# Hickory-Smoked Maple bacon: with Pix



## couger78 (Jun 4, 2012)

*It's makin' bacon time!*

Got all the ingredients lined up for this recipe...
	

		
			
		

		
	








Into the dry ingredients, I add the 'wet.'







Well-mixed into a sticky paste that'll be rubbed into the bellies...







I picked up 16.5 pound of pork belly at a 'reasonable' price. Hard to get it in my area, I've discovered. Many places want upwards of $7-8 a pound! This was $3.99/lb special ordered at our local Whole Foods. Good fat-to-lean ratio.







I gave the bellies a thorough rub-down with the maple/honey cure paste, distributing it evenly across all surfaces. These will sit in my fridge for two days while the salt draws moisture out and a brine develops. It's important to allow the brine to cover the meat so I may move the bellies into separate zip-locs to ensure good brine contact & submersion.







That's all for now. After 5-7 days of curing, it will then be on to the next step: SMOKING.

More to come!

Kevin


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## scarbelly (Jun 4, 2012)

Looking great so far


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## smokinhusker (Jun 4, 2012)

Looking good...those are nice bellies!


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## jrod62 (Jun 4, 2012)

Looks good . Will be back to check this out in two weeks


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## couger78 (Jun 5, 2012)

Last night I picked up some jumbo Ziplocs (13x15") which are an ideal size for the belly-slab sizes I have.

I transfered the bellies from the plastic lug to the Ziplocs—a nice brine has developed— and squeezed out the excess air.







Now I'll flip these every day or so for good cure coverage. In hindsight, had I already had the ziplocs in hand, I wouldnt have had to let the bellies sit in the lug, but gone right into the bags.

If all goes well—I'll sample a piece on Saturday for saltiness, and if it's on the mark, I'll hang dry 'em overnight & on to the smoker the next day.

Kevin


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## chef jimmyj (Jun 6, 2012)

Good start Kevin...JJ


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## sub-80 (Jun 7, 2012)

Those really are some nice looking bellies...Whole Foods you say?  Huh....I'll have to remember that.  I'm happy with the belly I got from my local butcher, but yours is a little thicker...looks good.


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## couger78 (Jun 8, 2012)

Sub-80 said:


> Those really are some nice looking bellies...Whole Foods you say? Huh....I'll have to remember that. I'm happy with the belly I got from my local butcher, but yours is a little thicker...looks good.


Sub, someone recommended Whole Foods, so since its on my way home from the office, I figured I'd give it a shot.

According to the guy behind the butcher counter, they don't normally stock bellies, but if let him know on Tuesday, he'll get it in frozen by later in the week. Price was fair & the quality excellent—at least in this batch I received.

Kevin


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## sam3 (Jun 8, 2012)

Looking good so far Kevin.


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## couger78 (Jun 9, 2012)

This morning, I sliced & fried up a sample to check the overall flavor balance (salty vs sweet) after 4.5 days of curing.

Tasted fine— a bit of both saltiness and sweetness, neither overpowering the other. So on to the next step....

I washed & wiped down all the belly pieces quite throughly (2 larger 'squares' and two end hunks) and dried them. Some of the black pepper 'residue remained, but my main concern was to remove any excess cure/salt.

Ready to be hung...







Dug out my bacon hangers & set up our 2nd fridge to let the bellies hang dry for a day or so. This is to ensure a good dry time (fridges suck out moisture from exposed foods) and really aid in developing good pellicle formation—essential for decent smoke adhesion.

Hangin' & dryin'...







Come Sunday eve, I'll be prepping the smoker and getting these bellies ready to move there for a long, cool overnight smoke.

Kevin


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## tjohnson (Jun 9, 2012)

Waiting for the smoke


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## couger78 (Jun 9, 2012)

TJohnson said:


> Waiting for the smoke


Ditto, Todd!

I've my a-maze-n pellet smoker ready to go with an nice mix of both hickory and apple.

I just have to be sure I get good airflow in the MB Extra-Wide. I've had some issues keeping the pellets from going out. Best place I've found is right over 'flame ring' opening in the floor center.

