# Owen's BBQ Ground Formed Bacon



## chopsaw (Apr 19, 2019)

Finally got around to doing this . 12 lbs all pork . I don't fry test much anymore , but this was a new one for me , so I put a patty in the pan . Taste was good . Not like bacon but good . So I'm thinking , needs to be cured and smoked to be bacon . Should be good . Used 3 - 11 x 8 pans . About 2 " deep . Had my hands good and wet and worked it into the pans and smoothed out the top . Not alot of pics on the start of this . I used plastic wrap in all the pans . Held over night , smoked the next day . I was worried about heat flow with the size of these , but worked out great . Bottom finished an hour or so ahead of the other 2 . 
MES 30 . Mailbox and Auber controller . 12 " tube with oak / hickory  pellets and sugar creek apple wood chips mixed in . Tube burned out at 8 1/2 hours . 
Pulled these at 145 . Fry to finish . 
This is what I ended up with ,











Cooled down , had to slice it .










Next morning got out the slicer 





Fried some up , and had some breakfast .









I was shocked and very happy with how good this came out . Everything about it . Taste ,
 smell size and shape . So good and worth it . I cooked this in a grill pan . The ridges gave it a nice look I think . 
Had a few air pockets in that section , not to bad . 
Another great mix from Owens . 

Thanks for lookin .


----------



## BGKYSmoker (Apr 19, 2019)

Looks good.
I also like the ground bacon mix.


----------



## buzzy (Apr 19, 2019)

That does look good. Never used pork but tried the bacon mix from Curleys with ground venison. Didn’t care for it when looking for bacon taste. Have to keep this in mind.


----------



## motocrash (Apr 19, 2019)

Lookin' good chop.It makes great BLT's,I prefer it on sammiches over belly bacon.It bites evenly if cooked to the right time/ temp,which I found there was a learning curve to perfect.It has a narrower window time wise between limp/done and overcooked than belly.


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 19, 2019)

SFLsmkr1 said:


> Looks good.
> I also like the ground bacon mix.


Thanks bud . I still have the reg. snack stix to do if I can figure the math for a 5lb batch . 



buzzy said:


> That does look good. Never used pork but tried the bacon mix from Curleys with ground venison. Didn’t care for it when looking for bacon taste. Have to keep this in mind.


Buzzy that was the plan . Got a nice buck , but worried about CWD decided not to use it . I know guys that use curleys . I thought it was good . They use venison and add ground up bacon for the fat . I'm sure that helps . 



motocrash said:


> .It makes great BLT's,


I was thinking the same thing . Be doing those in the near future .


----------



## pc farmer (Apr 19, 2019)

Looks great Chop.   I need to try using all pork.


----------



## teamteke (Apr 19, 2019)

Looks simple and tasty. Maybe I don't fully understand how this was prepared. Is it just ground pork with salt and cure, pressed into pans to mold and then removed from pans and smoked the next day?


----------



## Winterrider (Apr 19, 2019)

Have made that before with Owens seasoning. Very good and easy to do.


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 19, 2019)

pc farmer said:


> Looks great Chop.   I need to try using all pork.


Thanks . Came out better than I expected . I like the all pork . 



teamteke said:


> Looks simple and tasty. Maybe I don't fully understand how this was prepared. Is it just ground pork with salt and cure, pressed into pans to mold and then removed from pans and smoked the next day?


Made a few things , and this was one of them . This is a mix I bought from Owens BBQ . They have alot of good seasonings . Grind the butts , season and mix . Pack into the pans . I used 11 x 8 x 2 " deep foil pans . Hold over night in the fridge . Turn out of pan the next day and smoke . Fry to finish cooking .


----------



## Gabigale (Nov 26, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> Finally got around to doing this . 12 lbs all pork . I don't fry test much anymore , but this was a new one for me , so I put a patty in the pan . Taste was good . Not like bacon but good . So I'm thinking , needs to be cured and smoked to be bacon . Should be good . Used 3 - 11 x 8 pans . About 2 " deep . Had my hands good and wet and worked it into the pans and smoothed out the top . Not alot of pics on the start of this . I used plastic wrap in all the pans . Held over night , smoked the next day . I was worried about heat flow with the size of these , but worked out great . Bottom finished an hour or so ahead of the other 2 .
> MES 30 . Mailbox and Auber controller . 12 " tube with oak / hickory  pellets and sugar creek apple wood chips mixed in . Tube burned out at 8 1/2 hours .
> Pulled these at 145 . Fry to finish .
> This is what I ended up with ,
> ...


