# Bacon is done - belly and jowl BBB & belly and jowl Maple



## shellbellc (Nov 26, 2011)

Finished our first bacon for 11/12 winter.  We got two bellies and two jowls from our butcher.  One set we did with the hi mountain buck board bacon and the second set we did with maple cure that we got from the sausage make website.  Cured for 10 days, rinsed and dried for a couple of hours.  Hung in our vertical gasser with no heat and smoke from a-maz-n smoker, We cold smoked for 48 hours, took that long to get the color change we wanted.  Then let it sit in the fridge for a day then quick freeze and sliced and bagged...

Picture of one of the bellies.








Side shot of the belly, nice streaks of meat through there!







Sprinkling the cure on this half.  We actually cut each belly in half and the four halves were all within 2 oz of each other. Weighing right about 4 lb's.  After smoking they weighed approximately 3 lb's 2 oz. 







Trimming the bone out of the jowl.







Trimming the skin off the jowl.







Putting cure on one of the jowls







All cured up and going into the fridge for a rest.







Done with the cure rinsed and resting to let pellicle form.







Put on the hangers to let pellicle continue to form.







Put into the smoke to do a cold smoke with the a-maz-n smoker.







Smoked them for 48 hours until we had a good enough color change.  Brought them in and let them rest in the fridge for a day.  Then got them on the slicer!


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## chef jimmyj (Nov 26, 2011)

Nice Bacon...I love the flavor of Jowl Bacon...JJ


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## alblancher (Nov 26, 2011)

Very nice,  thanks for the pics


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## mikelikessmoke (Nov 26, 2011)

Great looking bacon!

Jowl bacon.... that brings back memories.

Haven't had that since I was a kid.

Mom would buy unsliced Jowl bacon with the skin on.

Slice it by hand then cut off the skin.

Fry the bacon then fry the skin.

Best and freshest cracklin's ever!


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## fpnmf (Nov 26, 2011)

Great looking bacon!!
 

    Craig


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## moikel (Nov 26, 2011)

Love the jowl,great ingredient in Southern Italian cookery. I use it in place of pancetta.Lovely looking bacon.


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## SmokinAl (Nov 27, 2011)

Beautiful looking bacon!


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## tjohnson (Nov 27, 2011)

Man, that's some meaty bacon!

Todd


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## Bearcarver (Nov 27, 2011)

That looks Awesome, Shellbell !!!

I thought I smelled something really good, coming from a bit South of here!!!

Great Post !!

Bear


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## jak757 (Nov 27, 2011)

Great looking bacon.  I've never had jowl bacon, would love to try it.


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## shellbellc (Nov 27, 2011)

Thanks guys, the jowl bacon is the best, both in flavor and texture!  Last year I used a guanciale recipe from italy and used the jowls for that. Was great flavor but I chickened out when it came to letting it age by hanging in the cellar, so I smoked it up with the regular bacon. One taste and we were hooked!!!


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## pit 4 brains (Nov 27, 2011)

Looks great! 48 hours though..I think I would have ate most of just "testing" it in that time.. Great job!


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## frosty (Nov 27, 2011)

Nicely done. Beautiful color and texture.  GOOD JOB!


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## moikel (Nov 28, 2011)

Shellbellc said:


> Thanks guys, the jowl bacon is the best, both in flavor and texture!  Last year I used a guanciale recipe from italy and used the jowls for that. Was great flavor but I chickened out when it came to letting it age by hanging in the cellar, so I smoked it up with the regular bacon. One taste and we were hooked!!!


Always first choice for amatriciana  & carbonara sauces in Italy. Also a great ingredient for vongole(clams) on pasta,lots of parsley ,lemon ,garlic ,EVO, a little chilli .I fry jowl,shallots garlic,chilli then add clams glass of white wine,hot & fast till clams open then add parsley,lemon ,bit of butter. Straight on pasta of your choice ,linguini  mostly. Hard to beat.


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## boykjo (Nov 28, 2011)

Looks great................
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Joe


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## bobbygee (Nov 29, 2011)

Hey neibor! That is some meaty lookin bacon,looks great.I never had jowl bacon,what a great idea! I'm going to try it it. I take it you got it from kolb bros? How much per pound?


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## shellbellc (Dec 1, 2011)

Yep got it from Kolb's.  Make sure you ask for it de-boned.  It was fairly easy to de-bone it though.  There is also a piece of maybe tendon or something in there, this was only our second set of jowls that we did so we are still learning. It was easier to spot it after they were cured up.  I just cut it out, kind of gelatinousy.  The first time I got the jowls we both looked at them like what the heck to we do with that. After they are all smoked up and you put them on the slicer the come out like wide slices of bacon!  Definitely yummo!!


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## scarbelly (Dec 1, 2011)

Great looking bacon.


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