# 1st time smoking bacon w qview and recipes



## coolew01 (Jan 15, 2016)

*Please note I messed the original recipes below up.   Make sure to follow the recommendations from the cure manufacturer and use the correct amount of cure. Generally 1/4 teaspoon of #1 cure to a lb of meat*

Recipe 1 Pepper Bacon
8tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp coarse pepper
1tsp cure
8tsp turbinado sugar
2 1/2 lbs pork belly

Recipe 2 Diablo in the raw
8tsp salt
2tsp coarse pepper
1 tsp cure
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cayenne 
5 tsp sugar in the raw aka as turbinado
2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder

Recipe 3 Chicago Bacon
1/3 cup chicago steak seasoning
1tsp cure
2 tsp turbinado sugar

Recipe 4 Maple Bacon
1tbs maple syrup
1 1/2 tbs turbinado sugar
1tbs salt
1tsp cure
1/2tsp coarse pepper
2 1/2 lbs pork belly

Wish me luck


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## coolew01 (Jan 15, 2016)

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Duplicate sorry


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## pc farmer (Jan 15, 2016)

Dry cure?   Looking good


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## coolew01 (Jan 15, 2016)

c farmer said:


> Dry cure?   Looking good



Dry cured 7 days then I put on a cookie sheet in fridge for 32 hours I would have done 48 hours but it is supposed to be real cold tomorrow.  It was 18 out when  I started it will be -6 when it is done smoking


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## pc farmer (Jan 15, 2016)

Post up more pics if you can


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## coolew01 (Jan 15, 2016)

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Is there going to be anything wrong with the scorched ones or can i just trim it off?  Apparently microwaving the pellets for 3 minutes when it is drier than a popcorn fart in Minnesota was a bad idea.  Pellets combusted in the amazen at t 2 1/2 hour mark.  The ones that got charred were the ones not shielded by covered water pan.  Pics are 5 hours in.


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## pc farmer (Jan 15, 2016)

I would keep all the burned slices or chunks together.  Use in beans or other dishes.


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## coolew01 (Jan 16, 2016)

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Post 13 hours of smoke, cut the seared parts out.  Two days to mellow.


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## SmokinAl (Jan 16, 2016)

If I read this right you used 1 tsp cure for 2 1/2 lbs of meat. That's twice the allowed amount. Not good.

Al


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## coolew01 (Jan 16, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> If I read this right you used 1 tsp cure for 2 1/2 lbs of meat. That's twice the allowed amount. Not good.
> 
> Al



Thanks for pointing that out Al.  You are correct .  1/4 tsp per pound.  Does anyone know how many ppm of sodium nitrate is in a tsp?


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## coolew01 (Jan 16, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> If I read this right you used 1 tsp cure for 2 1/2 lbs of meat. That's twice the allowed amount. Not good.
> 
> Al



I think I am doing the math right I used the calculator linked on one of the forums.  See if this makes sense.
1 lbs of belly would use 1/4 tsp of cure which would be 156ppm.  156 x 2.5(1/4+1/4+1/8 tsp) = 390ppm
I used 156X4(four 1/4's) = 624 ppm or 250ppm per lb.

I know for the future to use way less but shouldn't it be safe to eat?

Thanks in advance


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## SmokinAl (Jan 16, 2016)

Hopefully Chef Jimmy will chime in, if not I would PM him. I know it's too much cure, but not sure if it's enough to hurt you.

Al


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## coolew01 (Jan 16, 2016)

SmokinAl said:


> Hopefully Chef Jimmy will chime in, if not I would PM him. I know it's too much cure, but not sure if it's enough to hurt you.
> 
> Al



I did some research it takes a concentration of around 3,200 milligrams of sodium nitrate in kilogram of meat to be a lethal dose for an average size person.  All ten lbs I did had 975mg in total of it on it.  It should be fine in moderation.  I realy appreciate you pointing it out so i don't do it in the future.


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## coolew01 (Jan 16, 2016)

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Above are pictures of the montreal cured bacon.

I've tried two of the four recipes I made.

The maple bacon one was ok.

The Chicago one smelled amazing before I even cooked it.  I think it would be great on a burger with cheddar cheese.  I would definitely make it again.

I would add on the Chicago one it didn't have much salt flavor if you like salty bacon.


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## disco (Jan 16, 2016)

Nice comparison smoke.

Disco


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## coolew01 (Jan 16, 2016)

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Pepper bacon recipe it is good, aside from getting the cure right would cut a little more salt out.


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## daveomak (Jan 16, 2016)

Coolew01 said:


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Excellent job for your first attempt....    Well, now you know where to make corrections.....   

First, I would get a grams scale...   about $8 at Amazon...   0-100 grams range....  













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__ daveomak
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For the curing part of the bacon, try starting with a 2% salt addition...   10 grams per pound......

For the sugar part....  try starting with 1.5% sugar...   7-8 grams per pound.... 

For the cure part....   about 1.1 grams per pound is the middle of the road and good for most curing projects...

Mix the salt, sugar and cure together....   If you mix up a big batch of those three items, using those weights and keep the ratio the same, then you have a mix for the ages....  All you have to do is measure out 10 + 7 + 1 = 18 grams grams of your mix and it's ready to go on 1 (one ) pound of meat...  add what ever spices you like and you are golden...    apply uniformly over the meat and rub it in a bit...   Zip bag in the refer at 38 deg. F for approx. 7 days per inch thickness and do what ever your recipe calls for...   The meat is cured, salted and the small amount of sugar masks the salt flavor...    7 days per inch is important...  salt penetrates quickly into meat...   sugar penetrates very slowly...  so to keep the meat from tasting salty, wait the longer time for the sugar to do it's job and you will be a hero...  promise....  

If you have any questions, I'm here with all the other very knowledgeable members...

Dave


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## coolew01 (Jan 16, 2016)

Ordered a gram scale as well as a oz scale, hope I don't make it on the DEA's list[emoji]9786[/emoji]️


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## daveomak (Jan 17, 2016)

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....  They will come in handy....   Dave


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## redsmoke (Jan 17, 2016)

What temp did you smoke at?   Smoking mine today -11 out but the masterbuilt smoker is keeping up good.  I'm smoking at 110-129deg.


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## smokin phil (Jan 17, 2016)

.


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## SmokinAl (Jan 17, 2016)

I agree with Phil.

Al


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## redsmoke (Jan 17, 2016)

no temp listed and -8*F at the moment isn't going to work


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## coolew01 (Jan 30, 2016)

I smoked mine at 50-70 degrees I have a propane smoker that I couldn't use on low the temp would have been too high so I turned the knob until it was almost off to keep a bit of heat in the smoker.  If you have an electric smoker I imagine it can't go that low.  I wonder if a sterno fuel can would work.  Not sure what smell it would give off though


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## smokinadam (Jan 30, 2016)

Coolew01 said:


> I smoked mine at 50-70 degrees I have a propane smoker that I couldn't use on low the temp would have been too high so I turned the knob until it was almost off to keep a bit of heat in the smoker.  If you have an electric smoker I imagine it can't go that low.  I wonder if a sterno fuel can would work.  Not sure what smell it would give off though



Trick I did in my propane smoker for when I couldn't get it low enough but wanted some heat was to place a couple lit briquettes in a foil pan and few unlit ones in a nice snake. Gave just a little heat with my amazen and turned my fish out nicely.


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