# BERKSHIRE HOG BELLY BACON



## SmokinAl

Well I have heard so much talk about Berkshire hogs that I wanted to try to get a belly for bacon. None to be had around here so I went online & ordered one from Tenderbelly.com. They are a great Company to deal with & the owner Shannon is a real stand up guy, kinda reminds me of Todd Johnson of Amazen Products. Berkshire pork products are a little pricey, but we don't eat a lot of bacon & this batch will last us a year or more. So it was worth it to me to see if it's worth the extra money. Of course if you can source one locally then it would be even better & cheaper. Anyhow this is what I started with. A 15 lb, 11 oz belly between 2" & 3" thick. 















I used the bacon calculator to figure the salt, sugar & cure #1 amounts. Then added 1/8 cup of each, granulated garlic, granulated onion, & cracked black pepper.






I cut the belly into 3 pieces, weighed each one & put them in vac bags & then added the proper amount of cure & spice mix to each bag, 1/2 on one side & then the other half on the other side.






Rubbed it into the belly on the first side & flipped it over & did the same to the other side.
































Then vacuumed them up.







And they are ready for a trip to the fridge for 2 weeks.






I flipped, massaged, & rotated them daily.






We try to eat a low salt diet, so after 2 weeks I rinsed off the cure & soaked the bellies in ice water for 2 hours to leach out some of the salt. This is unnecessary if you are not concerned about your salt intake. The recipe is perfect without this step.







Next stop is drying them off, rubbing them down with some black pepper & drying in the fridge for 3 days.













Then into the smoker for a cold smoke with apple for 12 hours. Got some nice TBS going!














12 hours later they have some nice color & are ready for another 3 days of drying time in the fridge.













2 days in, starting to dry out.







Next stop is the freezer for 3 hours to really make them easy to slice.







I had to get the big boy slicer out for this. I had this for sale & nobody wanted it.
But today I'm kinda glad I didn't sell it, cause it really made all this slicing easy.















There was a lot to slice so Judy & I took turns on the slicer.







We divided it up into 1/2 lb. packages.






Then vac packed them up.







I ended up with about 14 lbs. of bacon & some scraps for soup & beans.








Definitely got to cook some up & try it out!







We cooked 2 trays full for BLT's for lunch & dinner.







Judy had already made sour dough buns that were in the freezer. Perfect for BLT's.







That what 3 weeks of work will get you.







Got to have a homemade pickle with mine!







Well what is my opinion of Berkshire bacon. Both Judy & I thought is was the best bacon I have made so far. The flavor is different, especially the fat. It is fattier than the bellies I usually get, but the fat is like bacon butter. I don't know any other way to describe it. It has the mouth feel of butter. Will I buy it again. Yes, absolutely! 
Next time I get a little extra money, I think that maybe I will have to try Berkshire Babybacks next. If they have that same kind of fat in them, then they ought to be fantastic!!!
Thanks for watching guys!!
Al


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## motocrash

Beautiful bacon Al! Heritage breeds rule!


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## Hillgrillies BBQ

That is awesome Al!!! That's a beautiful piece of Pork. I just put in two bellies from a Magnalista I raised. These are my first two bacons ever. I'm using the Morton tender quick method. I raised a Berkshire last year and was very happy. Just trying different breeds to see the best carcass.


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## Hillgrillies BBQ




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## tropics

Al that is some great looking Bacon Points and it belongs on the carousel IMHO
Richie


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## chilerelleno

Out Freaking Standing!
Al that has me salivating so hard it hurts, great looking bacon and the pics do it complete justice.
Having that to convalesce on should definitely help, food for the body and soul.

*Like
*
Also, I like your kitchen from what I can see, weird, man envy of another guys kitchen...  LOL...  Your car too.


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## motocrash

chilerelleno said:


> Also, I like your kitchen from what I can see, weird, man envy of another guys kitchen... LOL... Your car too.


Nothing wrong with that,after all besides the smoker that's where the magic happens...


