Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT
Smoker? Smoking bacon is usually done in a room full of smoke, not in a cooking device, which may be your problem. Smokers these days are low temperature (180F or so) cooking devices and it's going to be tricky to keep the temp below cooking temp with one. My brother tried bacon a couple times when he used to butcher with some buddies, but he quit when the drinking got out of hand. He never brined it long enough - bacon is salt cured meat, it's going to be salty! I think the secret is to soak it in the proper brine solution until it becomes waxy -- that is, enough water has been removed to prevent spoilage. Treating with cool smoke after that is to enhance the flavor and prevent mold on the surface, you don't want to cook it. Like country hams, bacon is raw, not cooked, meat. The salt in the meat is a side effect, not what you want. When you get it figured out, you will have the best bacon ever. Better yet if you can find some local source of pork bellies where the pigs are allowed to run rather than being fed in confinement -- much more meat in that bacon. Good luck! Peter ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT
As much as I hate the concept an electric smoker is the deal for this, nothing else can compete with it for keeping the temp right. If you can get free range milk fed pork you'll find it to be the best thing ever... -Curt Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2013 08:49:27 -0500 From: Peter Frederick psf...@earthlink.net To: Mercedes Discussion List mercedes@okiebenz.com Subject: Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT Message-ID: eacd4dca-2a45-41d1-83b3-864dcc3aa...@earthlink.net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Smoker? Smoking bacon is usually done in a room full of smoke, not in a cooking device, which may be your problem. Smokers these days are low temperature (180F or so) cooking devices and it's going to be tricky to keep the temp below cooking temp with one. My brother tried bacon a couple times when he used to butcher with some buddies, but he quit when the drinking got out of hand. He never brined it long enough - bacon is salt cured meat, it's going to be salty! I think the secret is to soak it in the proper brine solution until it becomes waxy -- that is, enough water has been removed to prevent spoilage. Treating with cool smoke after that is to enhance the flavor and prevent mold on the surface, you don't want to cook it. Like country hams, bacon is raw, not cooked, meat. The salt in the meat is a side effect, not what you want. When you get it figured out, you will have the best bacon ever. Better yet if you can find some local source of pork bellies where the pigs are allowed to run rather than being fed in confinement -- much more meat in that bacon. Good luck! Peter ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT
At Costco last year some guy was selling these automated smoker grill things that had a motorized auger to put wood chips in the fire box. It had some sort of thermostat control on it. I was actually tempted but my old Brinkman barrel smoker does a pretty good job. But you are correct, the electric smokers sorta do the same thing but differently. --R On 8/3/13 11:12 AM, Curt Raymond wrote: As much as I hate the concept an electric smoker is the deal for this, nothing else can compete with it for keeping the temp right. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT
High tech country ham and bacon? What's the world coming to? On Sat, Aug 3, 2013 at 9:31 AM, Rich Thomas richthomas79td...@constructivity.net wrote: At Costco last year some guy was selling these automated smoker grill things that had a motorized auger to put wood chips in the fire box. It had some sort of thermostat control on it. I was actually tempted but my old Brinkman barrel smoker does a pretty good job. But you are correct, the electric smokers sorta do the same thing but differently. --R On 8/3/13 11:12 AM, Curt Raymond wrote: As much as I hate the concept an electric smoker is the deal for this, nothing else can compete with it for keeping the temp right. __**_ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/**archive/http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/**mailman/listinfo/mercedes_**okiebenz.comhttp://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/21/marijuana-fed-pork-debuts-seattle IF I can cease screwing up the smoking, I will go looking for fresh pork belly. Right now, I am doing ok with the local bellies the chinese supermarket sells. Then I move into hams and maybe charcuterie. I should be able to fabricate a smoking shed at that point. clay On Aug 3, 2013, at 6:49 AM, Peter Frederick wrote: Smoker? Smoking bacon is usually done in a room full of smoke, not in a cooking device, which may be your problem. Smokers these days are low temperature (180F or so) cooking devices and it's going to be tricky to keep the temp below cooking temp with one. My brother tried bacon a couple times when he used to butcher with some buddies, but he quit when the drinking got out of hand. He never brined it long enough - bacon is salt cured meat, it's going to be salty! I think the secret is to soak it in the proper brine solution until it becomes waxy -- that is, enough water has been removed to prevent spoilage. Treating with cool smoke after that is to enhance the flavor and prevent mold on the surface, you don't want to cook it. Like country hams, bacon is raw, not cooked, meat. The salt in the meat is a side effect, not what you want. When you get it figured out, you will have the best bacon ever. Better yet if you can find some local source of pork bellies where the pigs are allowed to run rather than being fed in confinement -- much more meat in that bacon. Good luck! Peter ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT
My friend has a farm, raises pigs and cattle and food crops. A coupla weeks ago some black gentlemen came to buy a pig from him for a barbecue they were going to have. He asked them if they were going to take it home and kill it and butcher it. They said no, where they lived (in North Charleston) the cops had gunshot microphones on the utility poles, and if they heard the shot they would come running. So they shot it right there and threw it in the back of their truck to take it home to butcher it. About as fresh as you can get! --R On 8/3/13 5:54 PM, clay wrote: http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/21/marijuana-fed-pork-debuts-seattle IF I can cease screwing up the smoking, I will go looking for fresh pork belly. Right now, I am doing ok with the local bellies the chinese supermarket sells. Then I move into hams and maybe charcuterie. I should be able to fabricate a smoking shed at that point. clay On Aug 3, 2013, at 6:49 AM, Peter Frederick wrote: Smoker? Smoking bacon is usually done in a room full of smoke, not in a cooking device, which may be your problem. Smokers these days are low temperature (180F or so) cooking devices and it's going to be tricky to keep the temp below cooking temp with one. My brother tried bacon a couple times when he used to butcher with some buddies, but he quit when the drinking got out of hand. He never brined it long enough - bacon is salt cured meat, it's going to be salty! I think the secret is to soak it in the proper brine solution until it becomes waxy -- that is, enough water has been removed to prevent spoilage. Treating with cool smoke after that is to enhance the flavor and prevent mold on the surface, you don't want to cook it. Like country hams, bacon is raw, not cooked, meat. The salt in the meat is a side effect, not what you want. When you get it figured out, you will have the best bacon ever. Better yet if you can find some local source of pork bellies where the pigs are allowed to run rather than being fed in confinement -- much more meat in that bacon. Good luck! Peter ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Re: [MBZ] Bacon OT
Rich Thomas wrote: My friend has a farm, raises pigs and cattle and food crops. A coupla weeks ago some black gentlemen came to buy a pig from him for a barbecue they were going to have. He asked them if they were going to take it home and kill it and butcher it. They said no, where they lived (in North Charleston) the cops had gunshot microphones on the utility poles, and if they heard the shot they would come running. So they shot it right there and threw it in the back of their truck to take it home to butcher it. About as fresh as you can get! What happened with those gunshot microphones in firecracker season last month? Mitch. ___ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
