# Beef Bacon



## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

Howdy fellas and non fellas. Been curing a brisket for beef bacon for a couple weeks. Finally finished so thought I'd share.

I went 1.75% Kosher Salt, 1% brown sugar and .25% cure #1
	

		
			
		

		
	







Put the 4.5lb brisket flat in a vac bag and added my cure. Vac sealed loosely so water and cure can move around





14 day I pulled it out to form pellicle and it looked like this





Coated with garlic powder and cracked peppercorns. Let it sit in fridge for 2 days then cold smoked with pecan pellets. My schedule was 4hr smoke. Mellow 24 hours. Cold smoke 4hr. Then I let it age in the fridge for 3 days
	

		
			
		

		
	






After smoke
	

		
			
		

		
	






Money shot before I put it on the slicer





All sliced up













Vac sealed. A little over 4lb
	

		
			
		

		
	






Fried a little up for a taste. Added a touch of oil since this is pretty lean
	

		
			
		

		
	










Final verdict is this stuff is amazing. Definitely something I'm gonna keep in the freezer. Emily loved it. Tastes kinda like country ham lol


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## indaswamp (Mar 1, 2022)

Nice. I've never made beef bacon.....


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## DougE (Mar 1, 2022)

Well done! Looks outstanding.


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## sandyut (Mar 1, 2022)

That’s wild Jake!  Looks fantastic.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Nice. I've never made beef bacon.....


Thanks bud neither had I. It's incredible and something you should try


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

DougE said:


> Well done! Looks outstanding.


Appreciate it Doug. Been a long 3 weeks lol


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

sandyut said:


> That’s wild Jake!  Looks fantastic.


Thanks Dave. Ended up pretty happy with this


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## DougE (Mar 1, 2022)

Now that you got this one under your belt, the wait will amount to nothing next time. You know what you're going to get, so from here on out, you won't be wondering what you're going to end up with when it's done.


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## bauchjw (Mar 1, 2022)

Wow! That is killer bacon!!!!! Man, the possibilities are endless, F’n awesome work!


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

DougE said:


> Now that you got this one under your belt, the wait will amount to nothing next time. You know what you're going to get, so from here on out, you won't be wondering what you're going to end up with when it's done.


Man such a good flavor. Glad I aged it a bit. BBB next


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

bauchjw said:


> Wow! That is killer bacon!!!!! Man, the possibilities are endless, F’n awesome work!


Thanks Jed. I may have smiled a bit when I cut that baby in half!


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## Nefarious (Mar 1, 2022)

Outstanding, high on the list of next cured projects.


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## bauchjw (Mar 1, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> Thanks Jed. I may have smiled a bit when I cut that baby in half!


I would be too! BBLTs(Beef Bacon Lettuce and tomatoes), Beef Bacon Eggs Benedict, oh man,  Jackpot!


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

Nefarious said:


> Outstanding, high on the list of next cured projects.


Thanks ray. You'll love it


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## xray (Mar 1, 2022)

That beef bacon looks awesome Jake, something I've never had or even seen before. Here's another thing on my bucket list, although I have to try the ground formed stuff first. 

Looks like it tasted great!


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

bauchjw said:


> I would be too! BBLTs(Beef Bacon Lettuce and tomatoes), Beef Bacon Eggs Benedict, oh man,  Jackpot!


Lol yep BBLTs are on the menu for tomorrow


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 1, 2022)

Jake, that looks absolutely incredible. I've never cured any bacon or sausage, but I'm getting inspired to do so...


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

xray said:


> That beef bacon looks awesome Jake, something I've never had or even seen before. Here's another thing on my bucket list, although I have to try the ground formed stuff first.
> 
> Looks like it tasted great!


Thanks Joe. Couple other threads on it around here. When I saw 

 Brokenhandle
 and 

 thirdeye
  posts I knew I need it in my life.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

GonnaSmoke said:


> Jake, that looks absolutely incredible. I've never cured any bacon or sausage, but I'm getting inspired to do so...


Appreciate it Charles. Get busy. Nothing to it but a wait


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## xray (Mar 1, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> Thanks Joe. Couple other threads on it around here. When I saw
> 
> Brokenhandle
> and
> ...



I need it in my life too...finding flats around here can be quite the goose chase.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

xray said:


> I need it in my life too...finding flats around here can be quite the goose chase.


After tons of research my next go at beef bacon will be chuck short ribs with the bone cut off. Will resemble bacon more with the added fat


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## JLeonard (Mar 1, 2022)

bauchjw said:


> BBLTs(Beef Bacon Lettuce and tomatoes), Beef Bacon Eggs Benedict, oh man,  Jackpot!


