# Second bacon from winter bacon fest...



## shellbellc (Feb 2, 2011)

Our second attempt was a maple cure...wanted to try a sweet maply bacon....

Trimmed up ready for cure.








The cure ingredients.







Cure rubbed into slab.







Waited 8 days and slabs are rinsed, soaked, and hanging in the smoker waiting for smoke.













We did a cold smoke for approximately 30 hours.  The temps outside never got above freezing and I worried about them actually freezing!  I waited for the bacons to get a good color change.  I smoked over maple for a nice light, sweet smoke.

Out of the smoker.







Just off the slicer, went with a thicker slice this time.







Finally got the sealer working and got the bacon sealed up...







The bacon had a nice sweet flavor to it, for me, not salty enough. For my samplings, people who weren't big salt fans loved this bacon, to me, it was more pork tasting than bacon tasting to me.  Also, I went a little too think on the bacon.  You had to cook this long and low so it wouldn't burn the edges before the bacon was done.  Actually the easiest way to cook this was in the oven under the broiler.

Overall, very happy with the bacon, just could have been a little more salty and a little thinner.


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## cowgirl (Feb 2, 2011)

Looks excellent Shellbell!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 I've never had cured meat freeze up on me but I guess it could if the temps got low enough. Sometimes it gets into the teens at night when I'm doing a long cold smoke over several days. lol


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## shellbellc (Feb 2, 2011)

Maybe that explains why this bacon seems to thaw out a lot faster than store bacon!  I can grab a batch from the freezer and very shortly I can seperate the pieces!


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## alblancher (Feb 2, 2011)

Looks delicious, I bet that thick bacon is great between two slices of white bread, with mayo and tomato.  Doesn't get much better than that.


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## fpnmf (Feb 2, 2011)

Great looking bacon!!!

   Craig


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## les3176 (Feb 2, 2011)

awesome looking bacon!!!


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## meateater (Feb 2, 2011)

Now you have me interested. How did you incorporate the maple syrup? My last batch I added some turbinado sugar and was good but still looking for the lost chord. Thick cut all the way.


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## paredneck42 (Feb 3, 2011)

Looks Awsome!!


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## shellbellc (Feb 3, 2011)

meateater said:


> Now you have me interested. How did you incorporate the maple syrup? My last batch I added some turbinado sugar and was good but still looking for the lost chord. Thick cut all the way.


Mixed my dry ingredients together, pink salt, dextrose (or sugar), regular salt, once mixed poured in the measurement for maple syrup.  I think this batch was 1/4 c. dextrose, 1/4 c. maple syrup.   It's the recipe in the charcuterie cookbook.  I can look it up if you'd like.  I also just ordered some maple sugar which I am going to try on my next batch.  I'm thinking maple sugar and maple syrup should make it nice and mapley!!


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## mballi3011 (Feb 3, 2011)

Now your bacon looks fantastic and so lean too. I have found that home made bacon is much leaner then store bought for some reason. I usually smoke mine for about 608 hours with smoke and it always turns out great.


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## shellbellc (Feb 3, 2011)

mballi3011 said:


> Now your bacon looks fantastic and so lean too. I have found that home made bacon is much leaner then store bought for some reason. I usually smoke mine for about 608 hours with smoke and it always turns out great.


608 hours!  Wow! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   I have been just trying to go by having a good color change.  Has worked good so far.  One of the bacon sessions we've done was 48 hours long.  I'll post that in a few days.


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## metal man (Feb 6, 2011)

Great looking bacon.


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## rw willy (Feb 11, 2011)

I have not seen a color change on my two bacon trials.  I was thinking the only way to get color would be to hot smoke?  I did some BB and took it to 150 F and the color was stunning!  But those are two different methods.  But I have only done 12 hrs smoke this last time.

I think I over soaked the first time.  Cut it to 30 min. this last time.  Much better.

Your bacon looks great


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## Bearcarver (Feb 12, 2011)

Hi Shellbellc,

This is the first I saw this thread---That Bacon looks excellent!

Nice & meaty & nice color!

I never got good color from cold smoking, but I never smoked it for over 12 hours.

I always figured if I would cold smoke for longer times, I could get good color without heat, but I wasn't sure.

Looks like your's proves that.

Thanks for showing!

Bear

PS: Did you ever get around to doing the Dried Beef?


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## shellbellc (Feb 15, 2011)

Bearcarver said:


> PS: Did you ever get around to doing the Dried Beef?




 Going home today and pulling the cold smoked bacon out of the smoker and tomorrow the venison will be going in for the warm smoke!


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## Bearcarver (Feb 15, 2011)

Shellbellc said:


> Going home today and pulling the cold smoked bacon out of the smoker and tomorrow the venison will be going in for the warm smoke!


MMMmmm,

from Bacon to dried Beef !

Can't beat that!

Bear


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