# Heritage bacon



## zzerru (Jul 11, 2020)

Since moving, I’ve now gotten regular access to awesome pork from heritage breeds raised on the farms around me. I got this particular pork from Mastodon Farms and it is head and shoulders above the sidepork I used to get from the supermarket. I hadn’t made bacon in a couple years but when I got these, I just couldn’t help myself.






Roughly 12.5lbs pork belly. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






Cut up into slabs. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






Maple syrup (grade B, also from Mastodon Farms), salt, maple sugar and pink salt for the cure. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






All mixed up by my 6 year old daughter who wanted to help make bacon.
	

		
			
		

		
	






Half the cure on one side. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






Rubbing the cure in was messy work, so it was right up my kid’s alley! Once it was done on that side, then the other half of the cure on the other side, making sure to get it into all the nooks and crannies.
	

		
			
		

		
	






Then it was layered into the brining bucket and the slabs rotated from top to bottom and mixed with the brine that formed from the rub every two days. Cured in the fridge for 10 days. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






Out of the bucket, patted dry with paper towels and put on racks under a fan to form the pellicle. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






Pellicle formed with surface nice and tacky.
	

		
			
		

		
	






Into the smoker for a 12 hour cold smoke with applewood using an A-Maze-N smoker tray. Then hot smoked for 6 hours with apple until internal temp was 125F. 
	

		
			
		

		
	






Pulled out of the smoker and onto racks to bloom for an hour or so. 
	

		
			
		

		
	














Purely gratuitous bacon shots.
	

		
			
		

		
	






Slicing some up. 
	

		
			
		

		
	











Some fried up to test. I’ve never had truly bad bacon but this was outstanding and the quality of the pork really shone through. Hope you enjoyed watching as much as I did making it!


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## TNJAKE (Jul 11, 2020)

Nice job. Bacon looks delicious


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## smokin peachey (Jul 11, 2020)

That looks amazing.


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## 6GRILLZNTN (Jul 11, 2020)

That is some awesome looking bacon!


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## sawhorseray (Jul 11, 2020)

I love it, that is* exactly* how I cure my maple bacon, big Like! RAY


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## CFLJOHN512 (Jul 11, 2020)

Wowzers.  That’s some killer looking bacon!   Great job!


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## flatbroke (Jul 11, 2020)

Looks great!


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## Sowsage (Jul 11, 2020)

Looks awesome! Nice job! Best part is your 6 year old getting involved!


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## Bearcarver (Jul 11, 2020)

Nice!!!
Wish I could get Belly like that around here!!
Nice Job ZZ !!
Like.

Bear


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## smokinstubbs (Jul 11, 2020)

Maple sugar? Don't you mean brown sugar? Looks good.


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## 73saint (Jul 11, 2020)

Ok, coming from someone who cures and smokes a couple hundred pounds every few months...this is absolutely amazing!  Beautiful work, great write up!  Great pics too!


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## zzerru (Jul 11, 2020)

smokinstubbs said:


> Maple sugar? Don't you mean brown sugar? Looks good.



Stubbs, it’s actually maple sugar. It looks like brown sugar, but instead of being from cane, it’s made from maple sap. It has a super strong maple flavor instead of just being sweet/caramelly like brown sugar. If you can’t get it around your area, I think Butcher Packer sells it. It’s awesome for curing.


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## jcam222 (Jul 11, 2020)

Man that looks great. I get ahold of Berkshire around here at times. It is very good compared to average store bellies. I think there are some Duroc breeders nearby too.


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## daspyknows (Jul 11, 2020)

Damn that looks good.  How much to overnight 5 lbs. (joking, maybe)


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## HalfSmoked (Jul 12, 2020)

Wow some great looking bacon there. Making me think of bacon, fried taters and eggs.

Warren


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## zzerru (Jul 12, 2020)

daspyknows said:


> Damn that looks good.  How much to overnight 5 lbs. (joking, maybe)


There needs to be a special class of mail just for bacon to help people get their fix


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## motocrash (Jul 12, 2020)

Great thread/pics and especially bacon.
Put me in a bacon trance


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## Braz (Jul 12, 2020)

That looks great. I am a great fan of the cold smoke/hot smoke method.


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## pushok2018 (Jul 12, 2020)

The bacon looks fantastic! Nice job!


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## Fueling Around (Jul 12, 2020)

zzerru said:


> ...
> I’ve never had truly bad bacon but this was outstanding and the quality of the pork really shone through. Hope you enjoyed watching as much as I did making it!


LOL and Grrr!
I remember the slab bacon from my youth before the commercial stuff took over the meat case.
A treat when I can find it now.  Tried making my own bacon from commercial pork belly. Just isn't the same.


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## SmokinAl (Jul 13, 2020)

Wow!!
That is some good looking bacon!
Nicely done!
Al


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## HalfSmoked (Jul 13, 2020)

Thanks for the like zzerru it is greatly appreciated.

Warren


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## chopsaw (Jul 13, 2020)

That's some of the best bacon I've seen . Nice work and write up .


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## uncle eddie (Jul 13, 2020)

You had me at bacon...  

Like!


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## b-one (Jul 13, 2020)

Great looking bacon! You said you never had truly bad bacon, and I agree. I’m not sure I want to know how great it can be, I eat to much already.


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## robrpb (Jul 15, 2020)

Great job. My mouth was watering just looking at it. Thanks for the write up too.


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## mneeley490 (Jul 18, 2020)

Looks great! Wish I could find a source for heritage pork belly around here. I can't afford, nor do I have the freezer room, for whole or half hogs.


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## zzerru (Jul 19, 2020)

mneeley490 said:


> Looks great! Wish I could find a source for heritage pork belly around here. I can't afford, nor do I have the freezer room, for whole or half hogs.


Have you checked the local farmers market? Even if they don’t sell it there, there farmers usually all know each other and know who has what.


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## mneeley490 (Jul 21, 2020)

zzerru said:


> Have you checked the local farmers market? Even if they don’t sell it there, there farmers usually all know each other and know who has what.


I have. But I thought $15 lb. for pork belly was a little steep.


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## zzerru (Jul 22, 2020)

mneeley490 said:


> I have. But I thought $15 lb. for pork belly was a little steep.


Wow, that’s really high! I don’t think I’d be going for it at that price either.


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## Ishi (Aug 1, 2020)

Nice!!


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## disco (Aug 1, 2020)

Beautiful bacon! You are lucky to have a source of great bellies. Also, kudos to the sous chef! Big Like!


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