Waiting on shipment? - Make Bacon!

rgreenberg2000

Well-known member
Messages
145
Location
Redwood City, CA
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
In an effort to distract myself from looking up my shipment tracker (again), I decided the best thing I could do was some prep for when my RT-700 touches down here in California. So, bacon happened.....well, at least it got started. I've done many batches of bacon, tried a lot of different techniques, but have landed on a simple dry cure (Cure #1, Salt, Sugar), and hickory smoke as the method that works best for me. Picked up a whole belly slab from CostCo, cut it into thirds, weighed it out, and rubbed in the appropriate amount of cure. It's going to take a 7-10 day nap in the fridge, after which, it will (hopefully), get smoked up on my new Bull! Looking forward to it!

Whole slab:

IMG_7188.jpeg


Portioned out (with some trimmings skewered up for the grill tonight):

IMG_7189.jpeg


Rubbed up with cure, ready to nap:

IMG_7190.jpeg


......as of this am, my grill was in Atlanta (only 2,450 miles to go!)

Rich
 
I've only done wet cures on bacon. But I want to try a dry cure. Does the end product come out that much different? I think I might try your recipe. Any tips?
 
Congrats on your purchase. I hope you have many great smokes on your new toy when it arrives. As a fellow Cali resident, we are fortunate to have relatively good temperatures to work on our BBQ skills all year. It only took 6 business days for my Bull to arrive and I was so anxious I assembled it that night for a “burn-in” the following morning. As you wait, I recommend you look at the numerous tips on this site posted by an extremely talented cadre of experts in this field. You may also want to start your accessories shopping list so they can arrive in time for your first cook. One thing I recommend is purchasing some Duck Fat spray. I sprayed all interior surfaces above and including the grates so my seasoning would be easier. Upon arrival of your grill, an hour at 400 degrees followed by a Costco sized pack of chicken thighs sets a firm foundation for many happy hours of good times. Enjoy.[/QUOTE]
 
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I've only done wet cures on bacon. But I want to try a dry cure. Does the end product come out that much different? I think I might try your recipe. Any tips?
Beth, I definitely recommend giving the dry cure a try, if for no other reason than to compare it to your wet cure versions to see which process you like better. In my opinion, any difference in the end product is too subtle for me to pick up on. For me, I just prefer the dry cure method. The steps are essentially:
- Weigh your meat
- Mix up appropriate amount of cure for your weight
- Rub thoroughly into every side of the meat
- Place in fridge in sealed bags on a rimmed baking sheet
- Flip the bags every morning for 10 days (you can massage any exuded liquid around the meat if you wish)
- Remove from cure, rinse the meat thoroughly, then allow to dry in the fridge overnight, uncovered, on a rack
- Smoke at 180F until the internal temperature reaches 155-160F (I typically use hickory)

I use THIS CURE CALCULATOR, and I set the salt percentage to 1.7% (the 2% default is too salty for me, your tastes may vary.) That's about it, other than slicing, frying and eating! :)

I'll let you know how this batch turns on on my new smoker!

R
 
Beth, I definitely recommend giving the dry cure a try, if for no other reason than to compare it to your wet cure versions to see which process you like better. In my opinion, any difference in the end product is too subtle for me to pick up on. For me, I just prefer the dry cure method. The steps are essentially:
- Weigh your meat
- Mix up appropriate amount of cure for your weight
- Rub thoroughly into every side of the meat
- Place in fridge in sealed bags on a rimmed baking sheet
- Flip the bags every morning for 10 days (you can massage any exuded liquid around the meat if you wish)
- Remove from cure, rinse the meat thoroughly, then allow to dry in the fridge overnight, uncovered, on a rack
- Smoke at 180F until the internal temperature reaches 155-160F (I typically use hickory)

I use THIS CURE CALCULATOR, and I set the salt percentage to 1.7% (the 2% default is too salty for me, your tastes may vary.) That's about it, other than slicing, frying and eating! :)

I'll let you know how this batch turns on on my new smoker!

R
@rgreenberg2000, thank you for your method. Looking forward to trying it and also hearing about your first cook on the grill. You'll love it!!! Best... Beth
 
Bacon is now officially on my to-do list.
You'll never go back to store bought! Easiest thing to make, assuming you can find the belly (if Costco only has strips of belly in the meat case, ask one of the guys/gals in the meat department to grab you a whole one (ask them to bring 3 so you can choose the thickest one....) :)

R
 

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