Kevin


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## couger78 (Jun 10, 2012)

Okay, Sunday eve has rolled around and so now on to the smoker....

Temps were high today (90°F) so I'm glad I waited for a cooler overnight smoke.

After dinner, ambient temp in the smoker was still warmer than I wanted (less than 70°F), so I waited a while.







By 8:00 pm, the temp had cooled down to 68° so off we go...

A nice dry, firm skin (pellicle) had formed on the bellies, so I was in good shape as far as the condition of the pork.

I loaded up the A-Maze-N smoker with a combination of pellets:







I positioned the lit amazen over the floor opening in my MB ExtraWide & test to be sure I was getting good airflow into the smoker:







Once I was ensured of good smoke movement, I was ready to hang the bellies.

To do this, I need to insert my 'custom' (
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





) sausage-hanging rack.

These will hold up to 25lbs of sausage so I know they'll do okay with the pork belly load:







Finally got the bellies hanging and the smoke rolling. My 'heat deflector' is an old foil-lined cookie sheet. There's not a 'lot' of heat being generated, but indirect is still best.

The smoke isnt as 'intense' as it appears here in this photo (due to the door being wide open)—just a steady stream of light blue smoke:







I'll check on it a bit later. We revisit this tomorrow morning after a good 10-12 hours of smoke.

I may backfill a few more pellets before calling it a night.

More to come...

Kevin


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## sub-80 (Jun 10, 2012)

Looking great Kevin!  Thanks for the detailed pictures!


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## couger78 (Jun 11, 2012)

Early next morning, time to check on the bellies. They've been smoking now almost 12 hours, with the temps in the low 60s outside & in the smoker.

It's supposed to be warm today, so I'll pull the bellies before the smoker temp hits the upper 70s.

After 12 hours of cold smoke: 







The bellies have taken on a nice yellowish-brown color (as expected with cold smoking); much more subdued than the brilliant RED when hot smoking.  They smell VERY smokey!....







These will rest in the fridge for the next 2-3 days before I chill them well and slice. I read where, like cold-smoked cheese, resting is essential to 'mellow out' some of the harshness of the smoke.







Slicing & sampling still to come...

Kevin


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## dnic (Jun 11, 2012)

Looks great! You'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge, but once finished, is this bacon ready to eat, or do you still pan fry it before eating?


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## couger78 (Jun 11, 2012)

Dnic said:


> Looks great! You'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge, but once finished, is this bacon ready to eat, or do you still pan fry it before eating?


Since the temp never gets over 75° during the cold-smoke process, yes, the pork needs to be cooked before eating. The curing process prior to smoking prevents the growth of botulism and aids in preserving the meat.

Kevin


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## indyadmin1974 (Jun 11, 2012)

Why don't we have one of these --> 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  full of bacon?

I'm ready for my cure to be done so I can move on to the next step.


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## sub-80 (Jun 11, 2012)

I think that color is just fine...looks awesome Kevin!

Thanks again for the qviews.  I wish a I had a similar set-up to hang the bellies.  Mine are going to the smoke very soon on my kettle...laying flat.  There has to be an advantage to hanging...


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## diggingdogfarm (Jun 11, 2012)

Looks real good!!!!



~Martin


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## scarbelly (Jun 11, 2012)

Looks like it came out great - congrats


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## thoseguys26 (Jun 11, 2012)

What is the biggest difference between cold smoking and hot smoking bacon? Do people actually eat bacon cold? I have always hot smoked mine, with no intention of eating it cold but I see many cold smoke it. I always fry my bacon anyways but I'm just curious. Thanks!

By the way your bacon looks great!!!


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## diggingdogfarm (Jun 11, 2012)

thoseguys26 said:


> What is the biggest difference between cold smoking and hot smoking bacon? Flavor. Do people actually eat bacon cold? Some do. I have always hot smoked mine, with no intention of eating it cold but I see many cold smoke it. I always fry my bacon anyways but I'm just curious. Thanks!
> 
> By the way your bacon looks great!!!




