Everything you Need to Know About Smoking Bacon

[@purpleom9649]

I'm a 55 year old, I've been making bacon for a few years now in the UK. For the first 25 years of my life you used to be able to buy rind on bacon in the shops now you can't find it anywhere so I decided to make my own, I really think the world is missing out on such a fantastic part of bacon eating, it's crisp, flavourful and by far the best part of bacon, surly everyone loves Crackling?

[@davidmorgan1526]

Go to an actual farmer n get your own hog

[@peechyman]

Absolutely love bacon with the rind

[@dacollins113]

So a little pro tip. When using the backs fold the top part down so when you put the belly in you don’t get any rub on the seal and it will seal up just fine

[@viper306m]

On my 3rd round of this, this time just did a nice peppered bacon she just came off after 6 hours on the pit. I revert to this video to make sure I have everything correct. Has come out great everytime so far! Thanks for the guide, its so easy and way cheaper to buy bacon this way. I also get to control the flavor myself. If you have a pit and you are watching this give it a shot its really easy!

[@cristeixeira8898]

This is another level. Well done!

[@xtreemej7]

Hey man, glad your putting out vids with that awesome smoker. It's rare to see vids with a smoker like that. I happen to have one. The pork butt is going to help me with an upcoming fund-raiser. I'm going to try and out it on both my channels.

[@madmike2624]

Miller Light give ya a bump?....just kiddin, great video and recipe!!

[@ReeferCheifer13]

That grill is kick ass with the vertical section. First time seeing that

[@RobertoSáenzV]

Súper bien explicado se ve que lo disfrutas y eso es importante felicidades y gracias por compartir esta receta, lo intentaré hacer saludos desde Chihuahua Mexico

[@ALPHAJACK78]

Very nice recipe, love that smoker, thanks

[@summerforever6736]

you need the salt to preserve it so does not go bed even without putting it in the fridge ! Also the smoke helps to preserve it as well

[@sgtshak2806]

I love seeing the number of "miles" on that smoker. Those concerned about rust and such need to close their computers and start cooking.

[@thisolddog2259]

I use off the shelf jerky brine, and it comes out really good

[@dredding100]

Nice work. Thank you. Do you use Kosher salt or Sea salt ?

[@curtbrown9702]

Weight to cure? And other spices for your magic cure flavor?

[@rlhenry99]

Do you use any curing salt can you give us your ratios of your rub

[@2005Pilot]

Well Done!!! Love that stick burner too! Question: the sugar is pure cane sugar right? Any flavor or cooking differences you found vs light brown sugar? Thanks 😊👍👍

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Thank you! Cane sugar is produced solely from sugarcane and is minimally processed. It has a slightly larger grain, and a darker color, since the molasses has not been refined out. I haven’t noticed a flavor difference between all the different types of sugar but the cane sugar definitely seems to good better and doesn’t burn so easily.

[@2005Pilot]

@@simplemansbbq5495 Awesome! Gonna have to try for sure. Thanks 😊 👍👍

[@ubecool454SS]

invest in a nice meat slicer. I don't slice until it's nice a cold that way i can go real thin for things like bacon wrapped shrimp or jalapeno poppers.

[@jamesspivy7753]

So what salt/seasoning ratio did you use

[@ftrevino4493]

Great video. 😊

[@madampolo]

It's amazing to me how cooks who taste their creations always say it's wonderful. Yeah, right.

[@simplemansbbq5495]

I have had plenty of failed attempts where the taste was not good. It took me a long time to get to this point. However, everyone’s flavor profile is different, to me it might taste great, to others, not so much. That’s why I recommend using your favorite seasonings. With bacon, it’s not so much the seasoning you use but the preparation and cooking method that makes it turn out great.

[@jaygarrison6226]

Great job! I’m gonna give it a whirl.

[@davidross3414]

I can't seem to find your ratios .? Can you help me ? I really liked your style .

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Thank you sir! 1 cup salt, 1/4 garlic powder, 1/2 pure sugar, 1/4 chili pepper, 1/4 paprika. Please note, this makes a large batch so it will be way to much if you’re just doing 10lbs or less.

