# Best cut of meat for Buck Board Bacon?



## custom99 (Nov 10, 2011)

It's time for me to try BBB.

What is the best cut to use for this?

I have never had BBB but it looks so good in some of the pics. Some looks just like bacon and others look almost like a Canadian Bacon. I am looking for it to be more on the lines of bacon than ham so any tips or suggestions?


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## bobbygee (Nov 10, 2011)

The meatier it is,the more ham like it will be.There is no way around that.My first bacon attempt using a belly had so much meat to fat ratio ,I was a bit dissapointed.It still was very good but ham like.So,If looking for something that is more baconny(new word) you'll want something that has alot of fat.


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## mballi3011 (Nov 10, 2011)

I have made a fair amount of BBB and I have always used a boneless pork butt/ shoulder for it. I usually buy the bone in it's cheaper and butcher it myself it's really not tat hard and why pay someone 30-40 cent a pound to do it for you.


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## daveomak (Nov 10, 2011)

Somebody help me here... I think bacon is cold smoked belly and cure and salt are the main ingredients... the bacon flavor comes from frying to carmelize the meat and the fat... (???) 

My buckboard bacon has many spices to add flavor to the meat for sandwiches and the like... maybe even like pastrami flavor... I try and cook it in the smoker to 160 to dry it out a bit to slice thin like proscuito... I make it from butt.... Like mballi, I buy bone in and remove the blade myself.... I have even made it from loin... lots of spices for flavor..


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## eman (Nov 10, 2011)

belly/ side = bacon

butt / shoulder= bbb

loin = Canadian or back bacon


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## custom99 (Nov 10, 2011)

DaveOmak said:


> Somebody help me here... I think bacon is cold smoked belly and cure and salt are the main ingredients... the bacon flavor comes from frying to carmelize the meat and the fat... (???)
> 
> My buckboard bacon has many spices to add flavor to the meat for sandwiches and the like... maybe even like pastrami flavor... I try and cook it in the smoker to 160 to dry it out a bit to slice thin like proscuito... I make it from butt.... Like mballi, I buy bone in and remove the blade myself.... I have even made it from loin... lots of spices for flavor..


Belly is actually one of the first things that I ever smoked. It was cured and cold smoked and fantastic. I just see so many different threads on bbb, and have never even heard of it before getting the smoker and hanging around here. The pastrami flavor sounds interesting. Thats the first I have ever heard that and we love pastrami. But thats a future project. I thought is was interesting how it can look so different in so many pictures. Some look so much like belly.


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## chefrob (Nov 10, 2011)

some of the "belly" look is from butterflying the butt. i think this also helps in distrubuting the fat to meat ratio when slicing which IMO lends to contributing to the tasting more like bacon and not the ham flavor which tends to be a more meaty product. i think that a long (8+hrs) COLD smoke also helps in the the flavor developement.  not only will you get more smoke on it, it also makes you finish it in the pan which is another step in developing that bacon flavor like dave said when you cook it in the pan like belly.


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## Bearcarver (Nov 10, 2011)

eman said:


> belly/ side = bacon
> 
> butt / shoulder= bbb
> 
> loin = Canadian or back bacon


Like Eman said for each type of Bacon.

I also agree with Bobby---The more fat, the more Bacon flavor---Less fat, more Ham flavor.

There are many ways of doing BBB. I personally like to put as much smoke as I can in the 120˚ to 140˚ range of smoker temp.

I think it takes smoke a lot better with a little heat.

Then I like to bring it up to 145˚/150˚ internal, so I don't have to cook it again.

I can then either eat it cold, or just warm it to my liking (my favorite way).

I treat my CB the same way.

Bear


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## sound1 (Nov 10, 2011)

chefrob said:


> some of the "belly" look is from butterflying the butt. i think this also helps in distrubuting the fat to meat ratio when slicing which IMO lends to contributing to the tasting more like bacon and not the ham flavor which tends to be a more meaty product. i think that a long (8+hrs) COLD smoke also helps in the the flavor developement.  not only will you get more smoke on it, it also makes you finish it in the pan which is another step in developing that bacon flavor like dave said when you cook it in the pan like belly.




X2...I am still trying to master the butterfly cut that "ninja" chefrob so effortlessly shows on his step by step. One day pork sale this Sunday at the local market, going to pick up a couple more victims to practice on..Last attempts not as pretty as his but still tasted heavenly.


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## Bearcarver (Nov 10, 2011)

Sound1 said:


> X2...I am still trying to master the butterfly cut that "ninja" chefrob so effortlessly shows on his step by step. One day pork sale this Sunday at the local market, going to pick up a couple more victims to practice on..Last attempts not as pretty as his but still tasted heavenly.




The man is a genius with a blade!!!

Dangerous too!!!

Bear


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## SmokinAl (Nov 10, 2011)

It's really easy to cut the bone out and I just take the best pieces for BBB and use the rest for sausage. Here is a couple that are in my fridge curing now. They should be ready for the smoker on Sunday. Unlike some of the other guys I cold smoke mine for 12 hours or so. No heat just the AMNPS loaded full & one end lit in my MES. When it's burns out I'm done.


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## venture (Nov 10, 2011)

As was said, BBB is shoulder and sometimes called cottage bacon.

Belly is more like the bacon we grew up with.

For budget purposes, I am liking BBB more all the time!  LOL

Good luck and good smoking.


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