# coffee,apple juice brined bacon



## unclejhim (Mar 18, 2016)

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__ unclejhim
__ Mar 18, 2016





   this picture belong at bottom, ready for the freezer..

I decided to go a little rouge with a slab of pork belly. I used a variation of POP'S brine infused with some coffee and apple juice. I got this Idea from fellow poster Noboudaries "Double Beer Can chicken brine" anyway here it is.

1 qt. apple juice

1 qt. strong black coffee

2 qts. water

1 tablespoon pink salt

1 cup cane syrup

1 cup kosher salt

12 whole cloves....24 whole peppercorns. These were toasted and then cracked cracked.

I quartered the belly and set in brine for 20 days. Then the belly rested / dried for 5 days.













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__ unclejhim
__ Mar 18, 2016






Forgot to mentioned dusted the tops of each with onion powder. garlic powder and block pepper.

They had a nice color from the brine.

Then into the smoker. With corn cob and pecan pellets (great aroma from the smoker) I did this on three separate  nights (approx. 9 hrs. smoke ea. night) 













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__ unclejhim
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because it's starting to get warm here in So. Louisiana. You can tell I'm not to good at placing the pictures but y'all get the idea.













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__ unclejhim
__ Mar 18, 2016






Ready for the slice!!

 













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__ unclejhim
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__ unclejhim
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All I can say is when I tasted them I FIST PUMPED!! WOW! They really came out great. Exactly what I was looking for. A bold flavor for sure but not over whelming IMO.

The bits and pieces will go good in some green beans as well.

I was waiting to try these before I thawed the other  belly in my freezer. It's thawing as I speak and will go thru the same process.


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 18, 2016)

Sounds interesting. 

One thing to note if you only used 1 teaspoon of cure #1 as stated in your post you didn't have enough cure. You needed a Tablespoon. I hope you just made a typo. If so please correct to tablespoon, as that is the proper amount of cure for 1 gallon of Pop's brine.


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## SmokinAl (Mar 18, 2016)

I caught that too, Case!

From the color of the finished bacon, I'm sure it's a typo.

I changed it.

The bacon looks awesome!

Al


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## unclejhim (Mar 18, 2016)

Yes it was/is a typo, thanks for catching and fixing it.


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## 3montes (Mar 18, 2016)

Awesome! Way to think out of the box on the brine! I'm in the process of doing my first pork belly for bacon. Did the straight up Pop's simple brine no other flavors. If this turns out I am going to start to infuse the brine with flavors. When I do brines for pork or poultry I use all sorts of things. Beers, wines, coffee, juices aromatics etc. etc.

I plan on seasoning the pork bellies with a maple garlic seasoning on one lots of cbp on another and haven't decided what to do on the third one yet.

Congratulations on your success!!


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## unclejhim (Mar 18, 2016)

Thanks and good luck yours!


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## b-one (Mar 19, 2016)

Looks great,nice and meaty as well!


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