# Ready to eat Bacon.



## ak1 (Feb 3, 2011)

Cured for one week, then smoked for a week.


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## smokermark (Feb 3, 2011)

Looks wonderful!!!


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## Bearcarver (Feb 3, 2011)

Was that cold smoked for a week? No heat at all?  Looks really nice!  Awesome color!

I hope we get to see some slices,

Bear


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## ak1 (Feb 3, 2011)

I'm going to let it hang for another week . I'll let you know how it tastes then.!


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## lookwow (Feb 3, 2011)

Man it must be a pain and costly to smoke something for a week.


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## fpnmf (Feb 3, 2011)

Awesome!!

And tasty!!

What more could a guy ask for?

 Have a great day!!

   Craig


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## ak1 (Feb 3, 2011)

Here it is sliced open.


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## Bearcarver (Feb 3, 2011)

AK1 said:


> Here it is sliced open.


Thanks Ak,

That's what I wanted to see---I'm good now!

MMMmmmm,,,,,,

Bear


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## arnie (Feb 3, 2011)

Now that is awesome!


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## ak1 (Feb 3, 2011)

lookwow said:


> Man it must be a pain and costly to smoke something for a week.


In my case, not really. My brother in law has a 10x10 smokehouse and lots of wood. It doesn't cost me much at all.


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## old poi dog (Feb 3, 2011)

Bacon looks awesome....Happy feasting!!


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## realtorterry (Feb 3, 2011)

WOW I WISH I COULD DO THAT


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## les3176 (Feb 3, 2011)

That does look good!!!! course i haven't eaten anything in 2 days now!!!! Too much stress..the qview is starting to make me hungry though!!


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## ak1 (Feb 3, 2011)

It's tasty already. Still needs a week or two to hang and dry some more just to give the proper texture.


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## mballi3011 (Feb 4, 2011)

NOW THATS SOME SUPER GOOD LOOKING BACON there AK1. I really like it all meaty and stuff. We can't leave meat out like that if FLA.


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## scarbelly (Feb 4, 2011)

Man that really looks tasty for sure - congrats on some great looking bacon


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## beer-b-q (Feb 4, 2011)

Looks Great AK1...


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## tony111 (Feb 4, 2011)

Nice job !! You can not put a price tag on something like this, that you do with your own hands, and hopefully pass down to others.


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## skully (Feb 4, 2011)

Another week or two or even a good month wouldnt hurt at all, that puppy looks like its ready to right now though.....great job, very well done, have You tried a piece yet????


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## jmk3921 (Feb 4, 2011)

.


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## meateater (Feb 4, 2011)

Looks great, I could go for a plate of bacon and eggs.


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## ak1 (Feb 6, 2011)

SKULLY said:


> Another week or two or even a good month wouldnt hurt at all, that puppy looks like its ready to right now though.....great job, very well done, have You tried a piece yet????







jmk3921 said:


> AHHHHHHHHHH, now that's a thing of beauty. Let it age a bit more and you have the best bacon you will ever eat!


I tried a bit when I cut a slice off, and although it is tasty, one can tell it's still a bit young.

I'll leave it hanging for at least a few more weeks to let the meat firm up some more before I start eating it.


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## ak1 (Feb 17, 2011)

Tried some tonight! WooHoo, it's good to go.


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## chefrob (Feb 18, 2011)

ak, did you use any heat at all?


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## virginiasmokesignal (Feb 18, 2011)

AK, that is some fine looking Bacon, that, my friend you can be proud of.  I hope you enjoy every last drop of that pork bellie, should take you a while to eat that much though!  LOL  Great job my friend!

Your SMF Friend,

Barry


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## ak1 (Feb 18, 2011)

No heat was used. Just cold smoke in my BIL's smokehouse.

Thanks for the compliments everyone.


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## chefrob (Feb 18, 2011)

AK1 said:


> No heat was used. Just cold smoke in my BIL's smokehouse.


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## skully (Feb 19, 2011)

Quote:

Originally Posted by *AK1*  





No heat was used. Just cold smoke in my BIL's smokehouse.

do you cook it in the pan or are you eating it raw. maybe i'm missing something when you said "ready to eat". did you make an RTE product or are you saying it is READY to eat. i'm not the brightest bulb in the pack. what i'm looking for is the mechanism to gard against trich............thx AK!

His is ready to go, the longer it drys, the better it is, its fully cured and now smoked, no cookin req'd, xcellent job AK1


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## ak1 (Feb 19, 2011)

What Skully said, Chefrob.

After curing, the bacon recieve at least 7 days of continuous smoke at no more than 45 deg air temp in the smokehouse. At that point it is ready to eat without further processing, but letting it hang and dry for a while in a cold cellar enhances the flavour even more.


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## skully (Feb 19, 2011)

AK1 said:


> What Skully said, Chefrob.
> 
> After curing, the bacon recieve at least 7 days of continuous smoke at no more than 45 deg air temp in the smokehouse. At that point it is ready to eat without further processing, but letting it hang and dry for a while in a cold cellar enhances the flavour even more.


