Post by DuncanM on Mar 1, 2015 18:10:25 GMT
Here is the article on Marcus' site, go check it out. countrywoodsmoke.com/recipes/making-bacon-home/
Here we go, my first bacon adventure. 4 different cures, left to cure in fridge for 1 week, thoroughly washed, each piece cut in half to allow for 1 smoked, 1 non-smoked of each cure, then badly sliced and tested for breakfast. Simply put, wow.
Cures and notes:
#1 - localfoodheroes.co.uk - "my favourite cure" - As suggested as a good starting point by Quiet Waters Farm. Seemed pretty similar in ratios to cure #2, except with the total quantity. There was just enough to cover the meat well. Uses nitrite.
#2 - Tim Hayward (Food DIY) - Basic Dry Cure - Again, similar in proportion to #1 but the amount of cure was about 10x as much. Enough to thoroughly saturate the meat and fill up the bag to be cured in. Uses nitrite.
#3 - SmokeDust.co.uk - Chinese Five Spice - Bought rub, used quantity according to instruction which was similar in total quantity as cures #1 and #4 (i.e. just enough to cover the meat). Uses nitrite.
#4 - SmokeDust.co.uk - Juniper & Pepper - Bought rub, used quantity according to instruction which was similar in total quantity as cures #1 and #3 (i.e. just enough to cover the meat). Does not use nitrite.
Process:
Firstly, #2 started extracting liquid the quickest out of all 4. I suspect this was generally due to the quantity so it all had a very thorough covering.
All were turned over daily, only #2 had to be drained because the volume of liquid was so much. In hind-sight, maybe I should have left as is.
Removal from fridge and rinsing off the cure let me see how much water #2 had lost. It turned into a rich, dark red and was firm to the touch. The fat had started pulling away from meat (see pic). All the others looked almost the same as when they were first cured. I cut the 4 pieces in half, length ways to allow a smoked and non-smoked test of each. I smoked in the pro q on apple wood for approximately 8 hours before wrapping and leaving in the fridge for a day.
Slicing...was horrendous. The finished rashers you see below are the 8 best ones from however many I attempted. I tried semi-freezing to firm them up but still not much better. Lesson learnt, ask my butcher to use his slicer.
Tasting notes:
#1 Nice and delicate, couldn't pick out any flavours (there weren't any, really) but it was moist and good tasting. 2nd favourite.
#2 The flavour was too salty and the meat a bit too dry. There's nothing to suggest this couldn't be altered by a combination of some or all a) larger piece of meat. b) shorter curing time c) not draining the liquid each day and d) slicing properly so it's not so thick. 4th favourite but not sure how great of a comparison I gave this, noting the altertations I'd do.
#3 Was mine and my wife's favourite. I initially thought the 5-spice would add an unwelcome, too savoury of a note to the bacon but I was wrong. It was sweet, had hints of maple syrup and only a very subtle 5-spice flavouring.
#4 Not bad by any means, and a nice change from the other flavours but it wouldn't be my go-to flavouring. I found it difficult to notice any juniper flavours, but there was a hit of pepper and sweetness.
Smoked vs Non-Smoked:
I generally prefer smoked over non-smoked from the supermarket, but it was difficult to really tell a huge difference. Maybe the cooking in the WFO muddied the waters some-what however. Some pieces had a touch more saltiness to them than others, but I wasn't sure if those were the smoked pieces or not. If I had to make a call right now, after only having eaten one rasher of each, I'd say I'd be tempted not to smoke again. That being said, I've got a freezer full of badly hacked rashers to get through before making an ultimate decision.
Each rasher was tasted individually before being destroyed in a warmed brioche bun (thanks for the recipe Nic Williams).
Here we go, my first bacon adventure. 4 different cures, left to cure in fridge for 1 week, thoroughly washed, each piece cut in half to allow for 1 smoked, 1 non-smoked of each cure, then badly sliced and tested for breakfast. Simply put, wow.
Cures and notes:
#1 - localfoodheroes.co.uk - "my favourite cure" - As suggested as a good starting point by Quiet Waters Farm. Seemed pretty similar in ratios to cure #2, except with the total quantity. There was just enough to cover the meat well. Uses nitrite.
#2 - Tim Hayward (Food DIY) - Basic Dry Cure - Again, similar in proportion to #1 but the amount of cure was about 10x as much. Enough to thoroughly saturate the meat and fill up the bag to be cured in. Uses nitrite.
#3 - SmokeDust.co.uk - Chinese Five Spice - Bought rub, used quantity according to instruction which was similar in total quantity as cures #1 and #4 (i.e. just enough to cover the meat). Uses nitrite.
#4 - SmokeDust.co.uk - Juniper & Pepper - Bought rub, used quantity according to instruction which was similar in total quantity as cures #1 and #3 (i.e. just enough to cover the meat). Does not use nitrite.
Process:
Firstly, #2 started extracting liquid the quickest out of all 4. I suspect this was generally due to the quantity so it all had a very thorough covering.
All were turned over daily, only #2 had to be drained because the volume of liquid was so much. In hind-sight, maybe I should have left as is.
Removal from fridge and rinsing off the cure let me see how much water #2 had lost. It turned into a rich, dark red and was firm to the touch. The fat had started pulling away from meat (see pic). All the others looked almost the same as when they were first cured. I cut the 4 pieces in half, length ways to allow a smoked and non-smoked test of each. I smoked in the pro q on apple wood for approximately 8 hours before wrapping and leaving in the fridge for a day.
Slicing...was horrendous. The finished rashers you see below are the 8 best ones from however many I attempted. I tried semi-freezing to firm them up but still not much better. Lesson learnt, ask my butcher to use his slicer.
Tasting notes:
#1 Nice and delicate, couldn't pick out any flavours (there weren't any, really) but it was moist and good tasting. 2nd favourite.
#2 The flavour was too salty and the meat a bit too dry. There's nothing to suggest this couldn't be altered by a combination of some or all a) larger piece of meat. b) shorter curing time c) not draining the liquid each day and d) slicing properly so it's not so thick. 4th favourite but not sure how great of a comparison I gave this, noting the altertations I'd do.
#3 Was mine and my wife's favourite. I initially thought the 5-spice would add an unwelcome, too savoury of a note to the bacon but I was wrong. It was sweet, had hints of maple syrup and only a very subtle 5-spice flavouring.
#4 Not bad by any means, and a nice change from the other flavours but it wouldn't be my go-to flavouring. I found it difficult to notice any juniper flavours, but there was a hit of pepper and sweetness.
Smoked vs Non-Smoked:
I generally prefer smoked over non-smoked from the supermarket, but it was difficult to really tell a huge difference. Maybe the cooking in the WFO muddied the waters some-what however. Some pieces had a touch more saltiness to them than others, but I wasn't sure if those were the smoked pieces or not. If I had to make a call right now, after only having eaten one rasher of each, I'd say I'd be tempted not to smoke again. That being said, I've got a freezer full of badly hacked rashers to get through before making an ultimate decision.
Each rasher was tasted individually before being destroyed in a warmed brioche bun (thanks for the recipe Nic Williams).