I'm with you....It'd be like Franks Hot Sauce.....It'd be on everything! Great looking stuff.
Jim


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## pineywoods (Mar 1, 2022)

Looks good Jake


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## chopsaw (Mar 1, 2022)

Looks good Jake.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

JLeonard said:


> I'm with you....It'd be like Franks Hot Sauce.....It'd be on everything! Great looking stuff.
> Jim


Thanks Jim. Tasty stuff


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

pineywoods said:


> Looks good Jake


Appreciate it Jerry


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Looks good Jake.


Thanks Rich. Super happy with how it turned out.


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## indaswamp (Mar 1, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> After tons of research my next go at beef bacon will be chuck short ribs with the bone cut off. Will resemble bacon more with the added fat


why not beef navel?


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## Nefarious (Mar 1, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> Thanks ray. You'll love it


And my first question is, can I use less salt.  I have to go read all the curing stuff from the corned beef post to see if I can figure it out on my own.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> why not beef navel?


I saw some videos with beef naval and was perfect but I've never seen that around here


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## chopsaw (Mar 1, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> I saw some videos with beef naval and was perfect but I've never seen that around here


Gotta look under the cow .


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

Nefarious said:


> And my first question is, can I use less salt.  I have to go read all the curing stuff from the corned beef post to see if I can figure it out on my own.


You can use some less salt but you'll need a certain amount to drive the cure. This was perfect for our taste. I have high BP so I'll have to let you know how I feel after eating more than a couple pieces lol


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## Nefarious (Mar 1, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> You can use some less salt but you'll need a certain amount to drive the cure. This was perfect for our taste. I have high BP so I'll have to let you know how I feel after eating more than a couple pieces lol


Thanks jake, for some reason family doesn't mind more salt in bacon, so maybe it isn't an issue.  I still want to understand.


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## DougE (Mar 1, 2022)

Nefarious said:


> And my first question is, can I use less salt.  I have to go read all the curing stuff from the corned beef post to see if I can figure it out on my own.


You can go 1.5% salt + the salt from the cure (1.75% total salt) but I wouldn't go much below that. The cure requires salt to draw it into the meat.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

Nefarious said:


> Thanks jake, for some reason family doesn't mind more salt in bacon, so maybe it isn't an issue.  I still want to understand.


Gotcha. If salt sensitivity isn't an issue then I'd start around where I did. Not sure you can go below 1.5% salt. You'll have to ask someone more science driven for that answer


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## checkdude (Mar 1, 2022)

Wow! That looks so good! Never would have thought of beef but Damn that looks so good! Mabey I missed it but how does beef bacon taste?


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## TNJAKE (Mar 1, 2022)

checkdude said:


> Wow! That looks so good! Never would have thought of beef but Damn that looks so good! Mabey I missed it but how does beef bacon taste?


Thanks bud. Hard to explain lol. Has a beefy texture but to me tastes very similar to country ham. Kinda messes with your mind. Tasty stuff though


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## Ringer (Mar 1, 2022)

Good job on this. There is a local butcher in Chattanooga that does beef bacon. I've never had it but it's on my radar now for sure. Well executed man!


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 1, 2022)

Jake, that looks outstanding!  Nice thread, thanks for posting… I am going to try this!


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## jcam222 (Mar 1, 2022)

TNJAKE said:


> I saw some videos with beef naval and was perfect but I've never seen that around here


I used beef naval for bacon. I had to order it from the Amish butcher shop. Yours looks great. Kind of a cross in taste between bacon and pastrami?


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## 912smoker (Mar 1, 2022)

Wow that looks amazing Jake !
You fellas gonna have me trying more new stuff .  Never tried curing but ummmm....looks like I need to !

Keith


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## Brokenhandle (Mar 1, 2022)

Looks awesome Jake!  Glad you all really liked it! I first heard about it from a friend that mentioned the cattlemens association used to serve it at some of their big feeds. I know Pop's had a post or two about it and one other person from the forum...I didn't know him. Just got a new phone so I'll see if I can find it.
While you're under the cow grab me a navel also! 

Ryan


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 1, 2022)

BTW,  

 Brokenhandle
 can be a bad influence!


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## SmokinEdge (Mar 1, 2022)

Looks great Jake. Cowboy bacon is delicious.


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## MJB05615 (Mar 1, 2022)

Looks great JAke.  I've never had it either, sounds real good though.  Nice work.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 1, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> Looks awesome Jake!  Glad you all really liked it! I first heard about it from a friend that mentioned the cattlemens association used to serve it at some of their big feeds. I know Pop's had a post or two about it and one other person from the forum...I didn't know him. Just got a new phone so I'll see if I can find it.
> While you're under the cow grab me a navel also!
> 
> Ryan



Wasn’t sure if I should leave a  or a .  That is interesting about the cattleman’s association…. That and about members past that left us with a wealth of knowledge… that’s the    I left a  due to the last thing you said… it literally had me in stitches!


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## Sven Svensson (Mar 1, 2022)

That looks incredible and is something I’m definitely going to have to try. I agree about the BBLTs, too.