~Martin


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## smokinhusker (Jun 14, 2012)

Don't know how I missed this! The bacon looks awesome! Great job! I just cold smoked buckboard bacon yesterday and now it's in the fridge to mellow!


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## gersus (Jun 14, 2012)

thoseguys26- cold smoked bacon must be cooked before eating. If bacon is hot smoked to an IT of 145 it's ok to eat without any additional cooking.


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## gersus (Jun 14, 2012)

Great looking bacon btw Couger!


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## tjohnson (Jun 14, 2012)

Awesome Color!!

I really like Apple Smoked Bacon

This last round, I went with Pecan and Apple


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## thoseguys26 (Jun 14, 2012)

gersus said:


> thoseguys26- cold smoked bacon must be cooked before eating. If bacon is hot smoked to an IT of 145 it's ok to eat without any additional cooking.


Oh I'm fully aware of the safe IT, I have just never compared cold vs hot smoked bacon and was curious what the major difference was. If I cold smoked a PB for 9 hours and hot smoked a PB for 9, compared the two, what would be the major flavor profile differences? Thanks


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## couger78 (Jun 14, 2012)

thoseguys26 said:


> If I cold smoked a PB for 9 hours and hot smoked a PB for 9, compared the two, what would be the major flavor profile differences? Thanks


I going to speculate, based upon the nature of the two smoking techniques, that cold smoking would provide a *deeper, stronger smoke flavo*r since cold smoking allows total smoke penetration inside of the meat. Unlike hot smoke, which tends to form an exterior barrier, with cold smoke, there's very little hardening of the outside surface of the meat or casing and smoke penetrates the meat easily.

Kevin


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## couger78 (Jun 15, 2012)

After a few days rest, I applied several 'coats' of maple-honey glaze to the hangin' bacon. Hanging in the fridge the past two days has really firmed them up nicely & they still have a strong smokey aroma.

After a good overnight chill, its off to the slicer....


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## jack07 (Jun 15, 2012)

Looks great...I will be over in the morning to sample some!


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## couger78 (Jun 16, 2012)

This weekend is time to wrap up the big bacon project.

Got the big slicer out & prepped, ready to go.

Time to remove the skin from all the bacon bellies. Some of the bellies were more difficult to skin, others no problem.

Almost there...







Quite a stack of skins. I considered deep-frying them, but that'll have to wait. i gave a few large slices to my wife as she's making a large pot of baked beans...







Well my slicer was acting squirrelly
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





so I opted to slice a good portion of the bacon with a sharp knife.

Works great just not as fast as the big slicer...







I took a number of odds & ends, scraps & uneven pieces and fried them up.

I discovered its best to cook at a much lower temp than store-bought, and to keep an eye on the bacon as it burns quickly. High sugar & low moisture content.

Slowly cooking in cast iron under the Pig Squisher...







Smell bacon-y! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Boys thought the bacon was great—thicker cut with a real nice smokeiness; a nice sweetness, too. NOT too salty—a concern I had going in.







Wrapped for later. This should keep us in 'bacon Heaven' for a while!

Kevin


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## mneeley490 (Jun 16, 2012)

Look great!

I discovered that it needs to be cooked at a lower temperature also. Even so, the sugars still get a little dark.


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## thoseguys26 (Jun 18, 2012)

I don't use much sugar in mine. I like a medium to medium high because I don't use much sugar like store bought bacon. The sugar and water the store bought uses causes it to splatter and burn in a pan or oven. That looks great by the way. Good job!


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## guitartramp (Jun 18, 2012)

This bacon looks awesome!!!! I like the honey and maple combination.


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## daveomak (Jun 19, 2012)

Kevin, evening..... I missed another bacon thread.... I don't know how.??..  Looks darn good to me...  Dave


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## dougmays (Jun 21, 2012)

Sub-80 said:


> I think that color is just fine...looks awesome Kevin!
> Thanks again for the qviews. I wish a I had a similar set-up to hang the bellies. Mine are going to the smoke very soon on my kettle...laying flat. There has to be an advantage to hanging...


i have the same question..i want to do my first bacon soon and i dont have hangers. is there any disadvantage to hanging vs laying flat?

