Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

Sounds like you won't need a water pan either I'll be checking in later for pics Good luck and make sure the beer is flowing too

 

Beer? At 430 in the morning? Thatll have wait till after noon. I think "coffee" will tide me over just fine lol

 

that's the night shifter in me

 

Come on Monday. I'm down to my last package of bacon from the last batch



13 pounds in cure. Managed to split the belly perfectly into 2 equal sections earlier in the week and start curing:

6.5 pounds pork belly
1.5 teaspoons pink salt
1.5 cup distilled water
1.5 cup maple sugar
6 sprigs fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons fresh ground coarse black pepper
3/4 cup Kosher Salt

After it finishes I'll rinse them and hit it with some more fresh ground black pepper. Then into the smoker. Of course have to cut some strips off for burnt ends. I think that makes them bacon burnt ends instead of pork belly burnt ends. Or bacon candy.

Did I mention Maple Sugar?

 

I've been meaning to do bacon but I'm on a burnt end kick right now .

 

BBQers sure are some resourceful SOBs .

 

I looked yesterday, but want paying $6 a pound for a 14 lb'er.

I looked at some yesterday, but have never done my own. Do you take the fat cap off if it is present?

 

Oh no the fat isn't really that thick. Well in places it is but that is what makes bacon bacon

The skin of course I remove first and some people don't care for that. Especially if it is a sow and has nipples on it. I used to trap and skin fur as a kid and of course done more than a few hogs and wild game over the years. I don't find it that difficult to remove the skin at all and try to keep as much fat on as I can. For skinning a pork belly I reach for my cheap ass Chicago Cutlery 5" boning knife it is perfect.

I will say once you do your own bacon it is really hard to go back to store bought bacon. You do have to take precautions in the curing of course just like anything else that takes time with meat. But it is more than worth it IMO. Anything that could even close at a store would be at least $10 a pound.

 

Looks good, packing up the smoker to take on the road, with all the fires it might be the only thing we can cook on for the next two weeks. Will look for some bargains while traveling.

 

Looking good! We have some pork smothered in Pitfaced BBQ rub going right now, too. I'll see if I can sneak a pic.

 

Thanks. I'll try it. I load up on bacon when visiting my parents. There is a place that makes the best bacon. It's like $7 s pound, but worth every cent.

Yes you do. I'm down to 9 bags and need to go get some.

 

Two of the three bellies on.

 

So, peoples' choice starts at 3:00 - right?

 

Yes sir! 3-5pm

Everyone that votes for us gets a small sample of rub and a link to a hidden page on our site for our belly recipe .

 

First step is to admit you are powerless....

 

Thanks - that was 5 years ago (wow!), and I happen to have a shoulder on the smoker right now. Same technique, but a different smoker and a remote thermometer do the heavy lifting now.

 

Found em

 

We're just in the trailer. Come on back and have a beer!

 

T'was not I!

I'm hiding in the A/C.

 

Last evening my daughter and I built a cheese press. We are in the middle of making our 1st 2lb wheel of cheddar. Once we get it complete and it air dries for 3 or 4 days it'll go on the smoker for a couple hours of apple wood smoke then vacuum packed to age for 4 to 6 months.

To keep us busy in the interim (6 more blocks today) we have been smoking store bought blocks of Cheddar (NY and NH) baby Swiss, Muenster, Gouda and Colby.

BBQ chicken tonight for supper