# Finally found some thick bellies!



## indaswamp (Feb 6, 2022)

Went to Costco with my Uncle yesterday. They had 2 bellies left in the meat case and both were over 2" thick. I grabbed them both...price was good too; $3.69/#.
















That stainless tray is about 4" high. I put the salt box there as a reference. The bellies are right near the top of the tray.





Got them in the cure now, along with a belly I pulled from the freezer. No room in the Stainless tray for all of them so I have the belly from the freezer in a 2 gallon ziplock bag. In 2 weeks I'll be cold smoking 30# of bacon!


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## DRKsmoking (Feb 6, 2022)

Sounds good , everyone is happy on bacon day. Nice score with the bellies

David


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## Brokenhandle (Feb 6, 2022)

Gonna be good! And a good price also!

Ryan


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## SmokinEdge (Feb 6, 2022)

Excellent! Nice find.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Feb 6, 2022)

Awesome, that’s gonna be some good eats!


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## tx smoker (Feb 6, 2022)

Great find Keith. I always look for the thickest and largest bellies in the case and like you, I do them 3 at a time. Takes a while to slice and vac seal it all but well worth the effort.

Robert


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## mneeley490 (Feb 6, 2022)

Nice! I was at my local business Costco yesterday. They had skin-on and skin-off for the same price, $3.49 lb. That's a little unusual.


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## indaswamp (Feb 6, 2022)

DRKsmoking said:


> Sounds good , everyone is happy on bacon day. Nice score with the bellies
> 
> David


Thanks David. I was a little too excited when I found them...LOL!!



Brokenhandle said:


> Gonna be good! And a good price also!
> 
> Ryan


Thanks Broken.



SmokinEdge said:


> Excellent! Nice find.


Thanks SE!



WaterinHoleBrew said:


> Awesome, that’s gonna be some good eats!


Thanks WHB!



tx smoker said:


> Great find Keith. I always look for the thickest and largest bellies in the case and like you, I do them 3 at a time. Takes a while to slice and vac seal it all but well worth the effort.
> 
> Robert


Thanks Robert. I like to cold smoke my bacon so that limits me to the colder months. Time is running out and I needed to get some bacon made so I jumped on them when I saw them. Timing is good...I'll be done with deer processing day and the big run of smoke sausage afterwards by the time the bellies are cured.



mneeley490 said:


> Nice! I was at my local business Costco yesterday. They had skin-on and skin-off for the same price, $3.49 lb. That's a little unusual.


Thanks mneeley. That is weird same price skin on or off.


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## indaswamp (Feb 6, 2022)

Oh-
1.75% salt
0.25% cure #1
1% brown sugar


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## GonnaSmoke (Feb 6, 2022)

Ok, I'm hitching a ride-along on this...


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## JLeonard (Feb 6, 2022)

Nice score!

Jim


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## indaswamp (Feb 25, 2022)

Tonight is the first night of cold smoke on the bacon. I let them cure in the fridge a few extra days....won't hurt them....because a cold front stalled just north of us. It had been highs in the 80's (Baton Rouge set a record of 85*F Weds.) with over night lows in the high 60's. I was wearing shorts and even turned the A/C on one day while cooking in the kitchen! LOL! Anyways, tonight lows in the 40's and will stay like that for the next 5-6 nights so perfect for cold smoking bacon.
I am using 

 daveomak
 's pellet dust in the Amazn tube. Using 60% hickory and 40% apple pellets. Should get 10-12 hour burn with the tube packed tight. Nice thin clean blue smoke.....pics. tomorrow.....gonna cold smoke 4 nights.


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 26, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> I pulled from the freezer


Man I would love to raid your freezer!  Got to be lots of goodies in there.


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## pineywoods (Feb 26, 2022)

Looking forward to the pics


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## Brokenhandle (Feb 26, 2022)

pineywoods said:


> Looking forward to the pics


Pics of the pork bellies please! Be careful what you ask for Jerry...some of us are not getting any thinner...Inda might post up pics of porker bellies!   

