Last year, a friend of ours turned the side meat from Princess into bacon for us. This year, after finding a good deal on a grill/smoker, we were able to make our own.
First, about the grill/smoker. We've never actually owned a grill before. We've always just used our fire pit with a grill grate on top. Now that we seem to be routinely having pigs butchered, Jamey started looking into purchasing one that could also smoke meat. The Big Green Egg is a popular brand but they are also quite expensive. We were lucky to find a similar style ceramic grill (by Vision Grills, similar to this one) at a discount store in our area. It has several small nicks in the ceramic that makes it imperfect but does not effect how it functions.
First, about the grill/smoker. We've never actually owned a grill before. We've always just used our fire pit with a grill grate on top. Now that we seem to be routinely having pigs butchered, Jamey started looking into purchasing one that could also smoke meat. The Big Green Egg is a popular brand but they are also quite expensive. We were lucky to find a similar style ceramic grill (by Vision Grills, similar to this one) at a discount store in our area. It has several small nicks in the ceramic that makes it imperfect but does not effect how it functions.
Our friend generously shared his bacon rub recipe with us.
The sides were thawed and the dry rub applied to the meat. It is very important that the rub to meat ratio is correct in order for the bacon to turn out well.
Next, Jamey placed the bacon on wooden slats in a fridge (we have a small, spare fridge we were given by friends that we plug in when needed) for two weeks.
It was then smoked on our grill/smoker at a dome temperature of 250 degrees until the internal temperature of the meat was 150 degrees. This took about 3-4 hours for our sides. We used hickory as our smoking wood.
Are you drooling yet?
Once cooled, Jamey sliced the bacon and packaged it for the freezer.
We hope to try other pork cuts in our new grill/smoker. Any recommendations?
Now that is bacon! Meat not all fat, how wonderful. Some links you might enjoy
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJKdvOlmkh8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcabA3S6-Kw
Yes I am drooling and I was wondering what your rub recipe is.
ReplyDeleteYears ago while waiting for the condominium I was purchasing was being built, I lived with a friend who had a Japanese Komodo very much like your big green egg. We had some wonderful meals and she was quite proficient in using it. This was in the late 70's. I had many favorites including smoked teriyaki salmon, teriyaki chicken, and even smoked Tofu (and I hated Tofu until I tried hers). Once you master offset cooking you can do most anything including Jerky! This will be a wonderful addition to your skillset. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who cures his own Bacon, this is an awesome first attempt! Keep it up! One of my favorite cures involves instant espresso powder added to a sweet maple cure.
ReplyDelete-Conrad