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## chefrob (Feb 19, 2011)

i still don't see the mechanism to prevent trichinosis.........
[*]





> Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat alone does not consistently kill infective worms; homemade jerky and sausage were the cause of many cases of trichinellosis reported to CDC in recent years.


[*]Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5°F (-15°C) to kill any worms.[*]Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, may not effectively kill all worms because some worm species that infect wild game animals are freeze-resistant.[*]Clean meat grinders thoroughly after each use.
To help prevent _Trichinella_ infection in animal populations, do not allow pigs or wild animals to eat uncooked meat, scraps, or carcasses of any animals, including rats, which may be infected with _Trichinella_.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/prevent.html

i'm just trying to understand how this as well as other products are made safe to eat if heat or freezing is not involved. i thought Aw might be a factor but i guess jerky can cause illness as well.


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## malisaw (Feb 20, 2011)

You could hang that on the wall in the den and invite the neighbors over for a viewing!!


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## ak1 (Feb 20, 2011)

It's not something I worry about.

From Agriculture Canada;

"  Trichinosis is virtually nonexistent in Canada due to improved production methods. In Canada, there has not been a case of trichinosis related to pork in over 15 years. According to Agriculture Canada, trichinosis is destroyed in any meat if cooked to an internal temperature of 137°F (58°C), well below the recommended 160°F (70°C) for a medium doneness."

From the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Medicine;

"Evidence of the status of trichinellosis in Canada's national swine herd is provided from data acquired through national surveillance programs and from a prevalence study of Trichinella in wild boar and domestic swine. More than 500,000 swine tested at abattoirs in ongoing animal health surveys since 1980 and 2 national swine serological surveys (1985 and 1990) showed no evidence of Trichinella infection, except for 3 occurrences in a small infected zone in Nova Scotia. The prevalence study of domestic swine and wild boar was conducted for the prevalence of Trichinella after an epidemiological investigation of a 1993 outbreak of human trichinellosis in Ontario showed that the disease was linked to the consumption of wild boar meat originating from 2 farms in the province. Sera and tissues were collected from 391 wild boar and 216 domestic swine originating from 228 farms in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The survey examined approximately 37% of the wild boar slaughtered in Canada in 1994. A pepsin-HCl digestion test of the tissues and an ELISA performed on the sera did not yield any positive results. These findings and the lack of human cases of Trichinella from the consumption of Canadian pork for nearly 2 decades suggest that the parasite has been rare in domestic swine and wild boar raised in Canada. Trichinella spiralis has only been found sporadically in swine in a small region within Nova Scotia."

From what I can see, the risk of getting trichinellosis from domestically raised pork is statistically "0". 


chefrob said:


> i still don't see the mechanism to prevent trichinosis.........





> [*]


[*]





> Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5°F (-15°C) to kill any worms.


[*]Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, may not effectively kill all worms because some worm species that infect wild game animals are freeze-resistant.[*]Clean meat grinders thoroughly after each use.
To help prevent _Trichinella_ infection in animal populations, do not allow pigs or wild animals to eat uncooked meat, scraps, or carcasses of any animals, including rats, which may be infected with _Trichinella_.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/prevent.html

i'm just trying to understand how this as well as other products are made safe to eat if heat or freezing is not involved. i thought Aw might be a factor but i guess jerky can cause illness as well.


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## chefrob (Feb 20, 2011)

AK1 said:


> It's not something I worry about....................From what I can see, the risk of getting trichinellosis from domestically raised pork is statistically "0".


[*]
from what i have found, the same is true for the U.S...........i was just looking for a mechanism if there was one in the steps, thx!


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## ak1 (Feb 20, 2011)

I'm guessing that if you wanted to be really sure, you could freeze the meat for a month before you used it.


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## chefrob (Feb 20, 2011)

i kinda do that anyways since i buy most my meat when it goes on sale. what is the texture like on this bacon, specificly between the fat and the meaty part....do yo shave it thin like prosciutto or spanish ham?


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## Bearcarver (Feb 21, 2011)

AK1,

If I'm reading this right, you eat your Bacon cold?

Safe or not safe, I don't think I would like cold Bacon as much as I like hot Bacon.

I smoke my CB to 160˚, and I want to try smoking my next BBB to 160˚, but I will still at least warm them up before eating, even though they are safe to eat, because they will have already been to 160˚.

Bear


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## tjohnson (Feb 21, 2011)

Great looking Bacon AK!

Gotta ask...Why 1 week to smoke, and another week to dry/rest?  What's the advantage?

I freak out at too much smoke, and pull at 6 1/2 hours.

THX!

Todd


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## ak1 (Feb 21, 2011)

Bear, Todd,

Perhaps this will help explain.

This isn't the typical bacon that we are used to in North America. It is more like prosciutto or salami in method of preparation. It is basically a cured, smoked & air dried piece of pork belly that at least in myCroatian heritage was designed to be eaten as is. It's quite common in parts of Europe. Where I'm from originally bacon was not something that was eaten at breakfast, rather as a cold cut type of meat served when company came to visit, along with cheese, cured ham, and lots of beverages...