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## Rings Я Us

Very cool.. I was wondering if that had more fat in it also. Because that's how they used to all be before the bad publicity of fat in the market for pork caused the farmer to start breeding pork to be leaner.
They bred the fat and flavor out .
Nice thread Al.

Point! &
MERRY CHRISTMAS


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## griz400

Nice job on that bacon .. points to you .. now we need a Berkshire fattie .....


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## Bearcarver

Beautiful Berkshire Bacon, Al !!!:)
None of my Bacons ever had their own names.:D

And That BLT is to Die For!!!:)  Like.

Bear


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## Braz

That is gorgeous. I am going to get a couple of bellies after the holidays are over. I have a local butcher/processor that I get them from. I think I'll give Bear's "Extra Smokey" a try.

Looks like you are cooking your bacon in the broiler. That has become my method of choice.


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## GaryHibbert

Two weeks work for a sandwich??  Well worth it IMO.  That bacon looks DELICIOUS!!!!
Nice job Al.  You and Miss Judy are all set now.
POINT
Gary


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## wimpy69

Really nice job there. Definitely treated that piggy with respect.


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## Rings Я Us

Made the carousel .. 

Nice!


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## myownidaho

Nice job, Al! That’s some great looking bacon. The first batch of bacon I ever did was Berkshire.


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## wellerjohn

Awesome, look s damn fine.


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## SmokinAl

motocrash said:


> Beautiful bacon Al! Heritage breeds rule!





Hillgrillies BBQ said:


> That is awesome Al!!! That's a beautiful piece of Pork. I just put in two bellies from a Magnalista I raised. These are my first two bacons ever. I'm using the Morton tender quick method. I raised a Berkshire last year and was very happy. Just trying different breeds to see the best carcass.





tropics said:


> Al that is some great looking Bacon Points and it belongs on the carousel IMHO
> Richie





chilerelleno said:


> Out Freaking Standing!
> Al that has me salivating so hard it hurts, great looking bacon and the pics do it complete justice.
> Having that to convalesce on should definitely help, food for the body and soul.
> 
> *Like
> *
> Also, I like your kitchen from what I can see, weird, man envy of another guys kitchen...  LOL...  Your car too.





motocrash said:


> Nothing wrong with that,after all besides the smoker that's where the magic happens...





Rings Я Us said:


> Very cool.. I was wondering if that had more fat in it also. Because that's how they used to all be before the bad publicity of fat in the market for pork caused the farmer to start breeding pork to be leaner.
> They bred the fat and flavor out .
> Nice thread Al.
> 
> Point! &
> MERRY CHRISTMAS





griz400 said:


> Nice job on that bacon .. points to you .. now we need a Berkshire fattie .....





bearcarver said:


> Beautiful Berkshire Bacon, Al !!!:)
> None of my Bacons ever had their own names.:D
> 
> And That BLT is to Die For!!!:)  Like.
> 
> Bear





braz said:


> That is gorgeous. I am going to get a couple of bellies after the holidays are over. I have a local butcher/processor that I get them from. I think I'll give Bear's "Extra Smokey" a try.
> 
> Looks like you are cooking your bacon in the broiler. That has become my method of choice.





GaryHibbert said:


> Two weeks work for a sandwich??  Well worth it IMO.  That bacon looks DELICIOUS!!!!
> Nice job Al.  You and Miss Judy are all set now.
> POINT
> Gary





wimpy69 said:


> Really nice job there. Definitely treated that piggy with respect.





Rings Я Us said:


> Made the carousel ..
> 
> Nice!





myownidaho said:


> Nice job, Al! That’s some great looking bacon. The first batch of bacon I ever did was Berkshire.



Thanks a lot fellas, your kind words & likes are much appreciated!
Al


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## SmokinAl

wellerjohn said:


> Awesome, look s damn fine.



Thank you!
Al


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## hoity toit

Awsome  bacon Al. I think you nailed it spot on.  Merry Christmas.

HT


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## driedstick

Holy Bacons,,,, very nice,, have a belly in fridge not that I have to do.

