# Bacon flavor from my youth



## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

Ok, so here is another experiment I did with inspiration from 

 daveomak

This is just some buckboard bacon, but I did it Dave’s way, kinda. I prepared a couple slabs from the money muscle then applied my cure recipe (dry rub) simple salt, cure #1, sugar and garlic powder. This is where Dave’s part comes in, I hung the pieces in the curing fridge with a catch pan under them. No plastic bag, just meat rubbed down and swinging in the cooler. Dave did his on racks and left for 2 weeks. I hung mine and they went about 18 days (I got busy).

The concentration of flavors takes me back many decades to my youth. This stuff is incredible. I must do again and finish with a proper smoke, but this stuff is delicious.


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## JLeonard (Jul 5, 2021)

WOW! That looks great.

Jim


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## tx smoker (Jul 5, 2021)

O...M...G!! That looks fantastic. I did the buckboard bacon not long ago and we went through that stuff like Grant went through Richmond. Need to get another batch going and will most certainly do it your way. Love the idea of hanging in the curing chamber like you did.

Robert


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

JLeonard said:


> WOW! That looks great.
> 
> Jim





tx smoker said:


> O...M...G!! That looks fantastic. I did the buckboard bacon not long ago and we went through that stuff like Grant went through Richmond. Need to get another batch going and will most certainly do it your way. Love the idea of hanging in the curing chamber like you did.
> 
> Robert


Thank you gentlemen.
I’m all in to do it again. This time though I want to tag the meat with weight at the start and just see where the weight loss ends up in 2weeks, for my notes. It’s is dry aged (short) bacon. All flavors are intensified. Not over the top, but more pronounced. Give it a go, I know you will like it.


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## jcam222 (Jul 5, 2021)

Looks awesome. My wife prefers buckboard and my friends go cracy over it too. I need to make more as I’m finally out. I may try this method next time. Ordinarily I wet brine in Pops.


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

I will add, I have a good friend, a hog farmer that I have been working with to make a really good maple bacon. We have tried many styles ways and ingredients. All just so,so to just ok. Really trying to get that magic meld of maple flavor.

Well I’m thinking this method with maple sugar in the mix might just be golden. We are definitely going to see. More buckboard for trials before we go to the belly.


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## chopsaw (Jul 5, 2021)

That color is awesome !!! Very nice . 



jcam222 said:


> I may try this method next time. Ordinarily I wet brine in Pops.


Jeff , try the dry cure .


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

I couldn’t stand it any longer, I’m weak that way.
A cut shot.


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## pc farmer (Jul 5, 2021)

Wow. That's awesome.  Great job.  I never tried not bagging while curing


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

pc farmer said:


> Wow. That's awesome.  Great job.  I never tried not bagging while curing


Thank you Sir.
me neither, until now. This is definitely worth a try. It’s just dryer and a little more concentrated in flavor. Like a dry aged steak. Except it’s bacon!


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## TNJAKE (Jul 5, 2021)

Heck yeah bud. Sign me up for the dry aged steak bacon lol. Looks delicious


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

TNJAKE said:


> Heck yeah bud. Sign me up for the dry aged steak bacon lol. Looks delicious


Thank you Jake.


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## Brokenhandle (Jul 5, 2021)

That looks just beautiful! Great color and I can imagine the taste!

Ryan


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

Brokenhandle said:


> That looks just beautiful! Great color and I can imagine the taste!
> 
> Ryan


Thank you Ryan.
This is a boyhood flavor for me. The old butcher days.


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## TNJAKE (Jul 5, 2021)

Post up a pic after you fry a slice!


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## SmokinEdge (Jul 5, 2021)

Just for you 

 TNJAKE


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## SmokinEdge (Aug 22, 2021)

Here is some belly going dry cure and air drying. The maple definitely does not come through, but I’m rolling now with belly because the overall flavor is very good. We are one week into this cure and are at about 6% weight loss. Need at least one more week.


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## zwiller (Aug 23, 2021)

Looks great!  I think there is much more going on with making good bacon than cure and smoke.  Definitely an aging/drying step or 2.  Mine is decent but barely the quality of store bought.  No where near the level of the good bacon I can get. 

I think to get get maple flavor like the stuff at the store you need to use flavor extracts AKA "natural flavors" as listed on the package.


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## SmokinEdge (Aug 23, 2021)

zwiller said:


> Looks great!  I think there is much more going on with making good bacon than cure and smoke.  Definitely an aging/drying step or 2.  Mine is decent but barely the quality of store bought.  No where near the level of the good bacon I can get.
> 
> I think to get get maple flavor like the stuff at the store you need to use flavor extracts AKA "natural flavors" as listed on the package.


We have tried the extract and did not like the flavor. We have rubbed, brined and pumped belly with maple sugar and extract. No good combination as of yet. Commercial bacon is all pumped, but who knows what all is in their recipe. Fenugreek is the only spice we have not tried.


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## daspyknows (Aug 23, 2021)

That looks amazing.


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