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I do this all the time.  Typically I go with Hormel Center Cut.  Fry it up and it's good to go.  I sometimes twice cook it.  Cook it, drain it, toss it back on a clean pan.  Sears the edges a bit without going full Texas style.

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I do this all the time. Typically I go with Hormel Center Cut. Fry it up and it's good to go. I sometimes twice cook it. Cook it, drain it, toss it back on a clean pan. Sears the edges a bit without going full Texas style.

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Curing bacon is traditionally a winter sport,no?

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You're thinking of makin' bacon.
 

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Just remember you're cold smoking the bacon, not hot smoking like BBQ.



As in less than 100 degrees, which right now is not possible in most of the country. You need a heat source and then a smoking box. My system is my offset smoker with a dryer hose going into my vertical smoker. But this is a fall/ winter activity only. Alton Brown did a neat episode on it.



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Quoted:
I do this all the time.  Typically I go with Hormel Center Cut.  Fry it up and it's good to go.  I sometimes twice cook it.  Cook it, drain it, toss it back on a clean pan.  Sears the edges a bit without going full Texas style.

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You're thinking of makin' bacon.
 

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Please help
I am going to make some bacon at home. I have been looking online and recipes seem to vary quite a bit. I knew I need not worry, ARFCOM would set me straight. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I have two bellies (approx 4 lbs each), large box of Kosher salt, 2 gallon Ziploc, one bag of apple wood chips and one bag of hickory chips. I will be using my Brinkman smoker.


Is the use of curing salt mandatory? Salt is used to lower the water content of the meat to the point it is resistant to rot and less attractive to insect infestation. I would let it take salt in a pan (plastic) rather than a Ziploc but if you can make it run that way OK.


How long should I cure the bellies? (I have read anywhere from 2 - 9 days online) The 2 -9 day range is because the I-net can't see the bacon-soon-to-be you bought. Is it thick, is it thin?  One thin strip of lean in the middle of a bunch of fat or a good bit of muscle?  The I-net does not know these things. The I-net does not know what temp you will salt it down at and it doesn't know if you will be using just salt or a 2 stage process with pure salt at first and the brown sugar and salt mix to finish. Sugar is a little less efficient at pulling down the water content. Hint: You know about the what the moisture content is of commercially produced bacon. You don't want to stop yours taking salt until it's there or even a little less moisture content wise.  It takes a ham or shoulder a lot long to take salt than a side of bacon but that's a different story.


How long should the bellies dry after the cure? ? I think of the cure process as being the salt and smoke combined which when finished generates edible bacon.  


How long should I smoke them? Judgement call here. Traditionally smoking takes place on still cool days with good humidity. Not freezing days. The meat may be laid in boxes to take salt but you hang it for smoking. It drains some while hanging and takes more salt.  The smoke adds flavor but also makes the meat less attractive to insects.  Remember this process was designed to produce a meat product that could be stored w/o refrigeration. Skippers and warm weather show up together. From experience say a smoke house about 3-4 feet by 10-12 feet with the sides and hams from 2-3 hogs hung so it's not touching would smoke 2-3 times over a period of a few days/weeks. Overdoing the smoke or any heat on the meat is big fail. You want the smoke not the heat. We decided it was done (and bacon cures pretty fast) by look and how stiff it is/was. Better be dry looking and no dripping. Cut up a piece & cook it and you'll know what you got.


Do you recommend using pepper or other seasoning before smoking? Personal preference but I like sugar cured as opposed to curing with salt alone. Pepper optional.