# My first home-cured bacon. :)



## notbutanapron (Jun 30, 2011)

Okay, technically pancetta because that invisible smoker my husband bought me for my birthday doesn't work, but check it out 










:l33t:

It ended up making five dozen slices of bacon and four small bags of lardons. Shamefully not my pig, but I got the most gorgeous long-haired black heritage half from a local farmer who must love me very very much.

My husband said it's the best bacon he's had in his life!! :bow: :bow:


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## semimoonman (Oct 31, 2012)

Beautiful! What did you do for your cure?

I just had to throw out my first attempt. Three pounds of pastured pork in the trash. Such a waste. Before I hung it to cure/dry, I rolled it Italian style. Big mistake. It was too humid, and it molded right through the middle.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

semimoonman said:


> Beautiful! What did you do for your cure?
> 
> I just had to throw out my first attempt. Three pounds of pastured pork in the trash. Such a waste. Before I hung it to cure/dry, I rolled it Italian style. Big mistake. It was too humid, and it molded right through the middle.


It has to be rolled very tight, no air pockets at all.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

notbutanapron said:


> Okay, technically pancetta because that invisible smoker my husband bought me for my birthday doesn't work, but check it out
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Looks very good!


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## notbutanapron (Jun 30, 2011)

I just did a basic brown sugar and salt combination with bay, juniper and a bunch of other spices. I wanted to get it right my first time. HUZZAH 

I have prosciutto in the cupboard too. I'll tell you how that goes in a couple years


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## Jeepgirl86 (May 18, 2012)

DH and I have done two batches of homemade bacon this year. Both were from recipes he found on the internet. After smoking they were delish! Unfortunately out of the 10 lb he smoked and sliced...only about 1/2 lb is left! lol Sure goes fast.


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## semimoonman (Oct 31, 2012)

wannabechef said:


> It has to be rolled very tight, no air pockets at all.


I really thought that it was very tight--no air pockets. I'd read that before rolling it, too. This was only my third attempt at curing. Guanciale (bacon from the jowl) and duck prosciutto (cured duck breast) to generally good results. The guanciale has always been great; the duck was okay--we just thought we'd eat it faster than we did.
While the pancetta was curing, the humidity in the space I was using to curing spiked from its typical 55-65% humidity up to the 80%s. It took me a while to get it back down--long enough that I suspect that my efforts didn't do too much and it had more to do with changing weather conditions... 
What other things have you cured?


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

semimoonman said:


> I really thought that it was very tight--no air pockets. I'd read that before rolling it, too. This was only my third attempt at curing. Guanciale (bacon from the jowl) and duck prosciutto (cured duck breast) to generally good results. The guanciale has always been great; the duck was okay--we just thought we'd eat it faster than we did.
> While the pancetta was curing, the humidity in the space I was using to curing spiked from its typical 55-65% humidity up to the 80%s. It took me a while to get it back down--long enough that I suspect that my efforts didn't do too much and it had more to do with changing weather conditions...
> What other things have you cured?


Bacon, corned beef, ham, Canadian bacon, and jerky. I use either Morton tender quick or pink salt...I suggest you use it as well...especially for natural curing outside a highly controlled environment.


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## liteluvr (Dec 12, 2012)

I usually do 30-60 pounds of bacon a year. I have a supplier for my pork bellies, and I use a great cure recipe I got from a book called 'Charcuterie', which is an awesome book for curing meat in all forms.
I've not ventured into dry curing yet because our temps fluctuate so darn much around here, but I routinely do wet cured bacon, canadian bacon and ham.
Also a few corned beefs and pastrami under my belt.

I've learned a few tricks over the years, one of which is to add smoked salt to the cure. This seems to help being the smoke flavor deeper into the meat in a very subtle way.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

liteluvr said:


> I usually do 30-60 pounds of bacon a year. I have a supplier for my pork bellies, and I use a great cure recipe I got from a book called 'Charcuterie', which is an awesome book for curing meat in all forms.
> I've not ventured into dry curing yet because our temps fluctuate so darn much around here, but I routinely do wet cured bacon, canadian bacon and ham.
> Also a few corned beefs and pastrami under my belt.
> 
> I've learned a few tricks over the years, one of which is to add smoked salt to the cure. This seems to help being the smoke flavor deeper into the meat in a very subtle way.


Ain't it fun?


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## liteluvr (Dec 12, 2012)

wannabechef said:


> Ain't it fun?


Almost as much fun as eatin' it.
:hysterical:


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## schuetz79 (Sep 26, 2011)

I love making bacon. I use boston butt and do 2-3 at a time. I have only bought bacon once or twice in three years.


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## liteluvr (Dec 12, 2012)

schuetz79 said:


> I love making bacon. I use boston butt and do 2-3 at a time. I have only bought bacon once or twice in three years.


On those butts... how thick do you leave them, and how long do you cure?


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