Miss Betsy's Excellent Bacon

After making my "Cold Smoke Generator" and the cold weather was finally here, I was ready to make Austrian Speck or real bacon. That takes time, patience and a big enough smoke box along with the above mentioned "Cold Smoke Generator" (lacking a wood stove and an airy attic to hang my pork as they still do it in the farm houses in the old country)
You start out with a call or visit to a trusted butcher to order some fresh pork belly with the skin on! I took 2 bellies, 9 lbs. each and I paid $2.70 a pound. 18 pounds seem quite a lot but once your friends have tasted your bacon they will line up to get more and after all, it is easy to vacuum pack and freeze it!

Step 1: Cutting the bacon

How you cut the pork belly depends all on you; you can quarter it to get about the size you are used to or divide it in 9 pieces with about 1 pound each and approximately 8x4" in size. The smaller pieces resemble more the Austrian Speck and are easier to cut into uniform slices later on, but that is just me.

Comments

[Inno]

I realize you say to make "proper" bacon you need to patient. 6-8 weeks seems like a very long time, can it be done any quicker?
I really like your cold smoke generator by the way, very nice simple design which seems very functional and certainly better than paying for a commercially built one.

[t.rohner]

Thanks for this instructable.

I live 6 miles from the austrian border...
The best speck i ever tasted, was in Italy. In the Fassa valley.
It is only slightly smoked, more dry-cured.
For that, you need the right moisture and air temperaure.
In central Europe, you need to live upwards from 1000 meters above sea level to have the right climate naturally. I'm thinking about a way to emulate it for a while.
There isn't a quick and dirty way to do it. But the speck speaks for itself.

I have a 50 year old smoking chamber, that i bought for next to nothing. But the climate allows not too many smoking sessions per winter.
I cured and smoked 400 pounds of salmon two years ago with huge success. While at it, the temperature fell to the single digits Fahrenheit.(-10°C).
I added a temperature controlled 2000W electric grill lighter to keep the salmons above freezing.
I now have a fridge, that i want to convert into a cold smoking chamber for the summertime.

Probably the jews and muslims didn't eat porc, because the winters in their deserts weren't cold enough. Curing meat this way, needs cold temperatures in the beginning to keep bacteria from growing, until the water content is low enough, or the salt content high enough.
(No religious pun intended, i'm happy to have the organically grown pigs for myself...)

I also have a cutter and a mincer to make sausages. I have a wonderful "Weisswurst" recipe, i made a couple of times.
I just always had my hands too deep in the sausage dough, to write a instructable about it...

By the way, i'd always try to not freeze such high-class foods as a perfect speck or a smoked or graved salmon. Speck and smoked/graved salmon keeps for a while, if kept cold. That was the whole idea behind it, to start with.
Bake a perfect bread and enjoy it, before it spoils.

[MissBetsy]

Thank you for your extensive comment and there is 1 line that tells it all: "There isn't a quick and dirty way to do it. But the speck speaks for itself." I definitely would like to taste your Weisswurst with some of my homemade sweet mustard or have some of your salmon; but what are you doing with 400lbs. of it? Would love to continue via messages.

[t.rohner]

Hahaha
I made the 400lb salmon with a friend of mine.
He owns a business and gave it to his best customers as a christmas present.
This year, we canned 1lb tins with self made sauerkraut... (i made a instructable about krauting ;-)
He always wants to give something special and personal.

I also made sweet "bavarian" honey mustard for the Weisswurst.

Here some pics to drool about...

[MissBetsy]

Darn, the Weisswurscht looks just right to suck it out and the pizza/Flammkuchen looks delicious too!

[trstark66]

Is it necessary to smoke the bacon, or is curing sufficient? I understand what flavor smoking adds, but I live in the city and smoking meat is not an option for me. Thanks!

[MissBetsy]

Well, yes, sure that is possible and the result will be "green bacon" which is fine to fry but why bother then in the first place ? There are ways though which take less time than my bacon and could be done even on a Park BBQ with some wood-chips in an afternoon! I have read several articles on the net that might help you.

[terezkaterka]

On the proviso that own smoke bacon vacuum encapsulated and in freezer hold 4 for weeks, so that neni good value. Good must hold hung on ceiling pole year and more. We on the proviso that smoke bacon, alternatively rib and meat in December so that co-operative store and good in summer. Because is already warmth so thereout drop fat, and other is that excellent.

[LaLasha]

Where did your source your fresh belly? I can buy it at the commissary(military) but, it isn't always a uniform thickness. I liked the look of your belly better. TIA.

[MissBetsy]

I got my pork belly from a local butcher and the thickness varied between 2 and 4 inches. I know from my last batch that that does not influence the outcome. If you are in doubt, don't cure the thin pieces as long as the thick ones or press the pieces till they have equal thickness :) No kidding, I know that is done.