Merry Merry Merry Christmas,, have a great day


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## hardcookin

Awesome job Al!!
It was a lot of work but your set for awhile. Impressed with the size of that pork belly.
Point worthy for sure...


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## WaterinHoleBrew

Awesome Al, that all looks excellent!  Very nice!


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## SmokinAl

Thanks fellas!
Al


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## gmc2003

Fantastic looking bacon Al. It looks well worth the extra cost, and the sammie is making my mouth water. Point for sure.

Chris


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## SmokinAl

gmc2003 said:


> Fantastic looking bacon Al. It looks well worth the extra cost, and the sammie is making my mouth water. Point for sure.
> 
> Chris



Thanks Chris!
Al


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## troutman

Just got a chance to digest all of this Al ....that was EPIC


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## browneyesvictim

Wow! That's is some fine looking bacon. My mouth is watering for your BLT Al. Congratulations!


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## ghoster

great narration of some awesome looking bacon Al.


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## b-one

Nice looking bacon,with that new hip are you slowed enough I could steal some?


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## SmokinAl

Thanks for the kind words guys!
Al


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## Mario Trettenero

smokinal said:


> Thanks for the kind words guys!
> Al




Great looking bacon Al - we’ll done!

Was wondering what inturnal temperatures you were maintaining during your 12 hour smoke process. 

Can’t wait to try my first batch of cold smoked bacon - thanks

Cheers Mario


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## SmokinAl

Mario Trettenero said:


> Great looking bacon Al - we’ll done!
> 
> Was wondering what inturnal temperatures you were maintaining during your 12 hour smoke process.
> 
> Can’t wait to try my first batch of cold smoked bacon - thanks
> 
> Cheers Mario



If you are talking about the smoker temp. I kept it between 60-90 degrees. I turned on the MES a few times to get the chamber a little warm, but never let it get above 90 degrees. Putting a little heat in there helped keep the smoke circulating through & out the exhaust.
Good luck on your first bacon attempt.
But I have to tell you that once you make your own bacon, you will never be able to eat store bought bacon again.
Al


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## daveomak




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## Mario Trettenero

smokinal said:


> If you are talking about the smoker temp. I kept it between 60-90 degrees. I turned on the MES a few times to get the chamber a little warm, but never let it get above 90 degrees. Putting a little heat in there helped keep the smoke circulating through & out the exhaust.
> Good luck on your first bacon attempt.
> But I have to tell you that once you make your own bacon, you will never be able to eat store bought bacon again.
> Al




Thanks Al - great information 

Now I just have to find myself some pork belly and experiment a little.
Just curious - have you ever tried double cold smoking your bacon? meaning instead of applying smoke for 12 hours have you tried applying smoke to it for 24 - 30 hours with resting/drying breaks in between smoke applications 

When cold smoking my salmon I usually apply a total of 32 hours or so of smoke and include evening resting/drying periods and it turns out amazing. My cold smoke salmon process usually takes 3-4 days I don’t see why I couldn’t use the same method for cold smoking bacon. What to you think?

Thanks Cheers Mario


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## daveomak

*Cold Smoking*
Cold smoking at 52-71° F (12-22° C), from 1-14 days, applying thin smoke with occasional breaks in between, is one of the oldest preservation methods.


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## SmokinAl

As Dave said it has been used for years. I have tried that method & for our taste it puts too much smoke flavor on the meat. My max for bacon is 12 hours cold smoke & my max for lox is 4 hours cold smoke. But that is just our preference. I would give your method a try & see which one you like the best.
Either way, good luck!
Al


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## Mario Trettenero

smokinal said:


> As Dave said it has been used for years. I have tried that method & for our taste it puts too much smoke flavor on the meat. My max for bacon is 12 hours cold smoke & my max for lox is 4 hours cold smoke. But that is just our preference. I would give your method a try & see which one you like the best.
> Either way, good luck!
> Al



Will do thank you gentlemen


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## ab canuck

Great thread and great looking bacon AL. We have some bellies from berk/lacombe cross to do when I have time next month I am thinking. I like the process. We raise a few for the family every year. A friend of mine started raising berks a couple yrs ago and that is where we will be getting our piglets from now on. Great meat pigs.


