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smoking What are your favourite bacon cures?

As it is winter here, I am going to get stuck into cold smoking bacon.  Picking up some pork belly today to pack down and cure for smoking next weekend. What cures do you guys recommend?
 
Never done it before, but sick of paying premo for bacon and understand homemade rocks over commercial if you get it right.  I have cherry and apple wood to smoke with.   
 
I have this book and have followed their methods for some time, adding here and there depending on what's on hand.  His basic bacon recipe can be found here.  I always use the optional ingredients, plus I sub turbinado sugar in place of the brown sugar that's called for.  I've experimented with smoking and hang drying this same recipe with great results.  It's the only bacon I make, though I'll freely admit to being a bacon whore that consumes it where ever it may present itself in my travels...  :)
 
SmokenFire said:
I have this book and have followed their methods for some time, adding here and there depending on what's on hand.  His basic bacon recipe can be found here.  I always use the optional ingredients, plus I sub turbinado sugar in place of the brown sugar that's called for.  I've experimented with smoking and hang drying this same recipe with great results.  It's the only bacon I make, though I'll freely admit to being a bacon whore that consumes it where ever it may present itself in my travels...   :)
Sweet, its available on Kindle, will pick it up now.  Thanks!
 
When I've made Bacon over the years,Ive tried a LOT of recipes.
All were better than store stuff BUT I found different cure times were better than the same recipe using different bellies,curing for different times.
 
I've found that , As with smoking , ya gotta go by looks of the product/experiance is/can be the key.
 
I think most cure times are way too long ( net recipes).
 
Too salty for me,even after a wash/soak prior to smoking.
Salt makes the texture different than I like if cured too long.
SO does some of the Temps. they want you to get the belly up to.
 
I also think Bacon is best smoked VERY COLD,by some peoples standards.
You are just curing it,not cooking it,just smoking it for flavor.
 
Just get a nice color,then vac pack it in the fridge a few days.
Better yet Freeze it and thaw it.
I think freezing a lot of smoked stuff,then thawing it does something to spread an even flavor to the product.
 
I think freezing opens the pours,when it thaws the smoke gets sucked in or whatever.
 
I find myself using less salt than a lot of recipes use most times,AND shorter cure times.
BUT that might be because I smoke the way I do...
 
Hams can be REALLY tricky to cure.
Screw up and they taste like SPAM (salty,fatty whatever).
 
I like hickory and oak for just about most stuff I smoke.
I use stick burners.
Not that they are the best,I just like the taste.
 
I just am using my last smoked belly tonight.
I use most of my bellies for cooking with beans etc.
I slice it thick cut on my slicer ,then in 1-2in. pieces to cook with.
 
I also do the fatty end of Brisket like Bacon.
Makes GIANT slices of fatty meat.
I mostly like Pastromi but it makes cool beef bacon too.
 
I guess my only rule of thumb is to cure whatever and cut off a chunk and cook it.
That way you can taste it and check out the texture.
Go from there.
 
I made a LOT of salt pork a long time ago,over brining my bellies.
Tasted good in other stuff,but was really salty Bacon.
Just cured to long or the recipe had too much salt in it.
 
A lot of recipes cure for 3 days +/- on the net.
 
I'm too used to mixing my own cures and checking the belly out every day.
I don't measure anymore.
I go by the look of the belly.
In general,the fattier it is the more salt you can use and the longer you can cure it.
 
I'd guess I use about a 50/50 mix of sugar and salt.
IF I had to guess.
I like using the Mexican cones of sugar rather than the regular brown sugar in boxes.
Probably due to the Molasses content.
Cuts the salt,might add to the cure-IF it ferments (as suggested on the net) and alcohol is possibly a by product to let the cure penetrate deeper in a shorter time or whatever.
 
I just know the cure time for what I make varies a lot.
Pork bellies differ a lot.
But I do several bellies at a time.
I have problems smoking ANYTHING in very small amounts.
I buy stuff on sale to fill my freezer...
 
SmokenFire said:
I have this book and have followed their methods for some time, adding here and there depending on what's on hand.  His basic bacon recipe can be found here.  I always use the optional ingredients, plus I sub turbinado sugar in place of the brown sugar that's called for.  I've experimented with smoking and hang drying this same recipe with great results.  It's the only bacon I make, though I'll freely admit to being a bacon whore that consumes it where ever it may present itself in my travels...  :)
. I have been working through the book this evening, and learning loads. Thanks again for the recommendation!
smokemaster said:
When I've made Bacon over the years,Ive tried a LOT of recipes.
All were better than store stuff BUT I found different cure times were better than the same recipe using different bellies,curing for different times.
 
