# My first Buckboard Bacon ( lots of Qview ! )



## Bearcarver (Dec 3, 2009)

Here we are gang, my first BBB. I bought two Pork shoulders (bone in) for $1.19 LB from BJ's. I watched a UTube flick to learn how to debone them. It wasn't as hard as I thought.

I used the Hi Mt BBB cure/seasoning, but I wasn't really happy with the result. This was the first time since you guys taught me how to dry-cure that I didn't have any control over the curing chemicals, and it was the first time I had to soak anything to reduce the salt taste. I soaked these butts for 2 hours, changing the ice water about 6 times. It got a little better, and after refrigerating overnight to form the pellicle, smoking for 6 hours, and cooling in the fridge overnight again, they became pretty much perfect. I think next time I'm going to use my TQ & brown sugar just like I did my other bacons. In a way, this is a good thing, since I paid more for the shipping than I did for the Hi Mt Cure.

If you want a better result than Hi Mt, see any of my other Bacon, Buckboard Bacon, or Canadian Bacon Step by Steps. I use Tender Quick & Brown Sugar in all of the others & they always turn out Awesome!

In fact here is a Great Step by Step that combines Buckboard Bacon and Cured & Smoked Boston Butt Ham:

*Buckboard Bacon and Pulled Cured Boston Butt Ham  *  

Hope you all enjoy my pictures:


Two pork shoulders cured, soaked & rinsed. 9.2 pounder on left---8.3 pounder on right (before deboning):









Taste Test Pieces, after curing:







Cooling after smoking, ready to wrap for overnight refrigeration:







All sliced up:







Packed for freezing:







Final Preparation:







Great Breakfast (The real test!):







My freezer looking great, thanks to all of you guys. Hmmmm, I have a little room for some Smoked Salmon----Hmmmmm:






Thanks for drooling,
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




Bearcarver


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## newb (Dec 3, 2009)

Looks GREAT Bear!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





except it appears that you don't have room in your freezer for much more so you better send me a few of those containers...Just looking out and trying to help.


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## stonebriar (Dec 3, 2009)

Excellent! Job well done...


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## got14u (Dec 3, 2009)

Great lookin breakfast and points to ya for stockien your self up with good food......feels good to do that.


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## beer-b-q (Dec 3, 2009)

Man that looks great...


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## Bearcarver (Dec 3, 2009)

Thanks guys, couldn't have done it without you!

BC


PS: Next on my list----More Smoked Salmon, unless my kid gets me some venison for my first attempt at "Venison Bacon" (I got some of Curley's mix, just in case).

I think I'll be running out of types of bacon to make soon. 
Hmmm, "Cat bacon"??? 
Now "Smokey" is wondering why I'm looking at him that way.


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## smokeguy (Dec 3, 2009)

Looks like a meal fit for a king!  Got to try that one now too.


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## alx (Dec 3, 2009)

Fantastic buckboard.Beautiful color bearcarver....


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## walle (Dec 3, 2009)

Beautiful!  That's one heck of a frying pan!
All of these awesome bacon posts are making me a little nervous as my first batch sits a brining....
Tracey


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## mballi3011 (Dec 3, 2009)

You can really see that the cure went all the way though too. Ti color of the meat when it's cut in two. It looks really good and you cann't beat some good Buckboard bacon we love it here. One question thou wy did you freeze it in single uses batches I see that there were 6-7 in each batch.??I did the same thing just thinking that I would take it out and use it right then but I forgot about the I havinig to try this stuff before I cook it and I end up eating it all up before I sit down to eat my plate of food.


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## treegje (Dec 3, 2009)

My mouth is watering


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## blue (Dec 3, 2009)

Looks like there is just enough room for Ted Williams's Head

The BB look great!!!


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## okie joe (Dec 4, 2009)

Sweet BBB...may be your first but ......looks like ya ben doin bacon for years....nice cure and great picks....


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## pignit (Dec 4, 2009)

*Shweeeeeet!*


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## scpatterson (Dec 4, 2009)

Awesome post and awesome queu view. Looks fantastic...Points for sure


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## Bearcarver (Dec 4, 2009)

*Wow !*
You guys tell me how to do it.
I read everything you say & write down the most consistently agreed upon steps.
I follow those steps & everything turns out perfect !
Then you guys turn around & give me points for it !