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## SmokinAl

ab canuck said:


> Great thread and great looking bacon AL. We have some bellies from berk/lacombe cross to do when I have time next month I am thinking. I like the process. We raise a few for the family every year. A friend of mine started raising berks a couple yrs ago and that is where we will be getting our piglets from now on. Great meat pigs.



You are a very lucky guy to be able to source your pork locally. There are a lot of farms around where I live & I'm going to have to do some research to see if anybody is raising heritage hogs. So far I have not seen any cattle or hogs, they are growing veggies & strawberries. It sure would be nice to get some locally grown Berkshire hog products. I would be in hog heaven!! :)
Al


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## hardcookin

smokinal said:


> You are a very lucky guy to be able to source your pork locally. There are a lot of farms around where I live & I'm going to have to do some research to see if anybody is raising heritage hogs. So far I have not seen any cattle or hogs, they are growing veggies & strawberries. It sure would be nice to get some locally grown Berkshire hog products. I would be in hog heaven!! :)
> Al


Al maybe a good place to ask would be a farmers market.
A lot of them people seem to have local connections.


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## SmokinAl

Thanks Doug!
That's a good idea!
Al


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## Rings Я Us

Al ,
  Did you vac out all air? Or just most? 
Does it matter?


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## Rings Я Us

smokinal said:


> Thanks Doug!
> That's a good idea!
> Al


I shoulda ,woulda , coulda,  quoted this to make sure( Al )saw my question.  Above..
I forgot quote..
My bad.. I think he will say it doesn't matter if you vacuum seal or just leave some air in..

I think this will be my next fun cure project.


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## SmokinAl

As said above, it doesn't matter if you take all the air out, but I do. It seems to me that it would help the meat cure, because all the moisture would be drawn back into the meat, with the spices & cure going along with it.
Al


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## Rings Я Us

smokinal said:


> As said above, it doesn't matter if you take all the air out, but I do. It seems to me that it would help the meat cure, because all the moisture would be drawn back into the meat, with the spices & cure going along with it.
> Al



All the little nuances and tips add up. I hate doing something and later find out that "oh,  I did this or that" and mine could have been better if I had also. Lol like some people will give away their secret recipe and accidentally on purpose leave a pinch of something off what they give ya.  And it never is quite like theirs was .
Thanks


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## SmokinAl

Rings Я Us said:


> All the little nuances and tips add up. I hate doing something and later find out that "oh,  I did this or that" and mine could have been better if I had also. Lol like some people will give away their secret recipe and accidentally on purpose leave a pinch of something off what they give ya.  And it never is quite like theirs was .
> Thanks


I don't think you will find that happening on here. If you get a recipe from someone here I think you can be assured they didn't leave anything out. I'm not so naive to think that it never happens, but if it does it's not from one of the regulars on here. Maybe a newbie who doesn't trust the folks on here would do that, but all of us that have been on here a long time would never do that. If I had a secret recipe that I didn't want to give out, I wouldn't post it, or I would tell you that I can't give it to you. But for me if someone says they used my recipe &  the food came out great, then that is what I'm looking for. I want it to be the best thing they ever ate!
Al


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## Rings Я Us

smokinal said:


> I don't think you will find that happening on here. If you get a recipe from someone here I think you can be assured they didn't leave anything out. I'm not so naive to think that it never happens, but if it does it's not from one of the regulars on here. Maybe a newbie who doesn't trust the folks on here would do that, but all of us that have been on here a long time would never do that. If I had a secret recipe that I didn't want to give out, I wouldn't post it, or I would tell you that I can't give it to you. But for me if someone says they used my recipe &  the food came out great, then that is what I'm looking for. I want it to be the best thing they ever ate!
> Al


Oh, I have no doubt about your being thorough..
Yes.. good to go!
And people need to ask if there is some grey area that they were not sure about.. I hope nobody is afraid to ask. :)

Thanks for the help.


