Here is the process I use for making bacon. I will attempt to explain the 2 week process here. Bacon comes from the pork belly but can be made from any part of the pig. Using shoulders gives me a less fatty bacon with more lean meat to enjoy. Plus shoulders are easier to get and cheaper. I bought a 60 pound box of pork trim for sausage making. From this, I set aside 15 pounds of the fatty trim for this bacon. This trim is 72% fat. The seasoning, I use is a high Mountain brand. I have had good luck with this brand. I sprinkle the dry cure and seasonings over the meat and mix it well I then place all the pieces in a container and refrigerated it for ten days. After ten days, I soaked the pieces in cold water for two hours to remove any surface cure. I place the pieces of pork on racks and into my pre-heated smoker at 150F. This batch was made in my old smoker. I have since built a new, more modern and larger smoker. For smoke, I use hickory sawdust. I cover the pan with a lid to starve it of air. This allows smoke but no flare ups. With lid removed I smok the meat until the largest piece reached an internal temp of 165F and then let it cool in the smoker. I sliced one piece while it was still warm and the fat was still transparent so it's hard to see the fat lines like you see on store bought bacon which has be refrigerated. After cooling overnight I vacuum seal the pieces whole and slice when I want to fry some
You need to stop this. I'm getting hungry and I now have too many ideas of things to smoke, and not enough time to cook them in.
LOL CILhunter!! RC...the last thing I need to know is how to make bacon lol....It's definitely something I could eat without every meal of the day lol....