[james.m.k]

Very cool!

I also love bacon, Miss Betsy, but you need to eat it with care, or your attractive little banner may become a wide billboard! :-)

[MissBetsy]

Thank you for your concern and your warning. I keep it to the absolute minimum that is needed to keep my body functioning :)

[bajablue]

Fat doesn't make a person "fat" and bacon is often a daily staple for low-carb practitioners (such as myself).

Excellent Ible, Miss Betsy!!!

[MissBetsy]

Well, thank you very much! :)

[SciFiJim]

Could you show more detail about the smoke generator? Or perhaps create an 'ible on it? I noticed that the pipe from the generator to the smoke box was located at the bottom of the smoke generator.

[MissBetsy]

In the article and in the side column there are links to my "Cold Smoke Generator"

[wasilla1]

Just a little confused.....How long did you smoke the bacon? Daily for 6-8 weeks? Surely not.

[MissBetsy]

Believe me -YES Maybe you want to read: "Mario Batali - Speck - Smoked Prosciutto"

[byarotsky]

Please correct me if I am wrong. But from what I have read it sounds like the bacon hangs in the smoker for 6 to 8 weeks and is smoked 2 or 3 times a day for 2 hours each time before it is done????

That is quite the investment. I am sure it is worth it, but wow...

[MissBetsy]

You will be rewarded, believe me! - It really doesn't take much to go out and restart the smoker, maybe 10 minutes on average.

[oldmicah]

How long does it take to form the pellicle before you start smoking it?

[MissBetsy]

It takes a day they say :) but there is more to it. When wet surfaces come in contact with smoke, creosote is built up and that tastes godawful *yuck* while a dry tacky surface provides a nice landing place for the fickle aromatics. 24 to 36 hours on the wire rack in the fridge or already hanging in the smoke-box will do the trick.

[jkyas]

Place bacon (or pre-bacon, I suppose) on a wire rack with a fan blowing across it. You'll get a nice pellicle in a couple of hours.

[MissBetsy]

That is probably possible but making Speck is no race my friend, it needs patience and the right mindset :) and you won't get a blue ribbon if you are finished first!

[jkyas]

I do mine a little differently (essentially following Michael Ruhlman's directions, see "Charcuterie"): salt, sugar, and pink salt (Sodium nitrate) (plus whatever else you want to throw in), rub, bag, refrig, allow to steep in brine that forms for a week, rinse, dry (see pellicle note), smoke for 6 to 8 hours (I use applewood), roast in an oven to 150F internal temp.

I get a little worried about botulism when meat sits above refigerator temp for long periods of time, hence the sodium nitrate.

[MissBetsy]

Of course everyone can make his/her bacon the way they think best. The big difference between your and my method is that you cook the bacon at the end to reach 150F which differs considerable from cold smoking as done in Italy, Austria and Germany where the temperature never exceeds 68-70F. If interested please read: Mario Batali - Speck - Smoked Prosciutto

[roofdweller]

I think it's important to note that sodium nitrite is used in curing to inhibit the growth of anaerobic organisms such as Clostridium botulinum. Although exceedingly small, there is a risk of botulism from home-cured bacon, or any other cured meat, if nitrite is not used. Salting and smoking reduce the risk considerably of course, so if you're going to omit nitrite make absolutely sure you do the rest as perfectly as you can!

[MissBetsy]

Thank you for your comment because I did not emphasize enough the very very small risk in my "-ible" , Of course it is given that you work as clean and perfect as possible!

[terezkaterka]

Prosím Ťa, to je čo za kvalitu, keď píšeš, že slanina vydrží vákuovo zabalená a zmrazená najmenej 4 týždne. Dobrá vyúdená slanina vydrží zavesená na povale od Vianoc aj do jesene a nič jej nebude. Iba v lete bude z nej kvapkať masť.

[MissBetsy]

I am afraid my Czech is a bit rusted and it would help if you try in English even if it is not the best. Thank you.

[desmondtheredx]

love that first photo

[emptymag]

Can you provide a link to your "smoke generator"?

[onrust]

That is some bacon collecting views. Clever and delicious any way you slice it

[kmac1]

This is awesome! The magic of Bacon revealed! I'm really curious about the Austrian Speck and how the notes of juniper flavor the meat. Or is it more aromatic?

[MissBetsy]

Juniper berries are very aromatic and you want to be careful when you add them. Better to start with small amounts. And to be honest real Austrian Speck is rather made from the pork shoulder than the belly but that doesn't change the fantastic taste!

[GorillazMiko]

:O !

I am not worthy.