Making bacon

[Retard]

Is it possible to cure your own bacon? If so, how would one make it more "bacony" - that sort of salty, bacon taste - than the bacon that can be bought from a butcher?

[dougc]

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/595035

[Noger]

I dry cure mine, using Hugh F-Ws basic plan from Meat. I use Allspice instead of Juniper.

This is it here ... http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/foodanddrink/h...

It is a VERY bacony and quite salty, not the sort of thing you want in a bacon sandwich ! More like pancetta stesa. But does make the most amazing Allamatriciana sauce etc.

Keeps very well in the freezer.

ETA : It is really really easy ! Needs a couple of tries to get the right number of days cure you like. But so simple.

Edited by Noger on Wednesday 7th November 20:04

[Retard]

Cheers, I'll let you know how I get on... may need to persuade the butcher to give me a pork belly first.

[Rob-C]

I really fancy having a go at this now

[Paulle]

It's worth trying!
My uncle used to have a pig called Iain McGuinness
One night Iain went away
Uncle Pat had some very tasty bacon & sausages & black pud!! Along with eggs laid that morning by the hens breakfast was

[Retard]

Right, the process is in process.

By the way, could you do this with lamb to produce a delicious bacon/lamb hybrid?

[Rob-C]

Retard said:

Right, the process is in process.

By the way, could you do this with lamb to produce a delicious bacon/lamb hybrid?

Results?

I've just started a small batch today, with a view to doing a big bit for the Xmas holidays if all goes well. I even managed to find some juniper for seasoning in the local deli shop.

[Noger]

Retard said:

Right, the process is in process.

By the way, could you do this with lamb to produce a delicious bacon/lamb hybrid?

I wouldn't do it in the bacon way, it would work more like a Bresaola ? I have done that with Brisket with pretty good results. Marinades in a salty wine mixture in the fridge (you do need a spare fridge if you get into this !) for a few weeks. There is also a spanish preserved beef thing called Cecina I think.

May well give the lamb a go. Have had hot smoked lamb before, which was lovely.

Now, a smoker .... there's an idea

[Don]

Noger said:

Now, a smoker .... there's an idea

Got a hot smoker a couple of years back. Its a total pain to use - but oh my the results are stunning.

I usually smoke pork and also salmon. The cooking is an an extremely low temperature - takes four hours for the pork about an hour for the salmon! You have to be careful not to overdo the smokiness (soaked wood chips on the coals).

For those that don't know hot smokers look like its a big cylinder, open at the bottom, with a firebowl suspended just above the bottom and a waterbowl half way up. Two grilles then complete the tower. You put the food on the grilles. Its covered at the top with only a small vent to let old smoke out. So its quite like an outdoor oven really...

The firebowl gets charcoal and woodchips, the waterbowl gets steaming mixture - I use half water, half bitter beer, several oranges and lemons and a handful of cloves. The cooking is very slow and cool and is a cross between roasting and steaming and, of course, you can pass smoke through the chamber by putting damp woodchips on the coals from time to time. YOU DON'T NEED MUCH!

Great fun to do during BBQ season. I do it when entertaining as you can do all the hard work before the guests appear and just whisk out the grub when you are ready to eat. I usually BBQ some other stuff too to provide variety.

Bet some home made bacon would be fab in it!

Edited by Don on Tuesday 20th November 11:38

[Rob-C]

OK here's my first effort:

Pork belly, including that rare delicacy, pork nipple. This was Gloucester Old Spot.


Rasher.


Cooks in its own fat. It lost a lot of its bacony colour when cooked - I'm told I need to add saltpetre to the cure to solve this.


Soft white bread and HP . This bacon cured for 5 days in the fridge and turned out milder than I expected.

[Don]

Well done, Rob. Looks damn tasty.