Making your own bacon

[AJS-]

Watched a few videos and it looks easy enough

Here's one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYH3Z0Hp1Wo

Anyone done this? Any tips? Fancy giving it a try this week.

[Mr Roper]

I've no experience in making my own per se....However I will trail a batch and report back with my findings.

You' know it makes sense.

[V8mate]

What cut of pork would you ask for to make back bacon?

[RealSquirrels]

back?

[AJS-]

What I'd really like is a big long cut of the side, with the "eye" and then a long tail of streaky. I seem to remember lots of this when I was a kid, and some in Australia, but haven't seen it for years.

Since I live in Thailand and will have to send my wife to buy the pork while I'm at work, and this is nearly impossible to explain and translate, then I'll probably try it with belly pork first and then get more fussy about the cuts later.

[V8mate]

RealSquirrels said:

back?

Ah, yes. How silly of me. That well known cut: back.

[Pete Franklin]

AJS- said:

What I'd really like is a big long cut of the side, with the "eye" and then a long tail of streaky. I seem to remember lots of this when I was a kid, and some in Australia, but haven't seen it for years.

Since I live in Thailand and will have to send my wife to buy the pork while I'm at work, and this is nearly impossible to explain and translate, then I'll probably try it with belly pork first and then get more fussy about the cuts later.

What you need then is the loin deboned with the belly still attached you would probably need to go to a butcher that buys in whole animals to achieve this. Although be aware that pork bred for normal eating is usually smaller than pork bred for making bacon

I have been making my own bacon for some time now- curing and then cold smoking. the trick is to use the exact quantity of salt that you need in the cure and then cure for at least 10 days for loin/back or 7 days for belly/streaky. the beauty of this is that it wont make the bacon over salty if for whatever reason it is left in the cure for longer. my dry cure usually consists of 30g salt 15g sugar, pepper, juniper and corriander seed and 1/4 teaspoon of saltpetre per kg of meat. apply the dry cure ,wrap in clingfilm, refridgerate for required time turning daily. after the time is up remove from cure, rinse and dry. I then hang in an cool airy place (or leave uncovered in fridge during summer) for 4- 7 days before slicing if making green bacon or coldsmoking in apple wood and then slicing for smoked.

[Melman Giraffe]

V8mate said:

RealSquirrels said:

back?

Ah, yes. How silly of me. That well known cut: back.