[@robinmanchur601]

I use an equilibrium recipe it works by the weight of product

[@ubecool454SS]

@@robinmanchur601 I do it that way too and it's never to salty. I still used sugar but cut back on the amounts to keep the edges from burning when frying the bacon. My brother tried to do his but didn't use the equilibrium recipe and didn't sample the bacon to see if he needed to soak the bacon to leech some of the salt out. He ended up dumping it and now uses the equilibrium method.

[@ronzman-vu6zy]

Great Video, This is all new to me so trying to learn as much as I can before I try it. This might be a stupid question but don't you need to add any cure to this or does the salt act as the cure ??

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Adding curing salt (pink) does preserve the meat better and helps during the brine. However, I don’t like adding that to my food. We already get enough preservatives in our day to day food. Literally everything has preservatives in it now. I package my bacon for the freezer in small bags so when we eat it, it will only be in the fridge for a few days. And yes, salt is the old school way to preserve food but curing salt does work better. Hope this helps!

[@ronzman-vu6zy]

@@simplemansbbq5495 Thank you for responding so fast I appreciate that.....I have one more question...I understand pork bellies have a lot of fat/skin on them. In your video it appeared that the one side had a lot more fat on it than the other side, do you cut the skin or any of the fat off before you cover with the mixture or do you leave it all on and remove after smoking....also if I was going to use curing salt would I just replace the amount of salt you used with pink curing salt or would that be a different amount. Thanks again

[@simplemansbbq5495]

@@ronzman-vu6zy 1) Some people trim their pork belly’s. I do not. It all depends on your bacon preference and also how fatty the pork belly you have is. You will be surprised how nicely the fat cooks up into delicious crispy bacon! Lol, but to each their own. You should cut your first belly in half, one trimmed and one not. See what you like better. 2) There are curing salt calculators on the internet. It will help you calculate how much to use based off of pounds of meat, wet or dry brine. For an example, a 10 pounder with dry brine would be 25 g or 0.882 oz of pink curing salt.

[@davidjennings2733]

1 cup of what type of salt as I have seen several videos and they all use a different type but they all say no table salt.

[@robeer123rr]

You gotta be from TEXAS...it's the Miller lite....my guess...great beer....oh and the bacon looks great

[@brapoo6497]

Now that’s some good looking bacon

[@viper306m]

Costco has some pork belly's on sale right now, I told my wife I want to make some homemade bacon but wanted to learn first thanks for the tips. I have an offset smoker but I can't hang is that going to be an issue at all?

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Not at all, when I run out of room I just place the bacon on the rack in the main chamber. If you do it this way, I would recommend rotating and flipping it every 1 to 2 hours.

[@viper306m]

@@simplemansbbq5495 I am doing mine today, somehow I chose the coldest day in March here in WI to smoke.... Got the bacon going and a corn beef brisket. Wish me luck thanks for the video

[@CowboyGirl007]

You dont use salt cure #1? Prevents botulism from smoking at low temperature.

[@lancephinney5538]

Did you cook it with the Rind on

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Sometimes it is sold without the rind which allows more of the flavor from the spices to penetrate the meat, making for a fuller flavor once you cook and consume it. I leave the rind on for my bacon and just brine it longer.

[@Zunimidniter]

At what ratio did you mix your seasoning?

[@JDHobbs]

A lot of recipes have you leave the washed/dried belly in the fridge overnight to develop a film on the outside. Thoughts?

[@simplemansbbq5495]

I have never tried that way. It would be a good way of drying it out though.

[@ubecool454SS]

I always let it set overnight before smoking so it can develop the pellicle (spelling)? It helps the smoke stick better.

[@AltecMST]

Other than bear, have you tried lemon juice when smoking and fried it gets sweet

[@simplemansbbq5495]

So spritz lemon juice during the smoking process?

[@comradebangalore]

Why did you rinse the seasoning off before popping them into the smoker?

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Two main reasons: so the seasons don’t burn and to rinse the extra salt off. This is just the way I do it. Do some more research and give it a try! I’m sure yours will turn out great!