Which mix from Owens BBQ are you using, they have alot on the web site   thanks!


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 27, 2020)

Gabigale said:


> Which mix from Owens BBQ are you using, they have alot on the web site thanks!


That was hard to find . Here ya go .
It's the ground formed bacon . Scroll down the page . 









						Ring/Smoked Seasoning
					

*For Summer Sausage mixes, click below




					www.owensbbq.com


----------



## Gabigale (Nov 27, 2020)

Gabigale said:


> Which mix from Owens BBQ are you using, they have alot on the web site   thanks!


Thank you!


----------



## hondabbq (Sep 22, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Thanks . Came out better than I expected . I like the all pork .
> 
> 
> Made a few things , and this was one of them . This is a mix I bought from Owens BBQ . They have alot of good seasonings . Grind the butts , season and mix . Pack into the pans . I used 11 x 8 x 2 " deep foil pans . Hold over night in the fridge . Turn out of pan the next day and smoke . Fry to finish cooking .


I dont understand as to why it has to be fried before eating if its cured. They even state this on the Owens page. 
Could it be like a lunch meat if its cooked to a higher temp??


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 22, 2022)

hondabbq said:


> I dont understand as to why it has to be fried before eating if its cured.


I doesn't have to be , that's just how I like it . It was held long enough at 145 to be safe to eat right out of the smoker and I did .  I sliced some and dried it into jerky also . 
For the loaf you want to do , just do it exactly as you always do . Only difference is you're making it in a pan instead of casing .


----------



## Brokenhandle (Sep 22, 2022)

Thanks Rich...now even your old threads have added to my to try list...
Can always use more snacks for long days in the combine!

Ryan


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 27, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> Can always use more snacks for long days in the combine!


It's great fried up , then cold the next day out of the fridge . That's how I started drying for " jerky "


----------



## HalfSmoked (Sep 27, 2022)

Sound awesome chop might just have to try some. Sound a lot easier than all the brines.

Warren


----------



## sawhorseray (Sep 28, 2022)

Man, how did I miss this the first time around Rich, looks fabulous! This will be something for me to get done when things cool down here in a few months, smoke some cheese too. RAY


----------



## BrianGSDTexoma (Sep 28, 2022)

Wow Rich!  Great idea.  Going to havew to give that a try.  Nice job bud.


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 28, 2022)

sawhorseray said:


> This will be something for me to get done when things cool down here in a few months, smoke some cheese too


I could smoke cheese this morning . Woke up to 40 degrees . Was in the high 90's last week . 
I used the mix , but you can do the same with salt and sugar . Cure and some smoke . 


BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Wow Rich! Great idea. Going to have to give that a try. Nice job bud.


Thanks Brian . Most of it I've seen is a venison pork mix . It's a great use for venison . 
Be a great snack on the boat .


----------



## YooperSmoker (Sep 29, 2022)

looks great, are you saying that its as close to belly bacon as you can get for processed?
I am looking for another option for my pork buyers
a lot of them are into bacon/sausage  more than other cuts

Mike

getting close to processing season


----------



## GonnaSmoke (Sep 29, 2022)

That bacon looks great, Rich! I haven't yet jumped into bacon makin' with both feet, but soon...


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 29, 2022)

YooperSmoker said:


> looks great, are you saying that its as close to belly bacon as you can get for processed?
> I am looking for another option for my pork buyers
> a lot of them are into bacon/sausage more than other cuts


It has great bacon flavor . I know some guys that use venison / pork mix and the seasonings from Curly's . The mix I had was from Owen's BBQ . You could also figure the salt and sugar by weight add the cure and smoke it . 
I've had it from a local guy that stuffs it into chubs , but I like it in a slab . 
Another thing about it is you can lean it up some if that's wanted .


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 29, 2022)

GonnaSmoke said:


> That bacon looks great, Rich!


Thanks Charles . 


GonnaSmoke said:


> I haven't yet jumped into bacon makin' with both feet, but soon.


I don't have a easy access to pork belly . I've done it with the phosphate ham injection too . 
Makes a nice ham loaf .


----------



## gmc2003 (Sep 29, 2022)

I'm glad this thread got resurrected. That ground bacon looks most excellent Rich

Point for sure
Chris


----------



## tbern (Sep 29, 2022)

have also bookmarked this thread, sounds very good and hopefully will be trying this idea out soon, thanks chopsaw!!