More questions!

- when you "rest" the bacon for a couple days...do you simply just put it in the zip lock bag and let it sit there? i see moisture in the bag do you try to dry that out?

- Do you always leave the skin on or is this a personal preference? if you dont intend to cook up the skin in other recipes could it just be removed?

- for the marinade you have the syrup for a liquid...if i wanted to do a simple dry rub (thinking black pepper, jalepeno, sugar) should i use water?

- also if i used a "dry rub" should i reapply more after the 5-7days of curing?


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## couger78 (Jun 21, 2012)

dougmays said:


> i have the same question..i want to do my first bacon soon and i dont have hangers. is there any disadvantage to hanging vs laying flat?
> 
> More questions!
> 
> ...


Hi Doug

Per your questions:

1. Laying versus hanging. Many folks do it either way. I believe hanging allows for more complete air circulation around all surfaces, whereas laying flat, the bacon will be in contact with the shelf/platform/rack. Not really a big deal. Racks will also tend to leave 'marks' (impressions) on the surface.

2. The 'rest' in the zip-loc post-smoke is dry; there is no moisture present. I removed it from the bag after a day or & let it hang-dry to firm up even more in the fridge before slicing. The main reason I initially bagged it was I didnt want EVERYTHING in the fridge to take on the strong smoke flavor. The pre-smoke ziplock is quite wet as the cure brine has formed.

3. Skin-on or off: personal preference. Remove it if you don't wish to use it later— however,_ them's fightin' words_ to some bacon-makers! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





4 & 5. Heres a GREAT explanation on the wet vs dry cure method: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing/methods

Hope you find this info helpful.

good luck!

Kevin


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## dougmays (Jun 22, 2012)

> 2. The 'rest' in the zip-loc post-smoke is dry; there is no moisture present. I removed it from the bag after a day or & let it hang-dry to firm up even more in the fridge before slicing. The main reason I initially bagged it was I didnt want EVERYTHING in the fridge to take on the strong smoke flavor. The pre-smoke ziplock is quite wet as the cure brine has formed.


thanks kevin!

one follow up to this one above....when you say "as the cure brine has formed"....does the pink salt (cure #1)  draw out moisture on it's own? so in theory if i just covered the belly in the cure and a few other spices...this is really all that needs to be done? or do you use a liquid along with the cure  to make it ad hrere to the meat? or if you add liquid to the cure will this be counter productive because y ou'd be reintroducing  more moisture to the meat? 

i really hope all of that made sense LOL


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## couger78 (Jun 22, 2012)

dougmays said:


> does the pink salt (cure #1)  draw out moisture on it's own?


It will,and additionally there is a generous amount of kosher salt in the rub.

Quote:

Originally Posted by *dougmays*  
if i just covered the belly in the cure and a few other spices...this is really all that needs to be done? or do you use a liquid along with the cure  to make it ad hrere to the meat? or if you add liquid to the cure will this be counter productive because y ou'd be reintroducing  more moisture to the meat? 

A dry cure will produce liquid as it draws moisture from the meat. That's part of the secret of meat preservation. Adding liquid will not be counter-productive to the curing process, but you need to be sure NOT to dilute the cure with too much liquid. Wet-curing is most commonly used for making hams, but it also makes good bacon. Moisture is not a BAD thing in the curing process, but once the meat has been cured properly (for an adequate length of time), it needs to be dry & a nice pellicle formed before smoke is applied.

Kevin


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## dougmays (Jun 25, 2012)

great thanks alot!


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## joshrichards (Jun 29, 2012)

That looks great.  I've been wanting to try this for a long time.


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## southernsausage (Jun 29, 2012)

Who has a link for one of those round bacon presses?? I gotta have one.


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## diggingdogfarm (Jun 29, 2012)

~Martin


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## southernsausage (Jun 29, 2012)

great thank you very much!


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## retiredpro (Dec 7, 2015)

This looks great! What are the amounts of pepper, sugar, kosher salt, pink salt, and maple that you used in your recipe? And for how many lbs of meat? Thank you!


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