How to Make ANY Kind of BACON! I Made Guanciale, Buckboard, and Canadian Bacon

This video is all about bacon. I show you a super easy way to make bacon with any cut of meat you desire.
For this video I decide to make Guanciale, Buckboard, and Canadian Bacon. The recipe I got the bacon cure from was loosely based off of a recipe from Guga Foods so be sure to check his video out.
Whenever using a curing powder you should do your research on how much should be used.
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[@erichsbloodaxe]

I've done the pork loin one a handful of times and always came out great, even though I don't have a smoker, and just cook it low and slow in the oven for the pre-sliced round. I've also just been doing a simple cure mix of salt, curing salt, brown sugar, black pepper and maple syrup, and sealing them in the gallon sized ziplocs with most of the air squeezed out to throw in the fridge. I love that it's so simple, and yet you can buy 2.99/lb meat instead of pre-packaged Canadian bacon at $5 a 7oz package or so.

[@SmokestackJoes]

The simplicity is great. The price of pork loin is also a great reason to make bacon from it, plus it always comes out fantastic.

[@henrysutulovich6608]

I found that rinsing it "in" the sink yielded better results than rinsing the meat "under" the sink. It had a much less chemically flavor from all the cleaning supplies under the sink ;)

[@SmokestackJoes]

Haha good one, thanks for the comment 👍

[@tonymazza8305]

If I remember correctly, the rule of thumb for curing bacon is 3 days plus 1 day for each 1/2 inch of thickness... Looking forward to trying your brine recipe - thanks for the video!

[@SmokestackJoes]

That sounds about right. I love this brine recipe because of how easy it is. You definitely want to soak the meat after because it can be very salty.

[@bongocowboy9571]

While researching Buckboard Bacon, I came across your video. The best one I've seen yet.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks a lot I am glad you liked it

[@BigPeter1313]

I've deboned the pork butt and have cured & smoked the entire piece, paying attention to get some of the cure into where I had taken the bone from. Once finished, I allow it to cool in the fridge and bring to the slicer.

[@SmokestackJoes]

That is a good option. I am sure once its cooled where you cut the bone out wont be an issue because the meat will be pretty stiff

[@timothyschertz2050]

Nice video! Thank you for sharing your experience! I have cured several pork belly’s (I cure mine for 5-10 days depending on the weight/thickness), however, never done a jowl. For some kick, add fresh ground pepper before smoking! Bourbon is a staple add to my curing mix. I will have to try the apple whiskey!

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thank you. The apple whiskey flavor was great with the cure. The jowl is great when its turned into bacon. I will dice it up and use it in a bunch of recipes, it adds great flavor. I have tried the black pepper and that is also one of my favorite ways to do bacon. Thank you for the comment.

[@jakew1ll]

I wish you would have shown more on how it cooks in a pan at the end of making the initial sets of bacon.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Yeah that is my fault. I realized in editing that I should have cooked the bacon to show the finished results

[@BearMeat4Dinner]

Gonna make this after my 1st harvest ❤!!!

[@SmokestackJoes]

Good luck!

[@jamesnelson1968]

On the buckboard bacon, after you cut the piece off of the side, you can slide your boning knife down the flat side of the bone and free up another slab of meat for bacon.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Awesome idea! that would be more of the size of traditional bacon but with the flavor of buckboard. I will try that next time I do it. Thanks for the comment!

[@jamesnelson1968]

@@SmokestackJoes I just did a pork butt tonight, cut the end off as you showed and pulled a slab off both sides of the bone. The side with the curved bone was a little ragged where the curve in the bone was complex, but I trimmed it up and froze the trimmings for a batch of ground pork.

[@MadPick]

Great video, very helpful. I agree with the other comment, I would have liked to see them cooked. I need to give this a try!

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thank you, I think I liked the buckboard the most

[@MadPick]

@@SmokestackJoes Great to know. I love finding new ways to use these cheap cuts, and pork butt is certainly that. And like you mentioned in the video, so is the loin!

[@reesegoat4437]

Hey man, great video! Just subbed

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks for the sub! Glad you enjoyed the video

[@chrisidzerda2963]

I put my Traeger on smoke when I do the smoke setting.

[@SmokestackJoes]

My new pellet grill has a smoke setting. I want to try some bacon using it

[@dwaynelejeune3508]

Would/should your brine be measured according to weight of meat?????

[@SmokestackJoes]

technically yes, but I know if my brine is mixed with the proper ratio I can just add enough brine to cover the meat and it wont be too much.

