Pork belly and bacon

[FF Cory]

Just received my 8lb pork belly. I’d like to try bacon but I can’t find a fool proof recipe, considering it was fairly expensive, I don’t want to trash a good belly. Since this is my first shot at a belly should I just try to smoke it and then sear it off for thick cut bacon or cube it and make bacon candy? What will give me the easiest first step into the pork belly realm. Thank for your help

 

[SmokeOCD]

Morton's Tender Quick is your easiest route for bacon.
I like to cure it, smoke it over a few days (couple hours each day) - then let it dry out for a week or two so the texture isn't so squishy. I'll just cut it up into little cubes and eat it straight. Maybe with some bread, cheese, olives.

 

[kennethk]

Check out Guga on YouTube

 

[FF Cory]

Check out Guga on YouTube

Copy. thank you

 

[FF Cory]

Morton's Tender Quick is your easiest route for bacon.
I like to cure it, smoke it over a few days (couple hours each day) - then let it dry out for a week or two so the texture isn't so squishy. I'll just cut it up into little cubes and eat it straight. Maybe with some bread, cheese, olives.

So it’s a pretty long process to get your results?

 

[SmokeOCD]

Yeah, If I started it today - first taste is maybe a month out. I make about 20lbs every fall to snack on through the winter. But you can have BACON quickly, it's just the Morton's really that makes it so simple.
You can add brown sugar, maple syrup, spices to the cure - and have bacon really soon, really easy.

 

[FF Cory]

Yeah, If I started it today - first taste is maybe a month out. I make about 20lbs every fall to snack on through the winter. But you can have BACON quickly, it's just the Morton's really that makes it so simple.
You can add brown sugar, maple syrup, spices to the cure - and have bacon really soon, really easy.

Awesome! Thank you. I’ll check out the Morton’s website to see how to do it.

 

[Greg Jones]

Just received my 8lb pork belly. I’d like to try bacon but I can’t find a fool proof recipe, considering it was fairly expensive, I don’t want to trash a good belly. Since this is my first shot at a belly should I just try to smoke it and then sear it off for thick cut bacon or cube it and make bacon candy? What will give me the easiest first step into the pork belly realm. Thank for your help

I wrote a post Here almost 3 years ago using a method by Steven Raichlen that is absolutely foolproof and fantastic. I just bought a full belly from Costco yesterday to make belly burnt ends out of half, and bacon out of the other half.

 

[SmokeOCD]

using a method by Steven Raichlen ..

I could kind of hear his voice reading me the directions in a Captain Kirk type cadence. It was tough watching his shows. But your bacon looked good!

 

[Greg Jones]

I could kind of hear his voice reading me the directions in a Captain Kirk type cadence. It was tough watching his shows. But your bacon looked good!

Steven can be tough to watch (you’ll never confuse him with say Matt from Meat Church), but man he knows his stuff on a grill!

 

[RattleR]

Steven can be tough to watch (you’ll never confuse him with say Matt from Meat Church), but man he knows his stuff on a grill!

True and Grills he has.

 

[SmokeOCD]

...Grills he has.

Pretty sure they're all product placement... sponsored.
In other news...
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/20...rs-flame-lower-expected-retail-traffic-sales/

 

[Greg Jones]

Pretty sure they're all product placement... sponsored.
In other news...
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/20...rs-flame-lower-expected-retail-traffic-sales/

True that. But he can make them sing regardless. He’s even done the (I can’t remember what it’s called) grilling where the animal is stretched out and placed leaning over an open fire, not sponsored,

 

[IPlayWithMeat]

I wrote a post Here almost 3 years ago using a method by Steven Raichlen that is absolutely foolproof and fantastic. I just bought a full belly from Costco yesterday to make belly burnt ends out of half, and bacon out of the other half.

I remember that! But I can’t remember- did you use the optional curing salt or did you leave that out?

Also, do you have any advice for slicing it evenly?

 

[Waterboy]

@FF Cory i agree with @Greg Jones post #8. Cut the belly in half and make bacon from one half and ”burnt ends” from the other half. Best of both worlds from one belly.

 

[Greg Jones]

I remember that! But I can’t remember- did you use the optional curing salt or did you leave that out?

Also, do you have any advice for slicing it evenly?

I use the curing salt, and the best advice I have for manually slicing it evenly is to use the grid lines from the cooling rack as a guide. I mention that in my post linked above. If you want really thick bacon, slice it on every indentation. Otherwise, just use the lines to help you guide how thin you want it. Also, use a sharp slicer. Unlike a nice chef knife that will require resharpening, good trimming and slicing knives are so cheap that there is no excuse to use a dull one.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Also the colder it is, the less it will squirm when you cut it.

 

[IPlayWithMeat]

I use the curing salt, and the best advice I have for manually slicing it evenly is to use the grid lines from the cooling rack as a guide. I mention that in my post linked above. If you want really thick bacon, slice it on every indentation. Otherwise, just use the lines to help you guide how thin you want it. Also, use a sharp slicer. Unlike a nice chef knife that will require resharpening, good trimming and slicing knives are so cheap that there is no excuse to use a dull one.

Thank you! Cutting straight, thin slices was never my best skill. One of my professors even told me, “Please don’t ever become a surgeon.” .

 

[SmokeOCD]

Still no news on what you decided to do. If you can't decide then maybe... Samgyeopsal .
I usually get it pre-sliced, pre-marinated at H-Mart(spicy), but if you decide not to do bacon this is an awesome way to eat pork belly.

 

[fev]

I‘ve used Meathead Goldwyn’s recipe twice. Awesome results. Takes you from cure to the smoke.

https://amazingribs.com/best-maple-bacon-recipe/