I've found that , As with smoking , ya gotta go by looks of the product/experiance is/can be the key.
 
I think most cure times are way too long ( net recipes).
 
Too salty for me,even after a wash/soak prior to smoking.
Salt makes the texture different than I like if cured too long.
SO does some of the Temps. they want you to get the belly up to.
 
I also think Bacon is best smoked VERY COLD,by some peoples standards.
You are just curing it,not cooking it,just smoking it for flavor.
 
Just get a nice color,then vac pack it in the fridge a few days.
Better yet Freeze it and thaw it.
I think freezing a lot of smoked stuff,then thawing it does something to spread an even flavor to the product.
 
I think freezing opens the pours,when it thaws the smoke gets sucked in or whatever.
 
I find myself using less salt than a lot of recipes use most times,AND shorter cure times.
BUT that might be because I smoke the way I do...
 
Hams can be REALLY tricky to cure.
Screw up and they taste like SPAM (salty,fatty whatever).
 
I like hickory and oak for just about most stuff I smoke.
I use stick burners.
Not that they are the best,I just like the taste.
 
I just am using my last smoked belly tonight.
I use most of my bellies for cooking with beans etc.
I slice it thick cut on my slicer ,then in 1-2in. pieces to cook with.
 
I also do the fatty end of Brisket like Bacon.
Makes GIANT slices of fatty meat.
I mostly like Pastromi but it makes cool beef bacon too.
 
I guess my only rule of thumb is to cure whatever and cut off a chunk and cook it.
That way you can taste it and check out the texture.
Go from there.
 
I made a LOT of salt pork a long time ago,over brining my bellies.
Tasted good in other stuff,but was really salty Bacon.
Just cured to long or the recipe had too much salt in it.
 
A lot of recipes cure for 3 days +/- on the net.
 
I'm too used to mixing my own cures and checking the belly out every day.
I don't measure anymore.
I go by the look of the belly.
In general,the fattier it is the more salt you can use and the longer you can cure it.
 
I'd guess I use about a 50/50 mix of sugar and salt.
IF I had to guess.
I like using the Mexican cones of sugar rather than the regular brown sugar in boxes.
Probably due to the Molasses content.
Cuts the salt,might add to the cure-IF it ferments (as suggested on the net) and alcohol is possibly a by product to let the cure penetrate deeper in a shorter time or whatever.
 
I just know the cure time for what I make varies a lot.
Pork bellies differ a lot.
But I do several bellies at a time.
I have problems smoking ANYTHING in very small amounts.
I buy stuff on sale to fill my freezer...
thanks for this, great to read of your experiences. My cold smoking temps will be between 5 and 12c so that works in line with your advice well. I was going to use light brown sugar rather than molasses too.. Thanks again!
 
Nitrites arrived today, it's bacon time!!!! 
 
4.3kg (around 9.5lb) of pork belly.  Skinned half, kept skin on the other half - first time round, keen to see the differences, besides, who doesn't like crackling with their bacon?!
 
2.5% salt, 1.5% sugar, 7g curing salt (note it is 11% nitrite) using this calculator.  http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/calculator/dry_cure_bacon/
 
In 3 days I will drain and redo with some fresh cracked pepper, juniper berries (if I can source some fresh ones!) and I am thinking dried sage.  
 
It takes less time than beer, but I am more impatient than ever to see this in a frying pan! 
 
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Bacon bacon bacon, everyone loves bacon..
 
The rind on didn't take the dry cure process seriously, and there was little transition of salt and sugar in, liquid out.  On a small section of it there was no visible issues but a faint smell on one small section.  Could have been fine, didn't risk it.  It didn't progress to the pellicle stage.
 
However, the rind off went perfectly.
 
For this one I wanted to see what straight cure and smoked tasted like, before starting to add different spices etc, so after sitting on a rack in the brewing fridge for 2 days to build the pellicle, it went straight into the weber, smoked with cherry dust using the pro q maze. It is a slow smoke producer but worked a treat.  Letting the flavours meld for 24 hours, so will carve it up tonight and see what we have.  
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