----------



## Bearcarver (Sep 29, 2022)

Looks Great, Chop!!
I used to make this with Beef & Pork, but I think All Pork is better, just like you did it.
Like.

Bear


----------



## GonnaSmoke (Sep 29, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Thanks Charles .
> 
> I don't have a easy access to pork belly.


I don't either, but am going to order from Wild Fork. At $7.98/lb. it's cheap enough to try and they seem to sell quality meat...


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 29, 2022)

gmc2003 said:


> That ground bacon looks most excellent


Thanks Chris . It's pretty good . 


tbern said:


> sounds very good and hopefully will be trying this idea out soon,


Give it a try . Thanks for lookin .


Bearcarver said:


> Looks Great, Chop!!


Thanks John . It's a good way to use up some deer meat , but I was out .


----------



## HalfSmoked (Sep 30, 2022)

Chop what was your recipe for this?

Warren


----------



## HalfSmoked (Sep 30, 2022)

Dang just saw you used an Owens mix.
Getting old sucks

Warren


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 30, 2022)

HalfSmoked said:


> Chop what was your recipe for this?





HalfSmoked said:


> Dang just saw you used an Owens mix.


Yup . I used the mix from Owens . I know guys say good things about one from Curly's . 
You can also do the salt and sugar by weight . I'm not sure what all is in the mix , but probably not much more than salt and sugar . Maybe some sodium erythorbate .


----------



## tbern (Sep 30, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Finally got around to doing this . 12 lbs all pork . I don't fry test much anymore , but this was a new one for me , so I put a patty in the pan . Taste was good . Not like bacon but good . So I'm thinking , needs to be cured and smoked to be bacon . Should be good . Used 3 - 11 x 8 pans . About 2 " deep . Had my hands good and wet and worked it into the pans and smoothed out the top . Not alot of pics on the start of this . I used plastic wrap in all the pans . Held over night , smoked the next day . I was worried about heat flow with the size of these , but worked out great . Bottom finished an hour or so ahead of the other 2 .
> MES 30 . Mailbox and Auber controller . 12 " tube with oak / hickory  pellets and sugar creek apple wood chips mixed in . Tube burned out at 8 1/2 hours .
> Pulled these at 145 . Fry to finish .
> This is what I ended up with ,
> ...


Sorry if I'm missing this, but what temp did you have your mes30 set at while smoking?     Would a low and slow temp be better than a higher temp, just to get more smoke time in?    What would be the max temp to smoke them at?       Says you pulled them at an IT of 145*, approximately how long did it take to get them to this temp?


----------



## chopsaw (Sep 30, 2022)

tbern said:


> what temp did you have your mes30 set at while smoking?


I smoked this the same as I would sausage . 
I ran a dry cycle at 120 or so for a couple hours before I started smoke . You want the surface dry before you introduce smoke , or it can have negative effects . 
 Then I stepped up the temp by 10 degrees for an hour until it reaches 165 . 
At that point I let it go until the internal temp is 152 . 

However , in this case I pulled at 145 . It was held at that temp long enough to be safe , but I knew I was gonna fry before eating .


----------



## jcam222 (Sep 30, 2022)

Looks awesome Rich! I don’t believe I’ve ever had this type bacon before.


----------



## tbern (Sep 30, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> I smoked this the same as I would sausage .
> I ran a dry cycle at 120 or so for a couple hours before I started smoke . You want the surface dry before you introduce smoke , or it can have negative effects .
> Then I stepped up the temp by 10 degrees for an hour until it reaches 165 .
> At that point I let it go until the internal temp is 152 .
> ...


Thanks for sharing your method, appreciate it!!


----------



## Winterrider (Sep 30, 2022)

Have made this for many yrs, venison and pork combo. Have used both Owen's and Curleys both with great results.
It is good to snack on.


----------



## Dakotakid701 (Oct 1, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Finally got around to doing this . 12 lbs all pork . I don't fry test much anymore , but this was a new one for me , so I put a patty in the pan . Taste was good . Not like bacon but good . So I'm thinking , needs to be cured and smoked to be bacon . Should be good . Used 3 - 11 x 8 pans . About 2 " deep . Had my hands good and wet and worked it into the pans and smoothed out the top . Not alot of pics on the start of this . I used plastic wrap in all the pans . Held over night , smoked the next day . I was worried about heat flow with the size of these , but worked out great . Bottom finished an hour or so ahead of the other 2 .
> MES 30 . Mailbox and Auber controller . 12 " tube with oak / hickory  pellets and sugar creek apple wood chips mixed in . Tube burned out at 8 1/2 hours .
> Pulled these at 145 . Fry to finish .
> This is what I ended up with ,
> ...