[@comradebangalore]

@simplemansbbq5495 Thanks for the reply and elucidation, trying to figure out the best way! Be a while before we try it but looking forward to it 😊

[@lancephinney5538]

Where did you get the marinating bags, thanks

[@simplemansbbq5495]

I either use 2 gallon zip lock bags from Amazon or just put the belly’s in a large pan with a cover.

[@GD-rs6sy]

Great video. Can you share the ratios for your rub?

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Thank you sir! 1 cup salt, 1/4 garlic powder, 1/2 pure sugar, 1/4 chili pepper, 1/4 paprika.

[@ronzman-vu6zy]

@@simplemansbbq5495 How much pepper ? or is it a 1/4 cup chili powder and 1/4 cup pepper

[@simplemansbbq5495]

@@ronzman-vu6zy the ladder. 1/4 cup each.

[@ronzman-vu6zy]

@@simplemansbbq5495 Sorry to bug you so much, your video is awesome. with the above recipe ratio is that supposed to be enough for all 20 pounds your cooking on the video ? I mixed it all up but am only doing 5 pounds to test first so wondering if I should divide this mixture by 4....Thanks for all your help !!

[@simplemansbbq5495]

@@ronzman-vu6zy the ratios is for 1 batch of seasoning. It’s definitely waaaaay more than you need for 5lbs of meat. Just give your slab a nice seasoning with it AMS safe the rest for later.

[@rickperry2914]

What kind of a recipe is it when you don’t give the amounts of the ingredients?

[@bcasey101]

I found it in the comments he listed: 1 cup salt, 1/4 garlic powder, 1/2 pure sugar, 1/4 chili pepper, 1/4 paprika. Please note, this makes a large batch so it will be way to much if you’re just doing 10lbs or less.

[@summerforever6736]

where can you get the bacon?? raw like that ?

[@simplemansbbq5495]

Most large grocery stores have it. Just ask the butcher for a whole pork belly.

[@summerforever6736]

@@simplemansbbq5495 thanks yes costco has it too but without the skin I like the skin on it

[@johndavids7758]

👍👍👍👍

[@summerforever6736]

no need to use sugar at all!!!

[@ubecool454SS]

you don't have to use sugar.

[@mikenicholson2548]

I have done bacon for years. No more dry rubs. Wet brine true bacon.

[@simplemansbbq5495]

What’s your recipe? I would love to try it!

[@mikenicholson2548]

@Simple Man’s BBQ what's the best way to get it to you.

[@simplemansbbq5495]

@@mikenicholson2548 if you could, put place it here in the comments. Then everyone can enjoy it!

[@coryanderson7581]

No pink salt ??

[@simplemansbbq5495]

No sir. I am against those types of preservatives/nitrates. I slice my bacon after it’s done smoking and put in small bags for the freezer. When I pull one out it is cooked and eaten within a few days. Granted, if I wanted to have a pound of bacon in my fridge for a month plus, it would go bad without the preservatives. This is just the way I do it, and I suggest you make tour own decision after some research. Smoke on brother!

[@JB-np2kh]

@@simplemansbbq5495then what you made is smoked & salted pork belly. I’m sure it tastes great, but it’s not bacon

[@coryanderson7581]

I just learned that celery salt is a good substitute for cure #1

[@bcasey101]

@@coryanderson7581 what ratio to meat?

[@coryanderson7581]

@@bcasey101 1 ounce of celery powder to every pound of meat

[@samanthasmith6062]

Cutting. Board.

[@GatesCo1965]

Amen. The sound of that nice knife slicing through the bacon and scraping the metal table top was painful!

[@g4gregp909]

that poor knife edge...

[@simplemansbbq5495]

🤣😂 I sharpen before each cook but you are correct!

[@Kangawallapossumbat]

Your video title is "Everything you Need to Know About Smoking Bacon".... Sorry... no it is not. What about cold smoking? Cold Smoking is a much tastier and moister product.

[@Ringele5574]

This isn't very helpful without the recipe. I'm assuming you didn't use nitrates, or you would be very specific on the amount of season you use. 8-1/2 hrs to get to 150° is dangerous. If you don't get pork products to at least 145° in 4 hours you are keeping the meat in the bacteria loving, getting you deadly sick zone. Quit posting videos of you getting lucky....

[@drankurbaruah]

You have a point there.