# Dry Box Cured Bacon With Q View!



## navionjim (Jan 28, 2008)

I went by my local Carneacia on Saturday and asked in my broken Spanish if they had any pork bellies. They use them to make cicerones or â€œpork rindsâ€ to you Yankees and â€œcracklinsâ€ to you Southern boys. If youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never had hot fresh Mexican fried pork fat with hot sauce, youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re really missing out! 

Any way it was pretty funny as the butcher had to lift an 80 pound case of four pork bellies over his head and smash it on the tile floor several times to break one lose from the solidly frozen block of meat. I ended up with a 22 pound belly that took 24 hours to thaw out.

This batch deviates slightly from my recently published diatribe on making bacon in difference to Rytec Kutasâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s instructions in his book. I left the skin on the bellies this time, I hope it proves easier to remove once the meat is cured and smoked!
I trimmed the belly and rubbed it with my previously posted dry cure, then â€œhammeredâ€ them into the curing box to remove any air pockets between the layers. Per the â€œSausage Makerâ€ book, the bellies were placed meat side to meat side with the skin on the top and the bottom. The box Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m using is a food grade plastic ice container from an airline galley cart that I normally reserve for making corned beef briskets. Once I had everything in the box, I covered it with plastic bags and a metal rack, then weighted it down with a gallon jug and stuck it in my fridge.

I plan to use my standard methods from here on out with the â€œwashâ€ being of the honey variant I previously posted. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m going to smoke with hickory and pecan for an American style bacon, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m still going to do my regular dip and dry step prior to smoking the bacon. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll overhaul the bellies in a few days and hope to be ale to dip, dry and smoke sometime next week. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll post more pictures for yâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]all later!

Jimbo


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## richoso1 (Jan 28, 2008)

What a great project! You're so lucky to have a local carneceria, and your right about the fresh fried chicharone with hot sauce. I'm looking forward to more pics!


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## cowgirl (Jan 28, 2008)

Looks wonderful Jimbo!
Looking forward to your finished shots.


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## smokeys my pet (Jan 28, 2008)

Jimbo great start!  Keep us posted and good luck!


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## richtee (Jan 28, 2008)

The oxydizer of choice? And that was NOT a "diatribe". If you so insist, I must respectfully disagree.

BTW  oops  parallel wound  so that was one prob.


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## fatback joe (Jan 28, 2008)

IMO it is easier......I always leave the skin on.  I smoke it then chill it then cut it into sizes that I can lay in my slicer with the skin side facing the blade.  Push it flat and run it once across the blade and the skin usually comes off in one piece.  The skin is usually firm enough that once the blade gets between the meat and the skin is just holds on to that spot and the skin comes off easily.

If you aren't running it through a slicer, it is still easier with a knife IMO.  Also, I noticed no difference in the final product in waiting until the end to remove the skin.


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

wow.........a 22 lb belly.........at my local mex grocery i can only get em 4-5lb...........

kewl, bout keep the skin on..........i was sweating that step, when i thaw out my belly...........i think i will wait till you are completely done, THEN ask for instructions.......hehehhe

besides, at the moment my plate is full........brining a loin for c bacon for superbowl sunday..........and then a practice run on making summer sausage........

so i sit on the edge of my seat, waiting for your endevor to be completed


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## navionjim (Jan 28, 2008)

Fatback Joe;150508 said:
			
		

> IMO it is easier......I always leave the skin on. I smoke it then chill it then cut it into sizes that I can lay in my slicer with the skin side facing the blade. Push it flat and run it once across the blade and the skin usually comes off in one piece. The skin is usually firm enough that once the blade gets between the meat and the skin is just holds on to that spot and the skin comes off easily.
> 
> 
> Cool and thanks! I hope you heard that Walkin Dude. I've always tried to trim it off all before, like you do for making panchetta. That's a royal pain in the *** to do. I do have a small slicer, even if it's a POS. It took me a while to figure out I didn't need to trim my briskets too, well except for making corned beef that is. Nice when the easy was turns out to be the best way.


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

i trim because i need the fat for sausages..........thats nother thing i can't find round here.........all the grocery stores get there meat in boxes........no more of the carcass trimming..............

yeah.......for pancetti, my next project, i will need to trim the skin off

now........what to do with the skin after trimming?


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## fatback joe (Jan 28, 2008)

Make a mask, Hanible Lector style.


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

HAHAHAHAHAHAH.............good one...........but that would be more along the line of TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE!!!!!!!!

Hannibal's was made outta leather.......


