Face Bacon | Steve Lamb

[@Sage_the_Turt]

the Steven Lamb river cottage videos are some of my favorite things on youtube, I'm so sad there's only like 20 of them and there hasn't been a new one in years...

[@KyriSvk]

Im liking this gentleman more and more with every episode. He's entertaining yet not in annoying way, and he's on the point.

[@2006jtc]

word. looks amazing. im homesteading down in panama. about to get a few pigs. your channel has given a lot of inspiration, direction, clarity for my curing. thank you.

[@daninczech]

Hi Steve. Fantastic! I'm a big fan of your work and this one is no exception. Thanks for the tip. Anyone who enjoyed watching this, you should deffinitely get the book.

[@daninczech]

By the way, what are the advantages of skinning / not skinning bacon before curing?

[@ALROCKO2000]

Your pancetta was great, I'm sure to try this one out.

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

This stuff is so good - no - It's so great!

[@TheCyberDruid]

Where have you been all my life? :) Seriously though, this channel is great. Dealing with raw meat and turning it into something great always seemed very intimidating. This channel makes it all break down to really understandable and easy steps. Thank you so much for that!

[@SwallowForge]

This is what frying pans were invented for. Big thumbs up :)

[@MooshGazetBegire]

Steve Lamb, you are fantastic and an amazing "teacher". Your video was great and really informative.

[@kathleenzimmer3524]

This is a lovely recipe. We raise a few pigs every year. I did the first two cheeks and they were fantastic, gone very quickly. The second pigs cheeks are in the salad bin now. Very clever video. Thank you.

[@ultimatewarrior1612]

This was excellent Steve! I've currently got three sides of belly being turned into bacon as I type, two hanging and one in the final stages of curing, ready for Chistmas. Having attended Pig in a Day a couple of years ago I have been hooked ever since. Thanks again! :)

[@andymccutcheon3038]

Steve - really enjoying your series. I've started a prosciutto styled chump joint a week ago and about to do about 20kg of salami with my local butchers help letting me use his professional gear for a six pack! Will definitely try the bacon as well.

[@sterlingjohnson289]

Mind blown.... so gonna try this!!! Thanks and please keep these helpful and most of all inspiring videos coming. Aloha from Hawaii

[@jacobusvanzyl3915]

Thanks a lot Steve. Had my first batch this weekend. Delicious! It's really something special.

[@johnsmyth6283]

I'm going for this in the morning. Luckily I live I Lincolnshire, pig country, and here in Louth we have several excellent butchers. Any chance of more making bacon videos? Cold smoking, streaky etc. Lastly, love your presentation. Relaxed and engaging, cheers.

[@RangodoRafa]

Amazing guys!!! can this be done with pork belly, in order to simulate some Pancetta? here in Brazil it's impossible to find Pancetta

[@seanonel]

I use pork belly to make my bacon, so yes it can be done. Same curing method; 50/50 salt/sugar and whatever herbs/spices/chillies you want to flavour it with.

[@RangodoRafa]

Thanks seanonel !!! I'll try it soon!!!

[@RangodoRafa]

I'll check this out ***** !!! I want to do some pancetta here in my channe; as well, as it's impossible to find in Brazil! Thanks friend!

[@kennethkiew7309]

***** i'm currently doing your pancetta recipe now, however i used 2/3 salt to 1/3 sugar, and then about 8-10% of that cure mix to the weight of the pork belly. its about 850g of belly to cure for about 6-7 day. would it still work? or i have to be more precise with the salt?

[@snowbabe73]

This looks fab. Will definitely give it a go.

[@danyeates5]

I made this with Steve on his course, it was fantastic! I've just ordered a pigs head from my local butcher and will be making this again at home this week!

[@SzczepWigry]

could i use a large ziplock bag?

[@danyeates5]

Szczep Wigry yeah, don't see why not

[@pamelakelly5869]

Seems so easy! Going to give it a try! Thanks for sharing....

[@jonathanboucher9500]

Hi, i have a question. If i do the step you mention and hang it after, will i get guanciale?

[@curtgr]

I will visit the River Cottage HQ, that right there, is on my bucket list !

[@CafeMojjo]

Just finished washing the cure off my first cheek, now going in the fridge for the next 3 days .... ready for a Saturday morning fry up. OMG, I can hardly wait lol, and I've still got another 20 odd kilo of jowls sitting in the freezer so there could well be a whole lot of curing going on next week if this works as well as I'm thinking it will :)

[@willempretorius2]

I love your book thanks!

[@Turtytreeandaturd]

Wow - I'm loving this curing!! I love this channel...

[@how2decor]

Sir it is a complete shame we dont get to see enough of u, Please appear more, we love u, and your videos, You have literally taught me how easy it is to cure meat Although i never huge large cuts of meat like u do, i do it in very small cuts and it turns out just as amazing.

