# First Buckboard bacon



## DougE (Dec 17, 2021)

I've wanted to try this forever, but I was always intimidated with the whole curing process, plus there wasn't room in our kitchen fridge for me to do it. Now that I have another fridge just for meat, I decided to go on and give it a try, with a little push from 

 SmokinEdge
 . I did a simple dry cure with cure#1, salt, and brown sugar for 12 days, turning and massaging it daily. I took it out of the cure, rinsed it off and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours, uncovered. 

I was going to try to cold smoke it in my Camp Chef just using a pellet tube, but the temps were getting too hot for a cold smoke. I ended up turning the grill on and warm smoking it at 160, and pulled it when the internal temp. hit 145. It did get a few hours of smoke with just the tube burning, though. I used a 50/50 blend of  Lumberjack cherry and hickory in both the tube and the grill hopper. I'm really pleased with the results, and have another piece getting ready to take a ride in the cure in the next day or two. Other than being meatier than belly bacon, I find the flavor to be pretty similar.


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 17, 2021)

Looks good! Good thing we allow pushing and shoving around here! You'll be making plenty more I'm sure!

Ryan


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## SmokinEdge (Dec 17, 2021)

Excellent.


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## Fueling Around (Dec 17, 2021)

Looks great.
I've tried buckboard a couple times and gave most of it away.  The texture just didn't match up to a local meat market.


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## DougE (Dec 17, 2021)

Brokenhandle said:


> Looks good! Good thing we allow pushing and shoving around here! You'll be making plenty more I'm sure!
> 
> Ryan


Without a doubt on both counts!


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## DougE (Dec 17, 2021)

Fueling Around said:


> Looks great.
> I've tried buckboard a couple times and gave most of it away.  The texture just didn't match up to a local meat market.


It has a little more "chew" than belly bacon, but I don't find it much different, otherwise.


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## pushok2018 (Dec 17, 2021)

BBB looks beautiful! Nicely done!


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## DougE (Dec 17, 2021)

pushok2018 said:


> BBB looks beautiful! Nicely done!


Thank you.


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 17, 2021)

Just remembered I'm out of BBB, darn... another thing for the to do list! Another thing to try sometime if ya get bored...beef bacon, cut the flat off a brisket, cure it and smoke it...it's tasty!

Ryan


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## DougE (Dec 17, 2021)

Brokenhandle said:


> Another thing to try sometime if ya get bored...beef bacon, cut the flat off a brisket, cure it and smoke it...it's tasty!


Hmmmmmm, I wonder what it would come out like if you were to soak the salt outta a corned brisket, like you would for pastrami, and do the same with it?


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 17, 2021)

DougE said:


> Hmmmmmm, I wonder what it would come out like if you were to soak the salt outta a corned brisket, like you would for pastrami, and do the same with it?


Not sure! I know when I did mine I searched on here, I know pop's had a thread on it and someone else did also but can't remember who the 2nd one was.

Ryan


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## DougE (Dec 17, 2021)

Gotta be good if pops did it.


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 18, 2021)

Here's one pic of mine. It's kinda different but I would kinda compare it to BBB as far as texture goes.

Ryan


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## DRKsmoking (Dec 18, 2021)

Looks great Doug, 
also on my list, just have not got to it yet

David


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Dec 18, 2021)

Nice.  Got mine in smoker.


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## SmokinAl (Dec 18, 2021)

We like BBB better than belly bacon, and yours sure looks good!
Al


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

My wife had some with eggs this morning and likes it really well. She said I was awful excited about the bacon. Effen A right, IT'S BACON, and I made it myself.




Brokenhandle said:


> View attachment 519333
> 
> 
> Here's one pic of mine. It's kinda different but I would kinda compare it to BBB as far as texture goes.
> ...


Dang, Ryan, that looks absolutely delicious.



DRKsmoking said:


> Looks great Doug,
> also on my list, just have not got to it yet
> 
> David


Thanks, David. I'm sure you will do a great job of it when you get around to trying it.



BrianGSDTexoma said:


> Nice.  Got mine in smoker.


Hope it turns out as good, or even better than mine. I'm well pleased with the results, and don't plan on changing much, if anything, on the next one.