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## fatback joe (Jan 28, 2008)

Yeah.........either way the kids get a kick out of it.........my wife jsut said "make sure you put your disgusting *** in the shower when you are done"


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

not to highjack the thread......but just one more question.........

where ARE you putting that mask on


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## navionjim (Jan 28, 2008)

Right you are Steve and this is Texas after all.. But If I were to do anything with the skin it would be to make chicaronies just like they do at the Carneacia. Cracklins would be the Souther edition of that and you need to check out this guys site for how to do it. While your there have a look around because Jr. has some good stuff here on the Delta Blues and general stuff of interest about this area. Caution that  some of this aint for kids.

http://www.deltablues.net/cracklin.html


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

dude.......i am a delta blues fan from YEARS ago........thankx for the link


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

i have that site bookmarked from google searching........but the skin they are using, has meat on it..........i am hoping to remove the skin withOUT any meat on it.........i know you can't do it perfect............but i don't want meat left on like they are talking bout


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## desertlites (Jan 28, 2008)

WD a cracklings ain't cracklings if a-little meat ain't left on them-ya i love the blues site also. My lady is a cajun,born & raised we got a pit out back to make them,no mex kind holds a stick to these.her cajun & me southwest cooking,we make some pretty spicy eats!!


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

okay............so then.........after i smoke, and the skin comes off clean......mite as well throw it away?


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## desertlites (Jan 28, 2008)

we cut the fat off with a little meat first-meat goes to smoke and fat for the pot,so ya if u not gonna make cracklings you gonna throw away


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## walking dude (Jan 28, 2008)

with this belly, i plan on making bacon........so i don't want to take much meat off...........this is NOT the thickest belly i have ever seen.........

i guess i need to wait till i get ready to do the bacon.........after Jim is done..........sorry for the highjack Jim...........then thaw........take pics.....and THEN ask questions


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## desertlites (Jan 28, 2008)

I gottcha WD,tomarrow I gonna be a few miles from the border-thinking of crossing for some belly-pick up pretty cheep there-and makeing cracklings is not a easy job just for a few chunks.


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## kookie (Jan 29, 2008)

Good looking bacon. Can't wait to see it when its done.

Kookie


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## navionjim (Feb 4, 2008)

Hay Y'all!

Just a quick update on the bacon thing I've got going at home. I had to go to Florida last week because of some family business that needed taking care of and I got back just in time for the Super bowl thank god! My team didn't win this year but it was still a great game, the best Super bowl I can remember seeing, maybe ever?

Anyway I got to the bacon during the halftime having sorta burned out on Tom Petty and Southern Rock a few years ago. I was a little surprised to find it didn't "horse" as much as I though it would have, not a problem though, it looked fine and pretty much airtight in the plastic box I used. I drained off most of the liquids and overhauled all three layers.

I repacked the box and poured in 1/2 gallon of apple juice with 12 ounces of honey, 12 of maple syrup, and 8 of molasses. I also threw in a tablespoon of pink salt for good measure. It wasn't quite the same as I posted in my earlier recipe, but close to it, and all that I had on hand at the time. Just the same, it all looks, tastes and smells pretty good!

I should of taken a picture or two, but there really wasn't that much to look at that was any different from the first shots. But I'll be sure to snap a few when I pull it out this weekend and finish it up. I'm going to have to locate some hickory before then. It's not a common wood for smoking down here and I want to use some on this batch. 
Jimbo


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## fritz (Feb 4, 2008)

Thanks for the update Jimbo...look forward to your next on.


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## navionjim (Feb 14, 2008)

BACON!

Hay Y'all,
Sorry to be a bit late with this, but I pulled the bacon out of the smoker night before last and hung it up for this picture. Notice the fancy bacon hangers fashioned from dollar store bread cooling racks two racks for a dollar! Those cost me 50 cents each and took a whole two minutes each to make, so I don't guess I'll be buying the $12 hangers now.

I'm waiting for my new Weston "12 slicer to arrive before slicing these slabs up. There were a few smaller ones and two of those are already gone for taste tests. The others will be given out as gifts. But these three larger ones are all mine. 

I must say this is pretty good bacon, but the honey and maple flavor is more pronounced than I though it was going to be. I'm not sure if I don't like it better with just the molasses and maple, the honey is a bit sweeter than my usual product. The hickory smoke came through nicely and my wife liked it really well as did her granddaughter. I guess that's what counts what with it being Valentine's day and all. Besides she puts up with me spending all the time it takes to make it. When I borough it inside the whole kitchen area smelled like hanging bacon, nothing wrong with that!

Jimbo


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## walking dude (Feb 14, 2008)

looking good jim.........looking good.........can't wait to see pics of those bad boys sliced.............


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## shellbellc (Feb 14, 2008)

man I have to get me some bellies! That looks awesome! Points to ya!


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## dysartsmoker (Feb 14, 2008)

How long from start to finish for that fine looking bacon. I'm thinking of trying some type of bacon but my local butcher can only get pork bellie skinless. Would this be a problem to hang for smoking?


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## welder (Feb 14, 2008)

Looks great. I bet if you put a good junk on the smoker  it would be good be like a boneless pork rib


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## charles1056 (Feb 15, 2008)

Great looking bacon Jim.  Love to see it after it's sliced.


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## desertlites (Feb 15, 2008)

looks fantastic Jimbo & ya those hangers look to work great also!


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