[@woodsmand]

Asian stores are usually a good place to find pork jowls though they are not always available. I've made bacon from jowls myself and it is excellent though i didn't know it was called Guanciale

[@SmokestackJoes]

That is the Italian name for it. I am sure different cultures call it different names. But either way its delicious!

[@laneclaypool8005]

I gave you a thumbs up because of how mellow you are.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Thanks! I appreciate the support

[@youknowvin]

Great video. However I double the salt and skip the prague powder since it contains the carcinogens sodium nitrite and red dye. You may say it will not keep as long but I have kept my bacon in the deep freeze for over a year.

[@SmokestackJoes]

I think I will do this method when doing bacon again. I dont really like using the prague powder because of the reasons you said. I did find a nitrite free curing powder that is supposed to be all natural from the sausage maker website. I want to try it out. But like you said I think salt is fine for bacon because it doesnt last long enough to need to be preserved.

[@Jonathan-bm9yy]

So how did they taste? Especially how did your cured jowl compare to the non-cured jowl that you mentioned having done earlier?

[@SmokestackJoes]

They all tasted great! I really enjoy the buckboard because its got a great mix between fat and meat. Also it is a perfect size for an egg sandwich. The jowl is much different when its cured, its best used to cut into small pieces and cook into a recipe like a pasta dish or potato salad etc.

[@jebbkinney8516]

Save your $ on air sealer bags and just use big ziplock bags. I also use a real smoker and is not difficult to regulate temperature

[@Rock_Nemo]

vacuum bags are cheap and dont leak for long cooks or brining

[@solman93]

Cool video. You took it to 160, but pork is done at 140. Is there a reason to take it to 160?

[@SmokestackJoes]

I like the texture better when I bring it up to 160

[@JonathanFox-uj1rv]

OK. I have watched this a few times. What was the weight of the meat(s) you cured? You use the same stuff for all, how heavy was the "LOADE"?

[@SmokestackJoes]

I didn’t go be weight. If you mix it up with the proper ratio just put a light coating on the pieces of meat and you’ll be fine

[@justinjones9194]

how long will this last in the fridge ?and is it good to freeze it?

[@SmokestackJoes]

I am not sure how long it will last in the fridge. I would say 7 days but i'm sure it is much longer then that. And yes it is good to freeze, that's where most of this bacon went.

[@justinjones9194]

@@SmokestackJoes perfect!thanks for the reply,i will be trying this out really soon,just waiting for my plague #1 to come in the mail

[@michaelgerald7542]

How much of the cure did you put in each bag? Is there a formula you should use to know how much to put in?

[@SmokestackJoes]

For me it isn't an exact science. I put just enough to cover the piece of meat.

[@briankangas9800]

Their is a exact amount of cure you should use. 1/4 tsp of cure per lb of meat his recipe only good for 5lbs and should have had a cure for each individual bag to properly cure. Not saying his way was wrong or wont work but when curing and smoking meats you want to be precise with the cure salt cause it is what keeps the meat from going bad in the cure process and keeps botulism from forming through the entire start to finish process.

[@patrickdriscoll9962]

Hi this needs to be cooked (like bacon) after the above process correct? I.E. you can't eat it raw correct?

[@SmokestackJoes]

Yes it should be cook, do not eat it raw

[@patrickdriscoll9962]

Even if you smoke it, you do not need to cook it after correct?

[@michaeltooke9164]

Be careful with the Cure 1. Thanks for the video.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Yes, I believe cure 1 is meant for meats that will be cured for a long period of time.

[@426superbee4]

Jowl is to thin for me. I like the wider, longer, pieces When i go buy bacon i try to fine the learner ones AWAY

[@426superbee4]

On the butt. Just cut it into halves, and cut the bone out of the other one. This way you don't butcher it all up. The small pieces can be used for beans, and things, Even the bone 🦴🦴 I use both sides for bacon > Why not ?

[@SmokestackJoes]

Good point, thanks for the comment

[@426superbee4]

@@SmokestackJoes I use my fat and small pieces of meat for LARD and BACON BIT. GOOD GOD IT GOOD. and it wasn't even season yet. DON'T THROW IT AWAY. After the fat is RENDER, Don't throw it away! Smash it up and use it in greens and beans LORD HAVE MERCY ITS SO GOOD IN BEANS AND THINGS

[@mikemorris8309]

How much flavor impact did the maple syrup have?