[@HalfQ]

Aha, this is a new one for me. I'll be sure to try this. Thanks man.

[@petalss5325]

oh my god, i'm so gonna try this!! thanks so much for the video :))) love ur channel!!

[@aahmm]

Steve Lamb is the man.

[@BigRedNZ1]

How simply brilliant

[@clam85]

my hypocrisy lays in the fact that I was disturbed by the poor pig head but I'm mouthwatering at the thought of that slice of bread covered in perfectly done guanciale. (sometimes in italy we add also chili peppers flakes to the cure!)

[@williammcduff6531]

Great and easy recipe.....now you've got to post up a recipe for pasta carbonera which uses this along with eggs and pepper. Regards Bill

[@firstdegree3432]

Where's the list of Ingredients for the cure? Have I missed them or are they only in the book for sale? Many thanks.

[@Will140f]

he says 50% salt, 50% sugar, herbs etc. to taste in the video. there's no real exact recipe

[@alphonsedesade8523]

Answers 1 Nowhere answer 2a No answer 2b YES Don't be naive This guy is trying to sell his book

[@tonesncreww1998]

Loving your channels Kai. Ka rawe

[@whiteedk]

Omg! Can you apply the same method to pigs belly and making pancetta? It's not easy to get cheeks/head where i live

[@emalinel]

They do have a video for making pancetta :) Check that out, he applies a similar method

[@chriscapozzi7521]

How you doin? Great video. One question , every video or book I read about this requires it to be hung in a certain humidity for weeks. Are you hanging this when it comes out of the fridge or after six days is it ready to cook?

[@camryle995]

Hi guys, not sure if im looking in the wrong spot but it said the full list of ingredients can be found below I cant seem to find it nor can I find it on any of the other videos. thanks for the assist

[@camryle995]

also is the skin on I couldn't quite tell

[@lisamarielindenschmidt649]

OK. I think I just lost about 90% of my home-curing doubts. Thanks for this, Steve! This is going to be my first attempt. I'm fortunate to have a lovely pig farmer down the street from me who can hook me up!

[@alexcooksuk]

Looks awesome - look forward to trying it :)

[@TheCoolKitchen]

Really nice recipe, I'm gonna try this out :)

[@2Can-Dan]

Done this before. You'll never go back to the shop bought stuff after this. And you can flavour it however you like. Far cheaper too. ;) *drools*

[@ryanm8546]

I Just made this.... now waiting for the last 3 days then I'll have my very own face bacon, Steve Lamb, thanks for the gift I loved my curing chamber ;0)

[@AetherDreamSeeker]

I like the idea that you did with using the bottom bin of the refrigerator to cure the meat, however I think it would be better to line it first to make cleaning easier after the fact.

[@emmanuelmanolas8480]

you just made me happy man, great bacon!

[@roberthanna4917]

great job

[@gokucrazy22]

Just curious, why is this different from how you make pancetta (in terms of the brining/curing)?

[@SevZG]

Can I make this with smoked salt, too, Instead of using normal salt? Or would that make for a smoke flavour too intense?

[@VaderCZE]

Can you apply this curing method to other cuts of meat, like pork belly? Or is it cheek-exclusive?

[@Erikreaver]

+Martin Klose Pretty sure it's the universal method. Yer basically applying flavour while removing excess moisture and, well, curing the thing so it doesn't rot. ... Oh, it's you. :D

[@vilijanac]

Must try. Wonder how much is a whole head. And if smoking after curing for a day. Would work as well? :)

[@nonchefsaussy]

- I don't think I've ever loved a man in this way... *_thebaconway_*

[@KS-tu6iw]

Hi Steve Just came to your summer fair in Axminster this weekend. Today I purchased 2 pig cheeks and tomorrow I shall start :) can you recommend a good salt and could you use brown sugar?

[@TheAngryMurloc]

+Karl Smith the salt he recommends in his book is PDV salt. its usually £20 from culinary suppliers for 25kg bag but i found that the exact same salt is sold by pitch and turf suppliers for £5 a bag :)hope this helps. correct me if im wrong

[@raymondprice1387]

After 7 days can it be smoked if so what do you recommend on smoking times?

[@1966whitehouse]

Steve why do you recommend PDV salt? Is your advice that this is the only salt that will work with curing and is therefore an essential ingredient?

[@dorsetdumpling5387]

Having read a bit more into it, it seems that it’s not that straightforward. Most ‘pure’ vacuum dried PVD (or PDV) salts still have Sodium ferrocyanate added as an anti-caking agent, although you often need to look really closely to spot it on the description. Some brands do say that they are just salt with no additives. The explanation in the book is that PVD is better at penetrating into nooks and crannies because of the fine even grain structure, but given that in the salting stage the meat is quickly coated in a very salty brine as the moisture is drawn out of it, I’m not entirely convinced.

