That's a lot of bacon and smoking. Very impressive. Let us know how those smoked and fried skins turn out.

For anybody smoking their bacon on a WSM, what lower vent setting are you using to keep the temp low enough?

At Peoria last Thursday, their belly section was looking a little rough, but the "rib belly" section had a few nice pieces.

Top dome vents wide open. Bottem vents closed 1/2 way.

The main point is that you don't build a full-size fire. A small fire, which you'll have to add to every hour or so, should allow you to keep upper chamber temp in the 150F range.

Apologies for all of the questions, So by small fire, are we talking 1/2 size as the KISS method or just one chimney with wood atop?

I just wrapped up step 3 of the 5 step WSM course and feel ok, controlling temps, but 150 is something serious.

I would say half or even less. As small as you can build and keep going for an hour, basically. Then throw some more on, let it come back up, do that a couple of times with plenty of chips each time and you'll have good smoky flavor without roasting the belly all the way through. I wouldn't worry about doing it just right, there's a lot of wiggle room here, you're just trying to hit somewhere well below that normal 225F. The normal 5-Step rules, which are oriented to building a 225F fire that lasts for five hours, don't apply.

Question on the pink salt, and whether or not to use it. I did a wet cure last year following instructions on this website and had pretty successful results, though probably over smoked/roasted the bellies. Does the pink salt change the taste much? Is it considered a natural product? I really don't know much about it which is why I'm asking. Seems all the bacon at Whole Foods and other stores like that offer it nitrate-free, which makes me wonder what is in it it thats not very good for you?

-Joel

Now you, too, can be immortalized in print forever and ever. There's going to be a book about bacon and bacon-related tales.

http://www.baconunwrapped.com/2008/07/b ... -book.html

Now when someone offers a full breakfast, and you say, "Naw, I'll just have some toast," here's an easy way to compromise:

http://jessthomson.wordpress.com/2008/0 ... s-or-none/

Or if you're in the Capitol Hill area, you can get it on a Kobe burger:

http://www.skilletstreetfood.com/

I have a taste for something meaty. No, sweet. No...

http://www.stupid.com/fun/BFJB.html

After getting fed up with Peoria belly selection, I am looking for a new source. In the city preferably.

From what I have read, Argyle is a possible source and any chance to get belly, then Sun Wah would be great.

As is probably noted in this thread somewhere, I found better bellies at Golden Pacific, 5353 N. Broadway.

Another option would be to order ahead for pickup with a pork producer at one of the farmer's markets, such as Sky Full of Bacon star Dennis Wettstein at Oak Park. I'm not sure if anyone offers pork at Green City, I'm not thinking of one.

Mike G wrote:I'm not sure if anyone offers pork at Green City, I'm not thinking of one.

Twin Oaks Meats and Liberty Family Farm both offer pork at Green City.

Looks like we're being upstaged:
http://www.bacontalk.com/?gclid=CMuFidW ... xwod0xL1zA

No more brown-bagging it!
http://www.stupid.com/fun/BALB.html

I found some nice belly while visiting Appleton, WI this weekend. After cutting the belly in two, the bellies are being cured for pancetta and bacon.

After smoking another batch of bacon, I am tiring of the slicing process. I am struggling getting slices thin enough to acheive the crispyness that I desire. Anyone know of a good, relatively inexpensive meat slicer and/or had any experiences convincing a deli/butcher shop to slice for you?

I agree slicing is the drudge work in making bacon, no question. The problem is not only that I've been warned against the less expensive consumer-grade slicers by G Wiv (who says the opinion is fairly negative on bbq boards), but even if you thought they were sturdy enough-- and the ones at places like Cabela's look plenty solid-- the fact remains that they're just not big enough for a whole belly. You'd have to slice from one end until you got the other end down to a width of 9" or so anyway.

I think there are really only the two options, unless you're so close with your butcher that they're willing to let you bring in outside product to slice it while costing them the sale of the same item: find a used commercial slicer relatively cheap, which is still a several hundred dollar deal, or slice it yourself. My secrets for making the latter more tolerable are: go get yourself a seriously huge slicing/carving knife, I got one at Northwestern Cutlery for maybe $20, and chill the bacon down to near freezing before cutting. The colder it is (short of turning solid), the less floppy it is and the more you can easily cut straight and clean. I usually do two at a time, and so one is in the freezer, I cut a couple of dozen slices, then back in the freezer while I cut the other for a while.

Good tips, Mike. I am driving past NW Cutlery this afternoon, I'll have to drop by to pick up a scimitar.

Stopped a picked up a slicer darned near the size of a sword. If I were in New York in the late eighties when they were filming Crocodile Dundee, I could easily tell Paul Hogan that mine, in fact, was a real knife.

In any regard, it worked wonders on the slightly frozen bacon. 6 dozen slices and about a pound for lardons and non-sliced applications.

Oh man, does that ever look GOOD! And nice job slicing: thin enough, but, more importantly, v e r y uniform. Bien fait!

Geo

Hi,

I found a nice sized pork belly at Peoria Packing over the weekend. I am going to try my 2nd attempt at home cured and smoked bacon this week. Last time I left the skin on and removed it after the smoke. Is there any benefit, or any easy way for that matter, in removing the skin before smoking it?

Thanks,
joelM

I think it's a pain either way, but the fat might be of a slightly more buttery consistency before it's been heated and condensed/firmed up.

By the way, you can watch a professional (Brian Huston of The Publican) doing it starting at about 13:50 in this Sky Full of Bacon.

Please forgive if this has been asked and answered already. I'm very eager to make my own bacon and hope to have it ready for Easter breakfast, so I have to work quickly.

Would it be okay to start with frozen pork belly? Paulina Market says they have it available frozen all of the time in 1lb and 2lb chunks. In another blog I read, someone started with frozen and had no problem at all.

I'd rather not use the saltpeter. I don't need my bacon to be pink, and would rather experiment with some other flavors. Would starting with frozen pork belly make any difference at all in regards to using saltpeter?

Thanks! I promise I'll read through the rest of the posts tonight.

It should thaw in the fridge within a day or so as it cures, I would think.

Just make sure you use enough regular salt to cure, then.

You could also get a fresh belly at Golden Pacific market up on Broadway near Argyle.

Yay! I have to say that I'm glad you were the first to reply. You became my bacon-making hero over the pages I did read.

Thanks for the other lead on fresh belly. I might do that instead.

Does anyone else get excited when this thread bounces back to the top hoping that there will be some new pictures?

Makes me drool.

There's always coppa. (Which even has an otherwise unseen bacon photo in it...)

Wow. Without even knowing that this thread existed, I bought a belly at Peoria Packing last weekend, ran into Evanston to the Spice House for some pink salt, and my bacons are curing and patiently waiting for the smoke I will administer to them tomorrow.

I was poking around looking for some tips on how to do it on my WSM, and came upon this thread, which I just read all the way through.

I should know by now to look in LTH forum BEFORE googling.

Thanks, Mike, for documenting your process and all the good advice and info that's yielded. I'll post soon about how my bacon turned out, and I've now made a note of your contact in Iowa for those amazing-looking bellies.

A friend of mine just told me that the best bacon was made from the hog jowl. I never heard of this. Does anyone have any experience of hog jowl?