[@SmokestackJoes]

Not too much, it did add a little sweetness which was good for offsetting all the saltiness

[@cfuzzkennedy]

So is it highly important to have an exact % of curing salt to meat ratio? Or it it good enough to make sure you have the right amount in the mix and then thoroughly cover the meat being cured?

[@SmokestackJoes]

That is a good question, I’m not 100% sure but I think if you have the right mix in the rub you would be fine

[@LeeG23]

You really should have a weight based measurement of your cure to be precise, especially with a dry brine

[@somanyfountains]

1tsp per 5lbs

[@curtbrown9702]

So u made 3 batches of cure?

[@SmokestackJoes]

It was 1 big batch enough to do all 3 pieces

[@louisevad6091]

I make coppa bacon or Money muscle bacon

[@SmokestackJoes]

Yeah thats a great idea, I plan on doing this in the future

[@hankster9940]

Apple whiskey = Calvados?

[@SmokestackJoes]

I used Crown Royal Apple

[@426superbee4]

Next time i'am going to try SOY SAUCE

[@SmokestackJoes]

I think soy sauce would be great for bacon

[@426superbee4]

@@SmokestackJoes Thanks for the reply on it. There is a KALEIDOSCOPE OF FLAVORS that can be used from woods smoke to sauces, W sauce is another great one . some time i use it on steaks and pork only as a frisking.. That is why i try to keep with the basic. You can get to wild.. Some times YOU CAN NAIL IT> SOME TIMES YOU COULD MESS UP 🙄🙄 Try frisking with THE W SAUCE = Worcestershire sauce ITS A GREAT TASTE the vinegar NAILS IT 👌👌

[@hoorooblu]

I was looking for the satirical movie called Canadian Bacon.. and youtube showed me your interesting clip instead. (In UK, shoulder bacon is simply called.shoulder bacon but in Canada it is called buckboard?)

[@SmokestackJoes]

That's pretty funny that you got to my video lol. In America it is called buckboard but it is mostly found in the southern part of the US.

[@hoorooblu]

@@SmokestackJoes😁 Also, i know from experience that Americans pour pancake syrup on bacon at breakfast time, which is such a wondrous confusion of evening dessert crossed with breakfast savoury protein that it was stupefying at my first american breakfast. Whilst i dont mind Hong Kong 'sweet and sour (unsalted) pork', it turned out that salty bacon did not suit dessert pancakes (in my tastebuds' universe). So there is definitely much for an aussie in britain to learn from an American about alternate names and uses for bacon. (Canadia Bacon movie also turned out to be starstudded, satirically prophetic and amusing to euro-australians but perhaps not going to play well in deep south USA) In britain, they also sell 'gammon steaks' and pieces of gammon which require boiling before baking (this is not generally available in Australia). Pork Crackling is another porkfoods artform in Britain, takrn even more seriously thannin australia and nothing like the 'snackfood' crackling sold in packets like potato crisps. If you expand to include comparative studies in porcine food arts, hope these thoughts provide some extra avenues to explore. All good wishes to your fine channel.

[@koryweaver5868]

I try to avoid using nitrates. Can you brine the pork for seven days in a vacuum sealed bag safely without it?

[@SmokestackJoes]

I believe you can use celery juice powder. I also am not a huge fan of nitrates and will be giving the celery juice powder a try soon.

[@WastedTalent-]

@@SmokestackJoes Celery powder is loaded with nitrates, although, it's a natural source of nitrates, it's still very high in nitrates.

[@brucelee5576]

The pork loin is the only sorry part of the pig.

[@robertrathburn-43512]

Probably should have gotten the slicer first..lol

[@SmokestackJoes]

Yeah I think you are right lol

[@JonathanFox-uj1rv]

Any one. I do not wish nitrite death.

[@kimflynn5437]

As with most things we eat, moderation is the key. If anyone is eating nothing but processed meats, your concern is more than valid. If bacon is the only processed meat being consumed, you're probably in the safe zone. But as always, to each their own.

[@facitenonvictimarum]

Too much of you and not enough of the other pork.

[@SmokestackJoes]

Fair assessment, thanks for the comment

[@aldolajak1267]

ANY kind of bacon???? Any kind of bacon??????? ANY kind of bacon???? Any kind of bacon??????? Kind of DEFINITIVE statement there, wouldn't you say???????? What about dog bacon, or rat bacon, or skunk bacon, or sparrow bacon, or maggot bacon,..............................., I could go on and on. Stop with the generalized clickbait video titles.

[@kazeet456]

You didn't taste them and rate the taste. Very gay. Thumbs down.