That indeed looks yummy !


----------



## Dakotakid701 (Oct 1, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Finally got around to doing this . 12 lbs all pork . I don't fry test much anymore , but this was a new one for me , so I put a patty in the pan . Taste was good . Not like bacon but good . So I'm thinking , needs to be cured and smoked to be bacon . Should be good . Used 3 - 11 x 8 pans . About 2 " deep . Had my hands good and wet and worked it into the pans and smoothed out the top . Not alot of pics on the start of this . I used plastic wrap in all the pans . Held over night , smoked the next day . I was worried about heat flow with the size of these , but worked out great . Bottom finished an hour or so ahead of the other 2 .
> MES 30 . Mailbox and Auber controller . 12 " tube with oak / hickory  pellets and sugar creek apple wood chips mixed in . Tube burned out at 8 1/2 hours .
> Pulled these at 145 . Fry to finish .
> This is what I ended up with ,
> ...


----------



## Dakotakid701 (Oct 1, 2022)

Do you by chance have a link to that bacon mix, I cant find it.


----------



## chopsaw (Oct 1, 2022)

Dakotakid701 said:


> Do you by chance have a link to that bacon mix, I cant find it.


It's hard to find . There's a link in post # 11 .


----------



## indaswamp (Oct 1, 2022)

How in the hell did I miss this thread? Well done Chop! One I have not made yet....formed bacon. Looks great!


----------



## chopsaw (Oct 1, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> One I have not made yet....formed bacon. Looks great!


Thanks . I like it best as a snack . I further cook it down . Eats like jerky .


----------



## pc farmer (Oct 1, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Thanks . I like it best as a snack . I further cook it down . Eats like jerky .



I make this.   Haven't tried to cook it down like jerky. That sounds good


----------



## chopsaw (Oct 2, 2022)

pc farmer said:


> Haven't tried to cook it down like jerky.


I would just fry it up , then eat it cold out of the fridge . Sometimes I put some slices on a sheet pan and dry them in the oven . 
I do the same with pastrami and dried beef when I make it .


----------



## tbern (Nov 4, 2022)

so a crazy question:  if a person used ground beef instead of pork and did everything else the same, would this resemble in any way beef bacon?


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 4, 2022)

tbern said:


> so a crazy question: if a person used ground beef instead of pork and did everything else the same, would this resemble in any way beef bacon?


I've never had beef bacon , so I'm not sure . I used to make ground beef jerky with just salt , black pepper and cure . It was rolled into strips , but you could do it in a pan . Smoke cool and slice . 
Give it a shot and let us know .


----------



## Sven Svensson (Nov 4, 2022)

I’m very glad this post was resurrected. This is a very intriguing concept.


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 4, 2022)

Sven Svensson said:


> intriguing concept.


You could buy the mix , but you know enough about hams , bacon and sausage that you can just make one up yourself . The mix comes with maple sugar cure , but ways around that too .


----------



## Sven Svensson (Nov 4, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> You could buy the mix , but you know enough about hams , bacon and sausage that you can just make one up yourself . The mix comes with maple sugar cure , but ways around that too .


This is exactly why it’s intriguing. My neighbor wants heat in his bacon and I’ve not had success in doing that. Same with maple or honey flavors. It all gets lost. Even the all-elusive bourbon flavor comes to mind. This method would mean it goes into the mix. Ground pork butt with some added pork fat trimmings might work great. And, if formed in a bread loaf pan it could be cut into larger slices for BLTs. Now you’ve really got me thinking…


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 4, 2022)

Yup . Sausage strips you see at the store . Same thing .
I just took a run at some spam . Just basic spice since I was going for regular spam , but could be whatever you like . 
I wrapped it in saran wrap , then stuffed it in an old butter tub for a mold . Held overnight in the fridge .






Vac'd and poach at 175 for an hour .


----------



## Dave in AZ (Nov 4, 2022)

chopsaw
 There you go!  Everyone is saying "formed bacon", and I'm thinking, "Spam or Taylor Pork Roll!"
Your spam version looks great!  I make pork roll a good bit, experimenting with encapsulated LACTIC acid now vs. Ferment vs. ECA.  Just using salt, sugar, white pepper, cure1... it's an accurate rendition, but turns out I like a bit more flavor than straight Taylor Ham.  