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## Rings Я Us

Pork belly $3.69 lb guess that's ok


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## dls1

smokinal said:


> You are a very lucky guy to be able to source your pork locally. There are a lot of farms around where I live & I'm going to have to do some research to see if anybody is raising heritage hogs. So far I have not seen any cattle or hogs, they are growing veggies & strawberries. It sure would be nice to get some locally grown Berkshire hog products. I would be in hog heaven!! :)
> Al



Beautiful belly, Al, and some beautiful bacon as well. Your sandwich reminds me of the first time I had a BLT sandwich with some well cured and smoked Berkshire. After the first bite, I ditched the L&T and was much happier.

Regarding your quest for heritage pork in your area I know of a place you may want to check out a little bit North of where you are. A couple years ago I was in Sebring with one of my cars for a few days at an HSR event at the track, and during a lull in the activity, one of my friends, who owns several restaurants in the Miami area, asked me if I wanted to go along with him to visit his pork supplier.

I don't recall the exact distance from Sebring but it was only about 20 minutes North on Route 17 on the outskirts of the town of Avon Park. It's a smallish family run operation by the name of Palmetto Creek Farms, and while they once did Berkshires, and several other breeds, they now focus solely on Herefords. The owner's a super nice and knowledgeable guy by the name of Jim, and it's quite evident that he's very passionate and dedicated to what they're doing.

Most of their focus is on the restaurant trade, but they also sell to individual consumers. I didn't notice any retail operation there so if you're interested I would suggest calling ahead to make an appointment. Also, if you want, and they have time, they'll give you a tour of the operation which I would highly recommend doing.

A link to their website is here > http://www.bestpork.us/


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## SmokinAl

dls1 said:


> Beautiful belly, Al, and some beautiful bacon as well. Your sandwich reminds me of the first time I had a BLT sandwich with some well cured and smoked Berkshire. After the first bite, I ditched the L&T and was much happier.
> 
> Regarding your quest for heritage pork in your area I know of a place you may want to check out a little bit North of where you are. A couple years ago I was in Sebring with one of my cars for a few days at an HSR event at the track, and during a lull in the activity, one of my friends, who owns several restaurants in the Miami area, asked me if I wanted to go along with him to visit his pork supplier.
> 
> I don't recall the exact distance from Sebring but it was only about 20 minutes North on Route 17 on the outskirts of the town of Avon Park. It's a smallish family run operation by the name of Palmetto Creek Farms, and while they once did Berkshires, and several other breeds, they now focus solely on Herefords. The owner's a super nice and knowledgeable guy by the name of Jim, and it's quite evident that he's very passionate and dedicated to what they're doing.
> 
> Most of their focus is on the restaurant trade, but they also sell to individual consumers. I didn't notice any retail operation there so if you're interested I would suggest calling ahead to make an appointment. Also, if you want, and they have time, they'll give you a tour of the operation which I would highly recommend doing.
> 
> A link to their website is here > http://www.bestpork.us/



Thank you so much Dave!
That is just down the street from me!
Al


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## biaviian

Rings Я Us said:


> Pork belly $3.69 lb guess that's ok



I get a good price but it is from a butcher shop that sources local pigs.  I think $3.69 is good.  It is $3.99 at a local grocery store (one of four that can get bellies) but they butcher, no pun intended, the butchering so they leave the belly a mess.


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## Rings Я Us

smokinal said:


> As said above, it doesn't matter if you take all the air out, but I do. It seems to me that it would help the meat cure, because all the moisture would be drawn back into the meat, with the spices & cure going along with it.
> Al



Al,
Did you use 1/8 cup for each slab or combined?
You measure out the salt and sugar and cure for each slab, then added 1/8 cup of the other 3 spices to that calculated mix? And did 3 separate batches right? Got the pork belly today.. probably going to have 3 slabs myself.