SmokinAl said:


> We like BBB better than belly bacon, and yours sure looks good!
> Al


Thanks, Al. I plan on doing some belly bacon, eventually, just for comparison, using the same cure recipe. I doubt it'll be worth the extra cost for the belly, but I'm gonna try it. anyhow


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## GATOR240 (Dec 18, 2021)

Looks great!  I have only done belly bacon but thats going to change soon. Nicely done!


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## sandyut (Dec 18, 2021)

look great!  and its on the gotta try list...just need to get the fam to stop visiting.  bahah.


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

GATOR240 said:


> Looks great!  I have only done belly bacon but thats going to change soon. Nicely done!


Thanks, Gator. Taste wise, I don't see a lot of difference, but the texture is slightly different and it's definitely meatier.


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

sandyut said:


> look great!  and its on the gotta try list...just need to get the fam to stop visiting.  bahah.


Thanks. I got more things on my gotta try list than I'll ever have a chance to cook.


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## mneeley490 (Dec 18, 2021)

As for the texture difference, I had the same thoughts on my first try. I've found that if you thin slice it, the texture is virtually indistinguishable from belly.


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

mneeley490 said:


> As for the texture difference, I had the same thoughts on my first try. I've found that if you thin slice it, the texture is virtually indistinguishable from belly.


I didn't necessarily consider the texture difference to be a bad thing, but I will go a little thinner on the next one. I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't be missing anything at all if the only bacon I ate for the rest of my life was buckboard.


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## SmokinEdge (Dec 18, 2021)

To me, BBB is closer to ham in texture and flavor, because it is ham after all. What makes belly bacon different in both taste and texture is the streaky fat, the more fat the better I say. Even belly that is very meaty has more of a ham flavor/texture. I like me some fat on my bacon, otherwise I’ll just make ham, and nothing wrong with BBB.


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

Well, this piece was pretty dang fatty, so it may be why I find it closer to belly bacon.


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2021)

Doug , that looks great . Making your own is addicting . Nice work bud .
I use just the fat cap side of the bone on pork butts IF it looks like bacon . Then the rest goes for ham . 
Most people would have a hard time telling the difference .


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> Doug , that looks great . Making your own is addicting . Nice work bud .
> I use just the fat cap side of the bone on pork butts IF it looks like bacon .




Thanks, Rich. I intended on getting a whole butt which were on sale at 99 cents a pound, and boning it out myself, but they were sold out. I ended up with a couple boneless Boston butt roasts at a buck 99 a pound for this. Neither had a fat cap, but the one I did had a lot of internal fat. I still have the other one, and will probably start curing it tomorrow. It looks more meaty than the one I just did, but I haven't seen the underside yet.


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## chopsaw (Dec 18, 2021)

Something else you might want to put on the list . Pulled ham . Do just like you did , but smoke it like pulled pork . Shred it up and on a bun . Man it's good .


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> Something else you might want to put on the list . Pulled ham . Do just like you did , but smoke it like pulled pork . Shred it up and on a bun . Man it's good .


yet another to add to my list .....


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 18, 2021)

DougE said:


> yet another to add to my list .....


I don't even have a clue as to where the beginning of my to do list is anymore. 

Ryan


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## DougE (Dec 18, 2021)

Brokenhandle said:


> I don't even have a clue as to where the beginning of my to do list is anymore.
> 
> Ryan


I hear ya, bud. I have a few things on the short list, but the rest?


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## JLeonard (Dec 19, 2021)

Sliced and vac sealed my belly bacon yesterday. Didnt post any pics as I am still figuring out my slicer (slices were ugly). But, it did fry up nicely. Gonna do some BBB next as shoulders are much cheaper than belly. 
Jim


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## DRKsmoking (Dec 22, 2021)

JLeonard said:


> I am still figuring out my slicer (slices were ugly)



  But Jim all that matters is the taste in a BLT, breakfast sandwich, in your hand etc....lol

David


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 22, 2021)

I personally love the ugly slices... I see it as my duty to eat all of them so nobody sees them!

Ryan


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## JLeonard (Dec 22, 2021)

DRKsmoking
 and 

 Brokenhandle
 you are both right!


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