|
Sugar Curing & Hickory Smoking
|
|
When Curing of bacon depends upon natural conditions for refrigeration, pork bellies should be placed in cure during December through February. The risk of spoilage is greater during the warmer
seasons of fall and spring. We HIGHLY recommend using some type of
electrical refrigeration for curing your bacons at home. |
Fresh
Pork Bellies - The Raw Product
|
Curing IngredientsSalt is the primary ingredient. Sugar is added to offset some of the salt's harshness. Here at our Meat Processing Plant, we use Newly Weds Foods Sugar Cure to cure our bacon. We sell the Newly Weds Foods Sugar Cure in 5 Lb. bags. This is enough to cure approximately 75 Lbs. of pork bellies. You can read more about this Sugar Cure and purchasing information by clicking this link. |
Applying the Sugar CureApply the Sugar Cure at rate of 1 ounce per pound fresh belly. If you cannot weigh the ingredients and bellies, you can put the Sugar Cure on by sprinkling the skin side and by rubbing the sides and inside well with the cure. Hold the belly on edge and tap gently on table to remove excess cure. The amount applied will equal about 1 ounce
per pound. |
Curing TimeStack the bellies rind side down (if they are not skinned bellies). Place them on top of some type of rack so the moisture can drain away from the bellies while they are curing. An old refrigerator that you can use exclusively for curing works fantastically. Allow the bellies to cure for 10 days.
|
Preparing the Cured Bellies for SmokingRemove the bellies from the refrigerator and soak the bellies in cold water for 1 hour. Then place the bellies in very warm water and soak for another hour. Then briskly scrub the bellies while in the warm water with a stiff bristled brush. This helps remove any excess salt on the exterior of the bellies.
|
Bacon Hangers"Stick" the bellies on bacon hangers to hang them in the smokehouse. We use Stainless Steel, 8 Prong Bacon Hangers. |
Bacon Smoking ProcessWe start by hanging the bellies in the smokehouse with the air temperature set at 125 degrees, damper completely open for maximum airflow for drying and no smoke yet. (The meat will not take smoke until the surface is dry. If the meat is smoked when still damp, the smoke will be smudgy and the meat will not taste as good.) We keep this routine for the first 2 hours. After this, we raise the air temperature to 140 degrees, close the damper on the smokehouse to ½ closed, and add Hickory Sawdust to begin the smoking. (The bacons should be dry enough now to start the smoking.) We keep this routine for the next 2 hours. Next, we raise the air temperature
to 150 degrees, keep the damper at We keep this routine for the next 2 hours. The bacons have been in the smokehouse for 6 hours now. Our next step is to raise the smokehouse air temperature to 160 to 165 degrees, close the damper to ¾ close and keep applying the Hickory Smoke until the internal temperature of the bacons reach 138 degrees. |
"Homemade" SmokehouseA smokehouse may be constructed using three pieces of tempered masonite, stove pipe, a 30-gallon drum and frame lumber. The outside dimensions are about 2 feet wide, 4 feet deep and 8 feet tall. This will smoke the bacons and jowls from five hogs. Smoke from burning Hickory Sawdust in the drum is vented into a lower corner of the smokehouse, then vented out the opposite corner near the top of a flue. The drum should lay on a metal base with about 2 feet of 3- or 4-inch vent pipe to the smokehouse. Air vents should be made in the drum on the side opposite the vent pipe and about one-fourth the distance up from the bottom. Cut a hole in the top to allow filling with Hickory Sawdust. Start the smoke generator by putting crumpled paper in the lower vents, piling sawdust on the paper and lighting the paper. Leave enough room for air to get in as the Hickory Sawdust burns. The sawdust should smolder and give off smoke. If it flames, dampen the sawdust with water. You can purchase a high quality smokehouse made for
home use from the Sausage Maker.com. Click
here to check out their Home Smokers available in Galvanized Tin and
Stainless Steel. |
After Smoking InstructionsBacon cured and smoked in this fashion is perishable and needs to be frozen or stored in a refrigerator until eaten. Remove the rind if it is not removed during slaughter, slice, wrap in freezer paper and freeze. The sliced bacon will retain its quality 2 to 3 months in freezer storage. If more bacon was cured than the family will eat in two to three months, wrap and freeze in chunks. Bacon will keep its fresh flavor longer during freezer storage if it is not sliced. |
Notebook Size Meat Charts
|
|
Purchase A Set of 5 Notebook Size Meat Charts
PLUS the FREE |
Last Updated: Thursday, July 08, 2004 01:15 AM
| |||||||||||||||||||