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## DRKsmoking (Mar 2, 2022)

Looks great Jake, good idea

David


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Mar 2, 2022)

You never fail to amaze me Jake!  Thinking outside the box. Nice.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

Ringer said:


> Good job on this. There is a local butcher in Chattanooga that does beef bacon. I've never had it but it's on my radar now for sure. Well executed man!


Thanks bud. Get some next time you are there or make your own. It's tasty


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

WaterinHoleBrew said:


> Jake, that looks outstanding!  Nice thread, thanks for posting… I am going to try this!


Thanks Justin. Let me know how it turns out


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

jcam222 said:


> I used beef naval for bacon. I had to order it from the Amish butcher shop. Yours looks great. Kind of a cross in taste between bacon and pastrami?


Thanks Jeff I can check with our Amish and see if they have naval.


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

912smoker said:


> Wow that looks amazing Jake !
> You fellas gonna have me trying more new stuff .  Never tried curing but ummmm....looks like I need to !
> 
> Keith


Thanks Keith. Curing is easy and fun. And you get tasty treats


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> Looks awesome Jake!  Glad you all really liked it! I first heard about it from a friend that mentioned the cattlemens association used to serve it at some of their big feeds. I know Pop's had a post or two about it and one other person from the forum...I didn't know him. Just got a new phone so I'll see if I can find it.
> While you're under the cow grab me a navel also!
> 
> Ryan


Thanks Ryan and thanks for the push on this


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

SmokinEdge said:


> Looks great Jake. Cowboy bacon is delicious.


Thanks Eric and I agree


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

MJB05615 said:


> Looks great JAke.  I've never had it either, sounds real good though.  Nice work.


Thanks Mike. Give it a try!


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

Sven Svensson said:


> That looks incredible and is something I’m definitely going to have to try. I agree about the BBLTs, too.


Thanks bud


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

DRKsmoking said:


> Looks great Jake, good idea
> 
> David


Appreciate it David


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> You never fail to amaze me Jake!  Thinking outside the box. Nice.


Thanks Brian!


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## thirdeye (Mar 2, 2022)

I don't know how I missed seeing this thread.... Great job on this Jake.  I still have some packs of beef bacon in the freezer from my last batch, guess I need to thaw one.


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## texomakid (Mar 2, 2022)

I'll click on anything that has the word Bacon on it  

Stuff looks and sounds tasty. I don't see many flats that have nice marbling in them but yours looked good! What grade was that flat? I'll be looking for your chuck version in the future. Well done Jake.

Question - When you did your 2 x 4 hr cold smokes did you just run the AMPS tube or did you also run the smoker on a low temp? (Taking notes... )


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

thirdeye said:


> I don't know how I missed seeing this thread.... Great job on this Jake.  I still have some packs of beef bacon in the freezer from my last batch, guess I need to thaw one.


Thanks bud. You were partly to blame for this!


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

texomakid said:


> I'll click on anything that has the word Bacon on it
> 
> Stuff looks and sounds tasty. I don't see many flats that have nice marbling in them but yours looked good! What grade was that flat? I'll be looking for your chuck version in the future. Well done Jake.
> 
> Question - When you did your 2 x 4 hr cold smokes did you just run the AMPS tube or did you also run the smoker on a low temp? (Taking notes... )


Appreciate it bud was a choice flat from Sam's. Just on the higher end of choice I suppose. Whole thing was marbled like that. The smoke was cold smoke only no heat from the smoker. Didn't want the fat to render so it would still have fat for the skillet. The few days of aging really ups the flavor as well


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## tx smoker (Mar 2, 2022)

Looks fantastic Jake. I tried that a while back with a CPB brisket flat but it didn't come out well. The flat was just too lean and nothing at all like bacon. Flavor was very good but just not what I wanted for bacon.

Robert


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## TNJAKE (Mar 2, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> Looks fantastic Jake. I tried that a while back with a CPB brisket flat but it didn't come out well. The flat was just too lean and nothing at all like bacon. Flavor was very good but just not what I wanted for bacon.
> 
> Robert


Thanks Robert. Give it another try with a different brisket. Enjoying mine so much gonna keep it in the rotation


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## Nefarious (Nov 4, 2022)

TNJAKE
 I am about to try this, the flat is thawing in my beer refrigerator.  I have seen recipes where people rince after the cure to wash off left over cure I guess.  Do you rince yours?  It seems like that would also wash off the brown sugar?


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## TNJAKE (Nov 4, 2022)

Nefarious said:


> TNJAKE
> I am about to try this, the flat is thawing in my beer refrigerator.  I have seen recipes where people rince after the cure to wash off left over cure I guess.  Do you rince yours?  It seems like that would also wash off the brown sugar?


There is no reason to rinse after you cure but it won't effect the sugar if that's what you decide to do. During the curing process the salt, sugar and cure are all absorbed into the meat


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