Makin bacon!

JayinNY · Sep 19, 2012

My brother bought a whole live pig for meat,,the pork belly wasent cured or smoked, so he cured it in the fridge for 7 days, I cut some dead apple wood and we smoked it tonight for 4 hours! Put it in fridge for tonight, can't wait to try it tomarrow morn! Ummmm,,,, anybody else have storys of curing/smoking pork?

ShadetreeRet · Sep 19, 2012

What did he use to cure it with? My dad always cured pork only one way, lots and lots of salt.

5020s rock · Sep 20, 2012

"makin bacon" was a champion international tractor puller....back in the day.

JayinNY · Sep 20, 2012

Salt and brown sugar, and some spices

Greg1959 · Sep 20, 2012

I salt cure the hams, bacon and jowl. Then hickory smoke them.

Haley · Sep 20, 2012

Morton salts actually makes several cure mixes ready to go.I have used them on home grown hams for the past four years with just an ordinary refrigerator in my shop set at the right temp to cure them in.I use the plain sugar cure mix on bacon and hams and they both taste great.The curing process is actually a lot simpler than people think and the main thing is tempreature control.Morton also has a book to guide you through the curing process and it is definetly worth the money.

Billy NY · Sep 20, 2012

Jay, I always wondered about apple wood and using it for smoking. I have more mature wild apple trees here than I've ever seen anywhere, and on occasion they get trimmed, or cut, had a nice double trunk one, but directly under the 30,000 volt circuit on the power lines, forestry left it for me, was near our small pond which I kept the grass mowed around, really nice tree in a nice place but the power company cut it down, made a small pile of split wood, but been outside.

Is it better to use when fresh(green) or does it have to dry down, being dry/dead still make good smoke, or does weather and rain effect the smoke at all, say if left out split? I'm under the impression you need some moisture, but is that sap or its original moisture when fresh or if too dry you immerse in water then use. Makes a great flavor on provolone cheese, at the other place closer to your area, hickory grows like weeds, down here not so much.

Dalet · Sep 20, 2012

Billy,
You want the wood dry before you use it for smoking. The smoldering wet wood would put a rough taste on the smoke.
Here is some bacon I made last year.

Here is a shot of the side, before running it through the slicer.

Top View[/img]

Billy NY · Sep 20, 2012

Awesome !!! This is new territory for me, but considering the resources of apple and hickory available, the amount of venison I put up and so on, seems almost foolish not to learn about using a smoker.

JayinNY · Sep 20, 2012

Yes we used dead apple, u want nice hot coals and leave the smoker out let open, so the smoke flavor isent real heavy. Or u can close it up and have a more smokey taste. All preference I guess.

jose bagge · Sep 20, 2012

just took my first ever hog to the processor this morning - she came in at about 280 lbs. STill have two left. I'll be following your experiences and this thread with interest- I'm sure I'll be putting it to use!

RGMartin · Sep 20, 2012

(quoted from post at 08:51:01 09/20/12) Billy,
You want the wood dry before you use it for smoking. [/img]

That looks nice.

Our family has traditionally used a mix of woods, most common was dry hickory or apple and fresh cut maple.

Any fruit wood is good.

wilson ind · Sep 20, 2012

Bruce Hutchinson from rising sun ind went too purdue with him

Dan Richardson · Sep 25, 2012

Google playingwithfireandsmoke

Makin bacon!

JayinNY

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ShadetreeRet

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5020s rock

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JayinNY

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Greg1959

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Haley

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Billy NY

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Dalet

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