# Belly bacon, skin on or skin off?



## mdgirlinfl

Question about curing belly bacon. Do you go skin on or skin off for the cure, smoke? Why?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Bearcarver

MDGirlinFL said:


> Question about curing belly bacon. Do you go skin on or skin off for the cure, smoke? Why?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I used to remove the Skin, but now I buy them without a skin on.

I don't eat the Skin, so I don't cure it or Smoke it.

Reasons:

Takes less time to cure without the skin.

No smoke wasted on the skin---All goes to the part I eat (Meat & Fat).

Bear


----------



## browneyesvictim

Its a personal preference thing...

Do you like cracklins, chicharrones or pork rinds? I do. So I fillet it off before I cure the bacon and make yummy stuff with it.

It will cure and smoke just fine with it on and will be easier to remove after its smoked though. Some folks use the smoked skin to season beans and the such but will be very tough and chewy.

If you plan to use slab hooks to hang your bacon, leaving the skin can offers some added strength.

Maybe a person that knows how could sew a purse or wallet or something like that out of it... I dunno?


----------



## dirtsailor2003

I prefer to use skinless when curing for bacon. Right now the only way I could get skin in if I wanted too would be to buy a pig and have it butchered. Everything here is skinless.


----------



## mdgirlinfl

Thanks for the input folks. I removed the skin for my first go (curing now) but then I started second guessing myself after seeing many pics of skin on processing.  I figured I'd ask before I started on the next go.


----------



## chef jimmyj

If not too late, hot Smoke the Skin, In short cooked Beans, a hunk adds flavor. In long cooked dishes, the skin will get super tender and is delicious. I simmer Smoked Skin and Hocks to make a hearty Stock to cook Greens and make Bean or Pea soup. If you have Dogs, they will sing your praises for strips of smoked Pig Skin to chew, but keep it refrigerated, it goes Rancid stored at room temp...JJ


----------



## SmokinAl

Skin off here too.

Al


----------



## hook

I've cured and smoked with and without the skin on. What bothers me a little is that when your buying a belly your paying for weight of the skin also and if you don't want it on the bacon it's not very cost effective. Just my opinion.


----------



## hook

I've cured and smoked with and without the skin on. What bothers me a little is that when your buying a belly your paying for weight of the skin also and if you don't want it on the bacon it's not very cost effective. Just my opinion.


----------



## wild west

Skin off. You can buy it here on or off. Same price.


----------



## mdgirlinfl

Chef JimmyJ said:


> If not too late, hot Smoke the Skin, In short cooked Beans, a hunk adds flavor. In long cooked dishes, the skin will get super tender and is delicious. I simmer Smoked Skin and Hocks to make a hearty Stock to cook Greens and make Bean or Pea soup. If you have Dogs, they will sing your praises for strips of smoked Pig Skin to chew, but keep it refrigerated, it goes Rancid stored at room temp...JJ



It is too late for the first go.  I took a 5# belly skinned and cut up into 4 pieces to experiment with.  Those are still curing.  I just picked up a fresh belly (approx 10#) for my second go.  I'll probably cut that in thirds and skin it.  Not sure if my neighbor would like any of the skin for his dog.  Hubs is a little squeamish about seeing nipples on his food LMAO. So he wants no part of it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## mdgirlinfl

ps. I have only found skin on around here. Although the butcher offers to take it off. But I figure I need to brush up on my knife skills, so I'll do it.  It has been twenty years since I had pork with skin on.  And that was half of an entire pig in culinary school.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## torp3t3d0

Where I get mine from Costco, it's skin off for on $2.39 a pound......saves the time to take the skin off after I smoke it (to me it's easier to remove the skin AFTER it's smoked)


----------



## akbigdaddy

I have only been curing and smoking my own bacon for a little over a year now but for me it is skin off, for a couple of reasons first the recipe that I followed called for it that way but to be serious the reasons I do it with skin off is because when I was a young my grandmother always served us bacon with the rind (skin) on and it was a little tough to chew, and that I also save the skin to make homemade pork rinds which I feel are much better than store bought and I can add the seasonings to the rinds I enjoy. Take care and enjoy the bacon!!


----------



## tropics

Skin off and saved for pork rinds

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/131873/pork-rind-pellets-from-scratch

Richie


----------



## wade

Skin off. My butcher removes it for me and then I use it for crackling.


----------