What a bunch of GREAT people !


Thanks to ALL,
Bearcarver


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## Bearcarver (Dec 4, 2009)

Good question Mark,

Actually there are two main reasons for using the small bags & only putting 6 of the big slices in each pack & a couple more if they were smaller pieces:

Reason #1 I'm not allowed to eat as much as I used to, or one meal would be 15 or 20 slices.

Reason #2 I give a lot of this away to close friends & relatives. If I made the packs any bigger, there wouldn't be any left for me ! (Hmmmm Maybe this is actually "Reason #1").

Thanks,
Bearcarver


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## morkdach (Dec 4, 2009)

same here i give packs to coworkers as samples so i package the same way. thanks for the show it was great


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## ibdagriz (Jan 29, 2015)

And here we go again.. Yes sir it is just too pretty not to try.

Any reason for not doing the "butterfly" on them and split them in two?  Other than preference of course..

 Did you leave the bone in while curing them as stated?

 How does this style stand up as bacon compared to belly bacon? Pretty close in taste since it is cured the same way?

 I found my MES smoking limitations doing the dried beef and ordered the AMNS 5x8 for mine. It smokes well hot, but not as well when you're lower on the temps. It's on the way now.

 I going with your other smokey bacon cure with the TQ and doing the rest like this thread of yours.. Another two weeks of watching meet cure.. LOL..

 Now to go find some decent prices on shoulders...

 Griz


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## Bearcarver (Jan 29, 2015)

ibdagriz said:


> And here we go again.. Yes sir it is just too pretty not to try. *Yup---It is pretty, isn't it.*
> 
> Any reason for not doing the "butterfly" on them and split them in two?  Other than preference of course. *Actually I started splitting them in half after I did this one. Then you can either take both halves to 145° for BBB, or take the bottom "leaner" half to 205° IT and make Pulled Butt Ham out of it.  (See my Link below)*
> 
> ...


*Here ya go, Griz,*

*Buckboard Bacon and Pulled Cured Boston Butt Ham  *  

The only thing I do different than this link, is to leave the BBB half in the smoker until it hits 145° IT. Then do the Pulled Ham the way I did---to 205°

*Bear*


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## ibdagriz (Jan 30, 2015)

This thread versus the other you linked me too uses two different cuts correct? On this one you are using a shoulder cut versus the boston butt in the other one.

 I understand there is some packaging difference s in what they are sometimes called but here I can get pork shoulder roasts or boston butts and they don't appear to be the same. Is it a potatoe/potato thing or something or are they that different to use. Different way of cutting them up?

  Griz


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## Bearcarver (Jan 30, 2015)

ibdagriz said:


> This thread versus the other you linked me too uses two different cuts correct? On this one you are using a shoulder cut versus the boston butt in the other one.
> 
> I understand there is some packaging difference s in what they are sometimes called but here I can get pork shoulder roasts or boston butts and they don't appear to be the same. Is it a potatoe/potato thing or something or are they that different to use. Different way of cutting them up?
> 
> Griz


They are both Boston Butts.

I was a Newbie in 2009, when I called them Shoulders. The Boston Butt is part of the shoulder, but it's the best part of the shoulder, as opposed to the Picnic.

Bear


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## ibdagriz (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks Bear. This stuff is a bit confusing right out of the gate. Thanks for being so understanding and helpful dude. .

You mention in a thread about leaving the bone in and curing it and making pulled ham. Would the roast need to be injected or dry curing like the split one work also? Thickness being the indicator I'll assume. 

I'm three butts richer and some spare ribs since lunch trip to market. One deboned and cut in half and two whole. Thought of the whole cured pulled ham and the buckboard bacon out of the other one that's split in half.

I've been watching videos of cutting up butts and shoulders and my wife thinks I've slid off the edge.

 Heck, I fell off years ago..

 Griz


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## Bearcarver (Jan 31, 2015)

ibdagriz said:


> Thanks Bear. This stuff is a bit confusing right out of the gate. Thanks for being so understanding and helpful dude. *I enjoy helping others, especially nice peeps!!*
> 
> You mention in a thread about leaving the bone in and curing it and making pulled ham. Would the roast need to be injected or dry curing like the split one work also? Thickness being the indicator I'll assume. *When curing, I like to split anything that gets even close to 3" thick.*
> 
> ...