What did you use for your spices, or thinking about? I'm about to make some, and leaning towards a tiny bit of mace, ginger, black pepper, paprika... just like 0.1%, so it has slightest hint of breakfast sausage or WI brat flavor?


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 4, 2022)

Dave in AZ said:


> What did you use for your spices,


The spam was just a test run with some grind I saved from making sausage last week . 
It was cured with Tender Quick and just a bit of brown sugar . Key ingredient was potato starch . I was trying to get as close to Spam as I could . It's pretty close . Texture is spot on . 

White pepper and ginger is always good . I did some German bologna one time that I used a pound of ground bacon in the mix . If I had used a starter culture it would have been pretty close to Taylor's ham .


----------



## Dave in AZ (Nov 4, 2022)

chopsaw
 thx.  I can see potato starch for that gel texture for spam, just got a 5gal bucket of it last month... my son loves spam, maybe I should be targeting that vs pork roll lol!

 I just finished and sliced up 9 lbs of buckboard bacon with a heavy cherry hickory smoke, and will be using the ends and odd slices to grind up and add to my pork roll today also.  You can see the container off odd shapes in bottom picture...sooo hard not to just fry up and eat!


----------



## Bearcarver (Nov 4, 2022)

tbern said:


> so a crazy question:  if a person used ground beef instead of pork and did everything else the same, would this resemble in any way beef bacon?



If you take Beef, in any form, and treat it like you treat Pork with cure, salt, sugar, etc, it would taste like "Dried Beef".
Beef turns into "Dried Beef".
Pork turns into "Bacon".

Bear


----------



## Sven Svensson (Nov 4, 2022)

Bearcarver said:


> If you take Beef, in any form, and treat it like you treat Pork with cure, salt, sugar, etc, it would taste like "Dried Beef".
> Beef turns into "Dried Beef".
> Pork turns into "Bacon".
> 
> Bear


I think I’ve seen that in a can at the grocery store but I’ve never tried it. Is that what you’re referring to, Bear?


----------



## Bearcarver (Nov 4, 2022)

Sven Svensson said:


> I think I’ve seen that in a can at the grocery store but I’ve never tried it. Is that what you’re referring to, Bear?



Here is some Dried Beef, from Beef or Venison: They both taste the same:
*Dried Beef (Best Ever)
Smoked Venison Dried Beef

Bear*


----------



## Dave in AZ (Nov 4, 2022)

Bearcarver said:


> Here is some Dried Beef, from Beef or Venison: They both taste the same:
> *Dried Beef (Best Ever)
> Smoked Venison Dried Beef
> 
> Bear*


Thanks for this link and great post, Bear!  I hadn't seen it, and have bookmarked it, will for sure try!


----------



## bacon_crazy510 (Nov 6, 2022)

Wow, I'm just seeing this thread for the first time too. I've been on a SPAM kick, and this is right along those lines. 

I'm going to try this, as the slices sound great in sandwiches.


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 6, 2022)

It's good and a fun cook to do . You can season it up however you like .


----------



## GaryHibbert (Nov 14, 2022)

First time I've seen this old post.  It was a few months old before I joined, and ALL my attention was focused on simply learning how to use my smoker.
I've made ground all beef, 50/50 beef and pork, and all pork snack sticks.  Now I'll be trying pork and pork/venison bacon.
Great post.  Sure glad it got opened again.
Gary


----------



## bauchjw (Nov 14, 2022)

Looks super tasty! May even be something I could put some time into! Thank you for sharing and congrats on the ride!


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 15, 2022)

jcam222 said:


> Looks awesome


Thanks Jeff . I missed your comment last time this got bumped .


GaryHibbert said:


> Great post. Sure glad it got opened again.


It's fun to do Gary . As bacon or whatever you want . 


bauchjw said:


> Looks super tasty! May even be something I could put some time into!


Thanks bud . Changes things up a bit . All kinds of options on flavors and shape of the loaf .


----------



## kilo charlie (Nov 15, 2022)

First time I'm seeing this thread and I gotta say it looks awesome!


----------



## chopsaw (Nov 23, 2022)

kilo charlie said:


> First time I'm seeing this thread and I gotta say it looks awesome!


Thanks Charlie . It's fun to do and change up the flavors .


----------