Ryan


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## crazymoon (Feb 26, 2022)

IDS, Lucky man, around here there are no costco/kirklands and a pound on pork belly is about 8 bucks ! :(


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## indaswamp (Feb 26, 2022)

crazymoon said:


> IDS, Lucky man, around here there are no costco/kirklands and a pound on pork belly is about 8 bucks ! :(


Damn! That's rather high! I can get berkshire belly at my farm to table butcher shop for $7.50/#...If you lived closer, I'd share with ya.....

Including the 10# of wild hog bacon I made earlier this year, all in I'll have 40# put up for the year.


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## indaswamp (Feb 26, 2022)

BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Man I would love to raid your freezer!  Got to be lots of goodies in there.


HA! I have *4 freezers!!!! * All full. The chest freezer outside has unprocessed meats-goose, wild hog, and domestic hog. Stay tuned,,,more stuff to come.



pineywoods said:


> Looking forward to the pics


I'll go snap a pic.... I just sprayed the bellies down with K+ Sorbate.



Brokenhandle said:


> Pics of the pork bellies please! Be careful what you ask for Jerry...some of us are not getting any thinner...Inda might post up pics of porker bellies!
> 
> Ryan


HA!


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## indaswamp (Feb 26, 2022)

It's a good thing these bellies were skin off, and my maturing chamber is full.....otherwise I likely would have made pancetta with one of them!


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## indaswamp (Feb 26, 2022)

First round of cold smoke, K+ sorbate applied...


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## jcam222 (Feb 26, 2022)

Missed this the first go round, in for the ride now. Great price on those!!


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## Brokenhandle (Feb 27, 2022)

So what is the k + sorbate? What does it do?

Ryan


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## indaswamp (Feb 27, 2022)

K+ Sorbate is shorthand for potassium sorbate. Potassium sorbate is an antimicrobial that is applied to meat to keep bacteria and mold from growing on the surface.


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## indaswamp (Feb 27, 2022)

Potassium sorbate is used on commercially produced bacon. Last batch of bacon I made, I had to wipe some spots with vinegar so this go around I am using potassium sorbate.


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## Brokenhandle (Feb 27, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Potassium sorbate is used on commercially produced bacon. Last batch of bacon I made, I had to wipe some spots with vinegar so this go around I am using potassium sorbate.


Thanks! Now I understand.  Appreciate it!

Ryan


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## indaswamp (Mar 1, 2022)

Finished up the last night of cold smoke this morning...






Of course-had to slice some off and fry it up!!






Perfect salt. Perfect sweet. Perfect smoke. Bacon Nirvana.


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## indaswamp (Mar 1, 2022)

Oh- and the bacon grease jar can now start being replenished! I was out! LOL! Got enough now for bacon grease biscuits in the morning. With this 30# smoke of bacon, plus the 10# of wild hog bacon, I'm good for a while till next fall. Also have 40# of Canadian bacon. So I'm good now! LOL!!


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## slavikborisov (Mar 1, 2022)

indaswamp said:


> Potassium sorbate is used on commercially produced bacon. Last batch of bacon I made, I had to wipe some spots with vinegar so this go around I am using potassium sorbate.


Thanks for clarifying!! This looks amazing!!


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## xray (Mar 1, 2022)

Great looking bellies and bacon, and a pretty good price to boot! A lot of the bellies around here have been pretty thin so I’ve passed on them. Hopefully there’s some nice looking ones like yours when the bacon stash gets low.


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## pineywoods (Mar 1, 2022)

That looks great nice color


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## Fueling Around (Mar 1, 2022)

Great belly both before and after
How much weight loss?


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## indaswamp (Mar 4, 2022)

Fueling Around said:


> Great belly both before and after
> How much weight loss?


I did not weigh the bellies before or after the smoke, but it's usually 15-18% when I make cold smoked bacon.


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## indaswamp (Mar 4, 2022)

xray said:


> Great looking bellies and bacon, and a pretty good price to boot! A lot of the bellies around here have been pretty thin so I’ve passed on them. Hopefully there’s some nice looking ones like yours when the bacon stash gets low.


Thanks xray....yeah I couldn't pass them up!



pineywoods said:


> That looks great nice color


Thanks pineywoods..


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