*Here's the one I meant above:*

*Buckboard Bacon and Pulled Cured Boston Butt Ham  *     

*Bear*


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## ibdagriz (Feb 1, 2015)

Excellent info. 

In the jump right in department, I have two butts curing with four pieces going to pulled ham and two pieces going to bacon. Butcher removed the fat cap on the one I had him debone for me and cut in half. The other had better bacon cut after I deboned it so its all curing. The bacon with TQ and CGP in the hams in TQ and brown sugar.

I'm doing another pulled pork butt  that I put on at 5AM this morning.

Also doing some spare ribs at the same time. Guess i like a challenge. Lol.

Everything is wrapped and getting up to temp in the smoker. Unwrap ribs in an hour for the last hour finishing it off.

Pics to come.

Griz


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## Bearcarver (Feb 2, 2015)

ibdagriz said:


> Excellent info.
> 
> In the jump right in department, I have two butts curing with four pieces going to pulled ham and two pieces going to bacon. Butcher removed the fat cap on the one I had him debone for me and cut in half. The other had better bacon cut after I deboned it so its all curing. The bacon with TQ and CGP in the hams in TQ and brown sugar.
> 
> ...


Thanks Griz!!

Sounds like you really did jump on this stuff!!

Bear


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## ibdagriz (Feb 3, 2015)

Bear,

 I put up a post on it when I got it done. Here's the link.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/177246/spare-ribs-and-pulled-pork

 Griz


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## Bearcarver (Feb 4, 2015)

ibdagriz said:


> Bear,
> 
> I put up a post on it when I got it done. Here's the link.
> 
> ...


And a Great Post it is!!

Thanks for the Link!!

Bear


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## ibdagriz (Feb 16, 2015)

Bear,

  My first use with the new AMNPS was Sunday doing the buckboard bacon and pulled cured ham. I guess everyone has to try it before they understand how nice it really is. Light it and forget it is really nice to work with.

 I started at 4AM firing up the smoker to 140 and cutting it back to 120 once it was hot. I put on the pieces on several racks as I had lots of pieces to do. Thinnest on top.

 Everything went pretty close to your times on the internal temps. I started with hickory for about 5 hours and it graduated over to Apple and then Cherry at the last couple of hours.

 I pulled the bacon at about 120 on them. I left the ham pieces uncovered but in pans once they hit 165 until they hit a bit over 200.

 Just out of the fridge and washed off a bit.

 













Buckboard Bacon Cured.jpg



__ ibdagriz
__ Feb 16, 2015






 Fry test. I love these..













Fry test.jpg



__ ibdagriz
__ Feb 16, 2015






Hams just out of the smoker.













Pulled Cured Ham.jpg



__ ibdagriz
__ Feb 16, 2015






Some pulled for testing..













Pulled Ham.jpg



__ ibdagriz
__ Feb 16, 2015






One more pic added to show it sliced and sealed for freezer.













Bb Bacon.jpg



__ ibdagriz
__ Feb 19, 2015






 Overall it is awesome dude. The bacon almost was too good to even smoke, so I know it is better now. Can't wait to try it later today. Ham is incredible.

  Griz


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## gary s (Feb 16, 2015)

Looks Good   nice job

gary


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## Bearcarver (Feb 16, 2015)

ibdagriz said:


> Bear,
> 
> My first use with the new AMNPS was Sunday doing the buckboard bacon and pulled cured ham. I guess everyone has to try it before they understand how nice it really is. Light it and forget it is really nice to work with.
> 
> ...


Beautiful Job Griz!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I'm glad you like it !!

I gotta say though, I believe you posted it on the wrong Step by Step. This one is just a Buckboard Bacon Step by Step that I used Hi Mountain cure on.

I believe the one you followed was this one:

*Buckboard Bacon and Pulled Cured Boston Butt Ham  *     

You did a great job though!!

Bear


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## ibdagriz (Feb 16, 2015)

I was following my post to you about the butts more than the step by step process on doing them actually.

 I wish he had left the cap on the other one also, but it made nice ham so I can't really complain I guess..

 Griz


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