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## Rings Я Us

Thanks in advance.

Better go get some more pepper corns before I start butchering. Only ground up less than a 1/4 cup. That won't be enough for the 3 x 1/8 C


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## SmokinAl

Rings Я Us said:


> Al,
> Did you use 1/8 cup for each slab or combined?
> You measure out the salt and sugar and cure for each slab, then added 1/8 cup of the other 3 spices to that calculated mix? And did 3 separate batches right? Got the pork belly today.. probably going to have 3 slabs myself.



Yes Johnny, you are correct. I measured out the correct amounts for each slab, then added 1/8 cu of the other spices to each mix. Then mixed them up & put each belly piece in it's own bag. I found it easy to mark the bags with the weight, then mark corresponding paper plates with the weight Then mix the ingredients for each weight in a mixing bowl & put each one on it's corresponding plate. That way it's hard to get them mixed up & put the wrong amount in any of the bags. Good luck & let me know how your bacon turns out!
Al


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## wellerjohn

Looks amazing....


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## SmokinAl

wellerjohn said:


> Looks amazing....



Thank you!
Al


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## Rings Я Us

The flavor of this recipe was wonderful Al. Thanks.


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## SmokinAl

Rings Я Us said:


> View attachment 353030
> View attachment 353031
> 
> The flavor of this recipe was wonderful Al. Thanks.



I'm so happy to hear you liked the recipe!
Your bacon looks fantastic!
That looks like a perfect breakfast to me!
Al


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## indaswamp

Al, what temp did you cold smoke at? 

Thanks.


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## Rings Я Us

indaswamp said:


> Al, what temp did you cold smoke at?
> 
> Thanks.


Here is the temperatures at Al's house outside the week he cold smoked his Berkshire Bellies..







You can see it was probably 70s or low 80s that week.. so no heat from his smoker was needed I'm quite sure.


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## SmokinAl

Yep, Johnny is right.
Every once in a while I turn the smoker on just to get the smoke flowing a little faster.
But I set it at 100, & only run it for a couple of minutes.
Al


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## redheelerdog

Beautiful bacon Al, those thick slabs are amazing. The BLTs are IN-STOCK at Al's place!


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## lantern

GREAT post!!!! 

You said you wanna try Berkie babybacks and I've had them and they are great. But, if I were to show somebody the magic of Berkshire pigs I would DEFINITELY tell them to get cuts that people usually complain about drying out. Let me tell you. If you get a bone-in pork loin(frenched looks pretty) and cook it like a prime rib you will NEVER forget it. Annnnnnd now that's WHAT I WANT. LOL!!!


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## SmokinAl

redheelerdog said:


> Beautiful bacon Al, those thick slabs are amazing. The BLTs are IN-STOCK at Al's place!





lantern said:


> GREAT post!!!!
> 
> You said you wanna try Berkie babybacks and I've had them and they are great. But, if I were to show somebody the magic of Berkshire pigs I would DEFINITELY tell them to get cuts that people usually complain about drying out. Let me tell you. If you get a bone-in pork loin(frenched looks pretty) and cook it like a prime rib you will NEVER forget it. Annnnnnd now that's WHAT I WANT. LOL!!!



Thanks a lot fellas!
And I may try the loin too!
Al


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## flatbroke

Impressive. I would like to try this but do not own a smoker to do it with.


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## Rings Я Us

flatbroke said:


> Impressive. I would like to try this but do not own a smoker to do it with.



What happened to your Traeger pellet grill? Use a pellet tray.


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## SmokinAl

Heck you can use a cardboard box & an Amazen tray.
Al


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## flatbroke

Rings Я Us said:


> What happened to your Traeger pellet grill? Use a pellet tray.


I have it still. The auger jammed for the 3rd time and is just sitting in my yard now.


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## SmokinAl

flatbroke said:


> I have it still. The auger jammed for the 3rd time and is just sitting in my yard now.



Well that would still work for cold smoking bacon with an Amazen tray.
Al


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