It's similar to Italian pancetta except that it's smoked.


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## Bearcarver (Feb 21, 2011)

AK1 said:


> Bear, Todd,
> 
> Perhaps this will help explain.
> 
> ...


OK---Good explanation. I can see that being like pancetta or prosciutto.

It just looks like a real good Bacon in the pic, and if that's what it was, I'd have to heat it up.

Thanks for the "Splainin",

Bear


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## tyotrain (Feb 21, 2011)

Man O Man that is some great looking  bacon... nice job


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## chefrob (Feb 21, 2011)

AK1 said:


> It is more like prosciutto or salami in method of preparation. It is basically a cured, smoked & air dried piece of pork belly ............. rather as a cold cut type of meat served when company came to visit, along with cheese, cured ham, and lots of beverages...It's similar to Italian pancetta except that it's smoked.


that's what i was asking above..........


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## ak1 (Feb 22, 2011)

My apologies, I guess I missed that.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 23, 2011)

Well I gotta say that's some of the best looking bacon I've seen. Congrats AK!


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## ak1 (Mar 16, 2011)

New batch on the way!

My BIL called and said he's going to drop off my second batch. 

It's done a bit different. It wasn't soaked and dried after curing, and it was in smoke for 2 weeks.

Pics & tasting report to come.


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## skully (Mar 23, 2011)

cant wait


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## ak1 (Jan 29, 2012)

New load of bacon, or as we Croatians call it; Shpeck.  Picked up 2 15lb bellies today, and they are in the cure as we speak. In 7-10 days they will be going in the smoke for a nice week long vacation.


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## offsetzippo (Jan 29, 2012)

AK - are you open to share the cure method for the belly?  i have a serbian friend who gets his bacon done this way.  It is absolutely tasty and visually spectacular.


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## ak1 (Feb 4, 2012)

No problem.

Basically on a full belly, I put a healthy amount of salt(about a pound or so), the right amount of cure #1, and some sugar, and peppercorns, or cracked black pepper. Mix it all up and then dump it on the belly, in a tub that fits the belly flat. Rub the cure mix evenly on the belly, flip it over and them rub more on the other side. After that I cover the tub and flip the belly once a day for 7 days. After 7 days, take the belly out, rinse it, and let it hang for 24-48 hrs to develop a pellicle. Then into the smokehouse for 7-10 days of smoking. After that, into the cold cellar for aging.


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## yankee in ua (Feb 5, 2012)

AK1 said:


> Bear, Todd,
> 
> Perhaps this will help explain.
> 
> ...


It's basically smoked salo then.  

Salo is basically raw pork belly and nearly all fat.  It makes me gag just watching my friends slurp it down.  Add the smoke though and you got the best thing to chase a shot of vodka, you ever tasted, except for maybe the homemade dill pickles.  

A friend of mine's Papa smokes his own salo (meaty, btw) and sausages and every now and then I get lucky and drop in when he has just returned from a visit with a freezer load.


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## offsetzippo (Feb 5, 2012)

Thanks AK - will be giving this a try.  What is the rough weight of the belly?  Is this the same process for back bacon (pork loin)?  I noticed you did not mention anything about weighting the meat.  What are your thoughts on weighting the meat?


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## daveomak (Feb 5, 2012)

AK, evening... Count me in on your bacon threads, as usual.... Dave


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## ak1 (Feb 6, 2012)

Yankee in UA said:


> It's basically smoked salo then.
> 
> Salo is basically raw pork belly and nearly all fat.  It makes me gag just watching my friends slurp it down.  Add the smoke though and you got the best thing to chase a shot of vodka, you ever tasted, except for maybe the homemade dill pickles.
> 
> A friend of mine's Papa smokes his own salo (meaty, btw) and sausages and every now and then I get lucky and drop in when he has just returned from a visit with a freezer load.


I would say yes & no.  Salo is cured fatback, not belly. Preparation is similar, but the end result is different.


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## ak1 (Feb 6, 2012)

My bellies were roughly 15 lbs each.


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## ak1 (Feb 16, 2012)

Pics of the bellies hanging to develop a pellicle. They're in the smoke house now, and will be coming home in about a week.


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## roller (Feb 16, 2012)

Cool process for sure !!!   I like it..


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## solaryellow (Feb 16, 2012)

AK1 said:


> New batch on the way!
> 
> My BIL called and said he's going to drop off my second batch.
> 
> ...




Did you ever post the pics and report?


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## ak1 (Feb 16, 2012)

solaryellow said:


> Did you ever post the pics and report?


I don't think I did.  I still have some left from that batch. I'll try and get some pics and post.


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## smokinhusker (Feb 16, 2012)

Now that's a load of pig! Can't wait for the final results!


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## ak1 (Feb 16, 2012)

Here we go!  This is from last February, It's a bit peppery, and the salt can be tasted.


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## solaryellow (Feb 16, 2012)

Thanks AK! Was the two weeks of smoke all that different than the one week? I noticed you said you were doing one week again this year.


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## ak1 (Feb 16, 2012)

This is a new batch I'm trying. It's seasoned with a jerk marinade.


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