[@nickconstantine6308]

My cousin is a cook and he says his restaurant does a similar cure to this to pork belly but for only one day before they braise it. I'm wondering if someone knows why, what it does, or when to use that, like, short cure technique.

[@jshicke]

I'd bought some 'Hog Cheek Bacon' for about $4 a pound at the local store and it was good. Last week, I saw some 'smoked hog jowl' at less than $2 a pound. I bought it up and have been slicing into it for 'bacon'. Less flavor though. I may try to get some fresh and try your method, assuming the wife will give up her crisper for a week :-)

[@fearlyenrage]

Foodtubers... Mate you made my Day ! ^^ Thank you

[@gumihou7802]

I heard there's a shop somewhere that made face bacon that included the ears, snout, tongue...basically the entire edible bits. I suppose the skull can be boiled for soup?

[@JanHagge]

How can i hang all the cured stuff you make at home? Do i need a special fridge or something?

[@Will140f]

if you don't use curing salt (nitrite stuff) then yeah, you should keep your meats cool while they hang.

[@dandanmien]

So I know that this is cured, but if you wanted to, could you eat it as is? Like without needing to cook it?

[@timzwaagstra]

I asked my butcher in the Netherlands about Guanciale once, and he said he could get me the pig's cheek, except he used it to really give flavour to sausage 😋

[@ThisIsMyFullName]

Actually, guanciale is closer related to pancetta, since bacon is smoked, while guanciale and pancetta aren't. I will defiantly try this, though! I never knew it was this easy to make. But I have to find a new place for my vegetables then.. :P Question, Steve: I just saw your other video where you made pancetta. Why did you keep the liquid in the bag when making the pancetta, but remove it here when making guanciale?

[@ThisIsMyFullName]

***** Interesting. Thanks!

[@MrsBrit1]

Mmmmm homemade bacon! Awesome! Must contact local butcher.....

[@pickledone9698]

Finally found a smallgoods supplier close to home that sells it, "easier than finding a pigs head." amazed at how many italians around Perth have no idea what it is.

[@brookferrington6120]

G'day. Would the same method apply to curing pork belly, cheers pigs ears

[@truetekkit]

Could i use this in making some carbonara?

[@simbold2194]

Definitely!

[@francruz5824]

Hi Steve, can you show me how to cure and shape a gammon.

[@RobertPeters4674]

#pigcheekbacon #crunchysnack #deliciousness

[@shutupSS]

Is it always nescesary for the cure to have sugar ?

[@SalmanC]

+Mike Lethal it probably takes a bit of bitterness away from the cure as there is a lot of salt also in the cure.

[@mbchudno]

how long does it last and how to store it?

[@mbchudno]

***** cool. thanks :)

[@rodrigomartorell5217]

Steven Lamb it will lose that 30% just by leaving it in the fridge, with just the 3 day cure?

[@grantshalks7338]

Mark Gatiss does have some wonderful characters doesn't he ...

[@AniVaroni]

STEVEEEE, IM CRAVING FACE BACON AND ITS ALMOST 1 AM

[@konradherrmann3213]

💕👍 culatello lardo is the way

[@richie6799]

does this work with pork belly as well?

[@Will140f]

I tried this exact recipe with pork belly few months back and it worked amazingly well. best bacon I ever ate. my only recommendation is to use more of a 60% salt 40% sugar mix rather than a true 50-50. but you need to make this!

[@richie6799]

Molly Ringwald ok thanks :)

[@ikebanaJc]

So instead of hanging it just leave it in the container for a couple of days? Do you flip it every day?

[@Will140f]

i flipped it, but i don't think it matters as long as you salt it enough

[@jimwest7107]

The Italians eat the lot,reminds me of a Keith Floyd video he did where he fishes the pigs head out of a stewing pot and says 'ah and now here''s my old friends face' then slices it, lol

[@bigdanny9721]

Can I do the same with belly fat?

[@larrymoody3782]

Great presenter

[@rogerhughes2550]

should you remove the Jaw Bone before curing

[@davidcaballero9641]

Why didnt he hang it? Or did he?

