# Pork jowl bacon



## 73saint (Jul 31, 2020)

Got 13 beautiful pork jowls a couple weeks back.  I trimmed them up nicely, put them in a standard dry cure (diggingdog farms bacon calculator), garlic powder, onion powder & black pepper for the seasoning.  Rotated and massaged for 14 days, then let them dry for 48 hours in my fridge, and cold smoked them with hickory pellets, (mixed in w a little cherry at the end) and now have them resting back in the fridge.  I used my Lang fatboy with racks removed, and did this over a couple days, avoiding the warmest parts of the day. I also keep a UV tarp over my cook chamber while smoking, and it brings the ambient temps of the cook chamber down about 15 degrees or so.  Highest temp I hit was about 85 degrees.  I took plenty of pics along the way.  Still haven’t tasted it yet but I am absolutely dying to!!












I skinned them, so I could keep the skins for my boudin.





just followed my pork belly bacon procedure, weighing my meat in grams, and measuring out the cure salt and sugar accordingly.  I used about 1/4 cup of garlic, onion and black pepper in each bag (each bag had 4-5jowls)





hanging in my fridge, forming a very nice pellicle.  The extra day bc of the weather really dried them out nicely.





first time using meat hooks.  I ordered these on eBay, super cheap and they worked like a charm!





here they are when I first started smoking them.





After about 8 hours...





after about 14 hours they are really starting to look and smell good!











That’s the color I’m looking for!!
	

		
			
		

		
	











all done! The smell was almost more than I could stand.





and here they are now, currently resting. I don’t know how much longer I can wait!!


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## indaswamp (Jul 31, 2020)

Color looks beautiful! Like!
I really love that bag marked skin!! (reserved for boudin right!)

I really need to go pick up some hog heads and make some. I can get the heads for $7 each and they will even split them for me...


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## 73saint (Jul 31, 2020)

indaswamp said:


> Color looks beautiful! Like!
> I really love that bag marked skin!! (reserved for boudin right!)
> 
> I really need to go pick up some hog heads and make some. I can get the heads for $7 each and they will even split them for me...


Inda where do you get the heads for that price?  I paid $1.17/lb for these.  I think the total was like $22. Is that a decent price?


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## indaswamp (Jul 31, 2020)

$1.17/lb. for just the jowls or the whole head?


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## indaswamp (Jul 31, 2020)

I can get them at the local Mexican market....


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## 73saint (Jul 31, 2020)

indaswamp said:


> $1.17/lb. for just the jowls or the whole head?


For the jowls


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## indaswamp (Jul 31, 2020)

That is a great price...


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## chopsaw (Jul 31, 2020)

Looks great bud . Nice work .


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## 73saint (Jul 31, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> Looks great bud . Nice work .


Thanks Chop!


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## SmokinAl (Jul 31, 2020)

Never had that before, but it sure looks good!
Al


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## Brokenhandle (Jul 31, 2020)

They look great! You got some great color on them. Gonna be some good eating! 

Ryan


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## Magic Meat (Jul 31, 2020)

73saint said:


> Got 13 beautiful pork jowls a couple weeks back.  I trimmed them up nicely, put them in a standard dry cure (diggingdog farms bacon calculator), garlic powder, onion powder & black pepper for the seasoning.  Rotated and massaged for 14 days, then let them dry for 48 hours in my fridge, and cold smoked them with hickory pellets, (mixed in w a little cherry at the end) and now have them resting back in the fridge.  I used my Lang fatboy with racks removed, and did this over a couple days, avoiding the warmest parts of the day. I also keep a UV tarp over my cook chamber while smoking, and it brings the ambient temps of the cook chamber down about 15 degrees or so.  Highest temp I hit was about 85 degrees.  I took plenty of pics along the way.  Still haven’t tasted it yet but I am absolutely dying to!!
> 
> View attachment 456365
> 
> ...


Oh my !!... That has to be the best looking jowl bacon I have ever seen ! I think I can smell it right through my screen haha.
What did you run for smoke ? The color is phenomenal.. now I want a huge bag of jowls to cure and smoke lol. Big thumbs up on that !


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## burgerbob (Jul 31, 2020)

I'm sure I can find it with a Google search, but I was curious as to what's the difference between your jowl bacon and guanciale? The seasoning/cure? Or are they essentially the same thing?


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## tander28 (Jul 31, 2020)

LOVE pork jowl, you are about to have some good eating, great work!


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## 73saint (Jul 31, 2020)

Sowsage said:


> That's a lot of piggies! Personally I would take the time to skin them. Gonna be a PIA but for me I would rather do it all at once and be done with it....also if I was making that much jowl bacon id deffinatly be making some pork jowl bacon burnt ends at some point. If you've never done it try it out...you wont be dissapointed!
> 
> 
> SmokinAl said:
> ...


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## chopsaw (Jul 31, 2020)

burgerbob said:


> I'm sure I can find it with a Google search, but I was curious as to what's the difference between your jowl bacon and guanciale? The seasoning/cure? Or are they essentially the same thing?


Guanciale is not smoked . I think its dry cured . Cure 2 .


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## Sowsage (Jul 31, 2020)

Looks like it all turned out real nice! My mouth is watering!  Your going to have some good meals made with that bacon. Beautiful color on them as well!


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## TNJAKE (Jul 31, 2020)

Very nice bud


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## jcam222 (Jul 31, 2020)

Man those look awesome. I’ve never had it but recently bought some that’s already smoked. I have it in the freezer. I should ask the guy where I got my hog to save me jowls. He killed another 8 hogs today.


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## indaswamp (Jul 31, 2020)

73saint
 , 
Now it's time for some Pasta a la Carbonara!


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## Sowsage (Jul 31, 2020)

jcam222 said:


> I should ask the guy where I got my hog to save me jowls. He killed another 8 hogs today.


You really should ask him....chances are nobody is doing anything with them and they are trashing them. I see guys butcher hogs all the time and never give thought to that stuff.


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## pc farmer (Jul 31, 2020)

Wow weee.   They sure look great.   Never had it but from what I see I would love it.


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## chef jimmyj (Jul 31, 2020)

Looks great. My favorite cut of Pork. I just can't find any close by...JJ


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## jcam222 (Aug 1, 2020)

chef jimmyj said:


> Looks great. My favorite cut of Pork. I just can't find any close by...JJ


For bacon JJ or do you do something else with it?


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## chef jimmyj (Aug 1, 2020)

Guanciale! I like Basic, Salt, Pepper and refer dried. Great Fried like Bacon or as a start for cooking fat and Pork flavor in a host of Italian and other food...JJ


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