
Al


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