[@alphonsedesade8523]

A full list of ingredients can be found bellow for sure ,but they are invisible :P

[@shackinternational]

That’s the best

[@MagicSwagget12]

'It takes no skill whatsoever' - Steve Lamb calling out all butchers

[@GlovesoffHarry]

Can I do the same In tuppoware? My "curing chamber" is full of veg XD

[@jinglebots]

yes, it only needs to be nonreactive, any plastic will do

[@chriscapozzi7521]

mattdotgreenlake How are you doin. I have a question, maybe you can answer it. Every thing I've read about this process is different. Some similarities are most people are hanging this for weeks.3-5. Also to say this will last forever. Other literature states the sugar salt cure mixture must be measured by weight. If you have any answers to these questions that would be great. I am trying this recipee. I'm sure it will be fine if I eat it quick. I have just found nothing to back this up. Your home refrigerator is said to be too cold for this. oh well. I'm trying it anyway. Just have alot of questions.

[@natbarron]

Chris Capozzi experiment with a few different recipes and methods. You’ll find out what you do and don’t like 👍🏼no “one -way” is correct or not

[@Ironlung999]

What a legend - manages liverpool by the day and bangs out cured meat by night: get in Jurgen!

[@coileyparjley4426]

Five quid for two large cheeks from my local butcher. Face bacon sitting in the fridge

[@prionoo]

you can get two entire heads for a fiver

[@wildlifeforagers6515]

@@prionoo areed cut the cheeks out of them then slow roast the rest or make brawn yummy

[@grumpy3517]

I envy you for your fireplace😏

[@Shagnarsty]

lol , Steve I thought you were Jurgan Klopp!

[@maljones6308]

How did you not dip the bread into the pork fat before making the butty???

[@gardeningdianne]

So, let's get this right....A Lamb eating Pork.

[@Beibyface]

Pigscheeks are one of the most expensive cuts of pig we can get in Denmark :(

[@JonasTheLundh]

What if you would buy the whole head and do the job yourself?

[@Beibyface]

I don't know to be honest. I got a friend who's a butcher. He'll might hook me up 😁

[@MrSimonj1970]

Mikkel F. Lerche Denmark is one of Europe's top bacon producers, there must be a few spare cheeks somewhere!

[@Beibyface]

MrSimonj1970 I know, but we use the belly to make bacon. The cheeks have increased in price by 500%, ever since fine dining restaurants started serving them 10 years ago :D

[@MrSimonj1970]

Mikkel F. Lerche Aha! Ear and tail bacon it is, then! ;)

[@Burlandivy]

Stateside face bacon is known as jowl bacon, that or guanciale.

[@さおり-i4u]

Have you ever looked at a comment and said, "Man, I wish I wrote that comment."

[@rockerviktor]

There's something shady about this video. At 3:30 when he puts down the bacon there is already two slices which are much thinner and nicer than what he slices afterwards. And at 3:45 the ones he is frying are much thinner again, he definitely did not cut those. So what's the thruth?

[@BD-uo9po]

and the fucks the point faking a video like this？ make people buy pig heads？

[@rockerviktor]

B' D Views, views, views.

[@BD-uo9po]

+rockerviktor k....that actually makes sense....yeah I saw what you were saying, I just didn't get the point of faking it

[@deinse82]

Do you really need the purpose of editing explained to you?

[@natbarron]

Thruth??? Da fuq is that a word?

[@Stelica92]

i think i will try this :D. now i need to find a pigs cheek

[@johnsmyth6283]

Well I've got mine underway. Up here it's not pigs cheeks, they are very small nuggets of pork. Here it is pigs chaps, the whole side of the face. Nitpicking I know. Two of them, £5! Get in!!!

[@dorsetdumpling5387]

I just bought a pig’s cheek which came with those nuggetty bits attached. I took them off to make the guanciale, but kept them as, cooked long and slow, they have the most amazing porky flavour.

[@Yoshimitsu4prez]

Lmao calling it “face bacon” makes it so easy to react snarkily. British cuisine, generally, seems to invite this, to revel in it. But like, name aside, this is just a cut of a pig that tastes quite good. I’ve tried it from a few different cultures/cuisines. This is prob really good, basically. But “face bacon” is still funny, I would’ve gone with “cheek” or something instead

[@dgiovasc]

Niceeeee!!!

[@caciquepadilla]

i only have one problem, you burnt the bacon and used it in the pan. BAKE YOUR BACON, IT COMES OUT AMAZING!!!

[@zuzannakonieczna9872]

I am wondering if it will be ok if I used only salt. I have leaky guts, am healing them now and I am scared of using sugar in anything, because it interferes with my healing. Anyone here knows maybe if I should keep the bacon for the same amount of time for curing or longer in that situation?

[@GlenAndFriendsCooking]

You need the sugar!! It's part of the curing - don't ever try this method without the sugar.

[@kaluga95]

😀👌🏻🐷🥓🇬🇧 2023 🌲 lg aus Wien-Österreich 🌏🇪🇺🇦🇹 ☕️🍰

[@AlexSmith-fs6ro]

Can you away with the sugar?

[@wilby2883]

Did you leave the skin on th cheek