# 2021 Buckboard Bacon, Just Before the Snowfall



## mneeley490 (Dec 26, 2021)

Got 2 batches done just before Christmas. Good thing, as I woke up to 5" of snow this morning. A little unusual here, but it's 24° outside right now, and still coming down with 25 mph gusts. (See below.)

Anyway, first batch of 20 lbs was done with DiggingDogFarm's cure calculator, using maple sugar and 2T of maple extract per 5 lb slab. Even then, the maple is there, but still subtle. I don't know what more I can do to try to get more maple flavor into the meat. Smoked with my usual 70/30 ratio of corn cob and cherry. One of the 4 slabs, I sprinkled with coarse BP before smoking.



















For the second 20 lbs. batch, I used High Mountain BBB cure. I was warned that it could be a little salty, so I soaked for three hours before smoking. Turned out to not be enough. The end product was edible, but on the high side of my salt tolerance. Otherwise, the flavor was good, but I think I will stick to my own cure from now on. (Just wish I hadn't bought 2 more boxes while it was on sale. They might go on OfferUp.) I sliced up that batch on Christmas Eve day, and also a 5 lbs. slab of belly that I had in the freezer and had forgotten to slice last time. Most of it went to the in-laws yesterday.











Some snow pics:






There is a pretty good breeze going on, blowing the snow sideways. I'm expecting to see a Bumble any minute. Even my covered back deck got hit.






And don't forget to help out our avian friends. I brought this hummingbird feeder in last night so it wouldn't freeze, and put it back out this morning. These little guys do not migrate, and have braved the winds and flakes to get some juice.


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## SmokinEdge (Dec 26, 2021)

Nice job, great color. Yes, I think the flavor from homemade curing is better plus you control the salt, sugar and whatever other flavor and all to your taste. Looks great.


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## indaswamp (Dec 26, 2021)

mneeley490 said:


> I don't know what more I can do to try to get more maple flavor into the meat.


Best way I have found is to hang the bacon in the fridge after it is smoked. Use a spray bottle filled with maple extract and spray the bacon. Let it dry in the fridge for a day. You can do this 2-3 times and it will increase the maple flavor.


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## mneeley490 (Dec 26, 2021)

indaswamp said:


> Best way I have found is to hang the bacon in the fridge after it is smoked. Use a spray bottle filled with maple extract and spray the bacon. Let it dry in the fridge for a day. You can do this 2-3 times and it will increase the maple flavor.


Interesting idea. I'll have to see if I can to that. But my extract is $6+ for 4oz. on Amazon.


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## indaswamp (Dec 26, 2021)

I used a small travel spray bottle when I made it....it will hold 2 oz. of extract.


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## JLeonard (Dec 26, 2021)

Great looking bacon. what is your slicer set on for for slicing? That is about how thick I want mine to be. 
Jim


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## mneeley490 (Dec 26, 2021)

JLeonard said:


> Great looking bacon. what is your slicer set on for for slicing? That is about how thick I want mine to be.
> Jim


Oh lord, I don't know. It's on 2.5, which is probably something like 10 slices per inch. I know I can get paper-thin slices of prosciutto on it. I think it's called a Sirman, made in Italy.


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## pineywoods (Dec 26, 2021)

Great looking bacon nice job


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## chopsaw (Dec 26, 2021)

Nice work on that .


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## mneeley490 (Dec 26, 2021)

Kinda funny; I just brought the hummingbird feeder in to defrost it again, 22° here now. And while I was hitting it with a hair dryer, one of the birds knocked angrily on the glass door.


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## thirdeye (Dec 26, 2021)

You got some really nice color on that.  It's been a number of years since I used the Hi Mountain BBB cure but I would use 21 grams/pound of pork butt, cure it 8 days, then soak-out around 6 hours. 

How did you use the maple extract?  I've read that some folks will mix maple syrup 50:50 with warm water, then use that as an injection.... I believe following the soak-out.   I have used fenugreek on belly bacon, and it does simulate a maple flavor, but it was too artificial for me.


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## DougE (Dec 26, 2021)

Great looking BBB, it got some really nice color.


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## mneeley490 (Dec 26, 2021)

thirdeye said:


> How did you use the maple extract?  I've read that some folks will mix maple syrup 50:50 with warm water, then use that as an injection.... I believe following the soak-out.   I have used fenugreek on belly bacon, and it does simulate a maple flavor, but it was too artificial for me.


On my own rub, I mix the extract with the dry ingredients to form a paste. Then rub the bacon before sealing, and let it go for 10-14 days.


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## Fueling Around (Dec 26, 2021)

Nice looking bacon.
I used to smoke with sugar maple from my yard.  Maple pellets are eh to me.



mneeley490 said:


> Kinda funny; I just brought the hummingbird feeder in to defrost it again, 22° here now. And while I was hitting it with a hair dryer, one of the birds knocked angrily on the glass door.


 You must have Rufous that winter.  Aggressive little buggers


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 26, 2021)

That's a beautiful pile of bacon there! Your pork got some great color on them! Congrats on the ride!
Maybe you could put in a little hummingbird door to let your little friends in where it's warm!   

Ryan


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## bauchjw (Dec 26, 2021)

Great looking bird! The bacon is pretty beautiful too! Man, that is spectacular work. Very well deserved feature! Big points for that!


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## DRKsmoking (Dec 27, 2021)

Love all the bacon, BBB is on my list for a while now. Someday. Enjoy the ride

Love the bird picture, we have lots of hummingbird feeders here but stop around end of Sept/Oct so they will go south.
like 

 Brokenhandle
 said , need a little bird door cut in your door   

David


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## crazymoon (Dec 27, 2021)

MN490, Your bacon looks awesome and I can't believe the hummers hang around it that weather !


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## Bearcarver (Dec 27, 2021)

That's all just freaking Awesome, Mike!!!
Great Pics too.
Nice Job!
Like.
Also Great pics of the same Hummer feeder we have, but yours has a Hummer on it. We take ours in because they leave here for the Winter.


Bear


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## 1MoreFord (Dec 27, 2021)

Incredible lookin' grub!  

While we have Hummers around here it wasn't until my gal and I went to Colorado that I understood why they are called Hummingbirds.  At Royal Gorge they have feeders set up and whatever varieties of Hummers they have out there sound like dive bombers or something.  Crazy loud!!


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## uncle eddie (Dec 28, 2021)

Wow - that is a PILE of bacon.  Nice work. To bad the second batch turned out salty.


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## mneeley490 (Dec 30, 2021)

1MoreFord said:


> Incredible lookin' grub!
> 
> While we have Hummers around here it wasn't until my gal and I went to Colorado that I understood why they are called Hummingbirds.  At Royal Gorge they have feeders set up and whatever varieties of Hummers they have out there sound like dive bombers or something.  Crazy loud!!


Ha! Yeah. Last summer I was doing some Zoom conferencing on my back deck. There was one that kept creeping up behind and photo-bombing my video call. They're pretty loud when they're right next to your ear.


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## 1MoreFord (Dec 31, 2021)

mneeley490 said:


> Ha! Yeah. Last summer I was doing some Zoom conferencing on my back deck. There was one that kept creeping up behind and photo-bombing my video call. They're pretty loud when they're right next to your ear.



The one's out at Royal Gorge never really got that close to me.  They were at least 6'-8' away but they were incredibly/unbelievably loud.


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