_Ed_ Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Well, after braving the rain last week, a small glimpse of sun prompted thoughts of imminent Spring, so I thought pork belly might be a good start. Overnight salted, then rubbed gently with a coffee / cinnamon / cumin rub, now quietly smoking with some oak and cherry at 235F. 2 hours in, four more to go... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Only 4 more hours until the final product appears before our eyes. It sounds delicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith OctoForks Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Sounds delicious! I wish I could find skin on bellies here. All them are skinned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ed_ Posted March 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Actually, I took the skin off this one... doesn't come out great on a low'n'slow. I tend to freeze skin until I have a decent amount for chicharones or to use in sausages or zampone. For those of you following the London weather updates, it has just started to hail. Yay spring! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ed_ Posted March 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Pulled it off the KK after 6 hours... bark came out really nicely, and I randomly shoved a couple of mushrooms on for a couple of hours because the mrs likes them. Served with some greens and the mushrooms. Can thoroughly recommend. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 Certainly looks very tasty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 I just bought a pork belly from snake River Farms thinking I'd make some bacon. But first I have to figure out how to do it LOL. I know it has to be cured and then smoked but should I cold smoke it? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Ed that Meal really looks good, maybe I should cut the the pork belly in half And use half for bacon and Cook the other half like you did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith OctoForks Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 2 hours ago, _Ed_ said: Actually, I took the skin off this one... doesn't come out great on a low'n'slow. I tend to freeze skin until I have a decent amount for chicharones or to use in sausages or zampone. For those of you following the London weather updates, it has just started to hail. Yay spring! Ah ok. I still wish I could get skin on to have some crispiness to it. Your belly looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith OctoForks Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Bruce Pearson said: I just bought a pork belly from snake River Farms thinking I'd make some bacon. But first I have to figure out how to do it LOL. I know it has to be cured and then smoked but should I cold smoke it? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Ed that Meal really looks good, maybe I should cut the the pork belly in half And use half for bacon and Cook the other half like you did Ed you can cold smoke or hot smoke but I prefer to dry cure then cold smoke. Edited March 4, 2017 by Keith OctoForks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ed_ Posted March 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 (edited) Bruce, I was going to do exactly that! But then I just wanted to make smoked pork belly, because the leftovers are amazing. Bacon is genuinely one of the easiest things in the world to make. Ruhlman has a good piece on it: http://ruhlman.com/2016/04/bacon-time/ - whether you hot or cold smoke is up to you. I always cold smoke bacon, but that's mainly a cultural thing - I've noticed that all the bacon I have seen in the US is hot smoked. It's really a matter of preference. Edited March 4, 2017 by _Ed_ clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 30 minutes ago, Bruce Pearson said: I just bought a pork belly from snake River Farms thinking I'd make some bacon. But first I have to figure out how to do it LOL. I know it has to be cured and then smoked but should I cold smoke it? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Ed that Meal really looks good, maybe I should cut the the pork belly in half And use half for bacon and Cook the other half like you did I've done both dry and wet cures. Both work and both are easy. I've tried various recipes, but like the maple bacon recipe from Amazing Ribs the best. I've always hot smoked using the KK cold smoker and keeping the temp below 200 until the internal temp of the bacon is 150. Then wrap it in plastic and keep in the fridge overnight. Makes it easier to slice when well chilled. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 I use a Ruhlman's cure and hot smoke around 200 F until the internal temp is 145F. I am getting low on bacon and one of these days(soon) I will buy a 5 pound slab of pork belly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 3 hours ago, Bruce Pearson said: I just bought a pork belly from snake River Farms thinking I'd make some bacon. But first I have to figure out how to do it LOL. I know it has to be cured and then smoked but should I cold smoke it? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Ed that Meal really looks good, maybe I should cut the the pork belly in half And use half for bacon and Cook the other half like you did Another option to consider Bruce if you have not done this before: Confit the belly. I have used several different recipes/guides but two of my favorites: Thomas Keller's (from his Ad Hoc book): http://leitesculinaria.com/83219/recipes-pork-belly-confit-keller.html David Chang's: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pork-Belly-Buns-240258 Due to the difficulty to source real lard as well as the cost considering how much you need to confit, I often use olive oil. Makes for a pretty incredible French Lardon Salad sub for bacon lardon! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
