Mak'in Bacon!

First time, doing the wet brine this time. I will do s dry brine for my second time. Meat is in the brine bucket yesterday mid afternoon.

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if I only had the time,,,,,,,,,,,something there is never enough of in my world.

Good luck!! Hope it turns out well.

Phase 2 will be about Aug 9th weekend. to take some air time in the fridge, then hopefully cold smoke using an A-Maz-N tube or tray with pellets.

Question for you pellet guys, What brands of pellets are not blended, all one species of wood and no fillers?

Check a Scheels or Farm and Home. They carry all kinds of pellets, some blended others as pure as new-fallen Iowa snow.

Here I thought you were entering into a second life as a hog inseminator…..guess I can breath a little easier now knowing all you want to do is make smoke.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

if I only had the time,,,,,,,,,,,something there is never enough of in my world.

Sheldon All is available, you just make time for what you want.

I always do the wet cure. I substitute half the water needed with apple juice. Turns out very sweet/salty super savory!

Denny, Pellets I use are Lumberjack pellets. Competion Blend. It’s Maple, Hickory, Cherry blend.

I use this for my fish, sausages, bacon or anything else I smoke. I also use it in my pellet grill. I’ve never had anything but good results using this.

I recently made a batch of “Buckboard” Bacon. Basically, buckboard bacon is anything that is cured and isn’t the pig’s belly. I used a pork shoulder, removed the bone, applied a dry rub of Curly’s Brown Sugar Cure (You can get it here – https://www.curleyssausagekitchen.com/products/brown-sugar-cure?_pos=1&_sid=4a9733d25&_ss=r), let it cure in a large plastic bag in the fridge for ten days, soaked it in water two hours to clean off some of the cure and remove some of the salt. Then smoked it at 200 degrees for about 3 hours. Here is the end result. Curly’s Sausage Kitchen also has an excellent seasoning mix for making Venison Bacon as well.

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Cookinpellets.com

Art, you have my interest, I assume that you have used these?

Yes, several 40 pound bags a year in my Amazin’ smoker pan and tubes. I live close enough to their headquarters that I just call and pick them up. The perfect mix and hickory are hands down my favorites but the other flavors rock too. Amazon usually has the best deals unless you can find a local distributor.

Note: I store these in covered 5 gallon buckets in the basement, so I normally toss what I am going to use in the microwave for 2 minutes before loading them up. The oven works too, just don’t dry them too long or you will smoke out the house!

Art, what do you think of the “Black Cherry”?
Do you think they absorb moisture in your lidded buckets?

Glenn, Buckboard out of pork shoulders may be my third try after a dry rub cure on bellies next.

River, I’ll look into the Lumberjack pellets.

I like the black cherry for fish, I haven’t tried it for anything else. I haven’t seen evidence of moisture issues. I “dry” them just to be sure they will keep burning, I have had issues with other manufacturers pellets continuing to smoke due to moisture.

Took this out for tomorrow after food plots are finished. Noon lunch with sweet corn and creamed cucumbers.

Frost on the vacuum sealed package in picture. Its buckboard bacon and man is it good. Just a cured and smoke pork shoulder.

I’ll put it small roaster in the morning when we get to the farm and in a couple hours good to eat.

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I also put mine in 5 gallon pails with a snap lid. I have never dried the pellets before using.

I use a smoke generator for my bigger smoker.

For my smaller smoker and my pellet grill I use the smoke tube. If you want more smoke in the pellet grill, get a smoke tube.

Don’t mean to butt in, I have several cords of Black Cherry logs if any one could use some I would part with a few. Would have to smoke every day for the rest of my life to use it all up.

Steve, where do you live?
I love the cherry woods.

Sent a PM Denny

sji wrote:

Don’t mean to butt in, I have several cords of Black Cherry logs if any one could use some I would part with a few. Would have to smoke every day for the rest of my life to use it all up.

I’ll echo Denny’s request if you don’t mind Steven.

Steve, I never recieved your pm.
I pm’ed you back.

This is 3 hours into cold smoking. Outside air temp has been low to mid 79 to 84 with about 60% humidity.

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Turn up the heat. Give it color and it’ll be done.

I did after 3- 1/2 hours of cold smoke I then lit the smoker and shut it down as much as I could without cracking open the door. It steady @ 205 to 215 degrees. The bellies took more time to get to 140 IT. It was odd to me that the Sam’s Club normal every day pork reached the target temp by 5 to 5:15. The Durock bellie never reacher it, it stalled @ 136, for a tad bit more than an other hour!! So I pulled it too.

After coming off the smoker I wrapped them in plastic and back into the basement fridge.

Here is the first one out of the smoker, I’ll have to get a pic of the second one in a couple off days after they come out from their time out.

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sji wrote:

Don’t mean to butt in, I have several cords of Black Cherry logs if any one could use some I would part with a few. Would have to smoke every day for the rest of my life to use it all up.

Thank you very much Steven, It was a pleasure to meet you and your hard working loving wife!!

Your welcome Denny. It was a real pleasure to meet you also. Although I must say I was a little disappointed there was no Kit Kat bar, maybe next time.

Well how did it taste?

sji wrote:

Your welcome Denny. It was a real pleasure to meet you also. Although I must say I was a little disappointed there was no Kit Kat bar, maybe next time.

Steve, You have me there! It would have been so like me to produce a box of them for you. Seems to me you think a lot like me!

riverruns wrote:

Well how did it taste?

Still in the time out fridge for another day at least, I think.

I know I still owe you an other pic of the Duroc bellie, it has a lot more color if I remember right.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Steven Iverson wrote:</div>
Don’t mean to butt in, I have several cords of Black Cherry logs if any one could use some I would part with a few. Would have to smoke every day for the rest of my life to use it all up.

I’ll echo Denny’s request if you don’t mind Steven.

Sent a PM Tom