'When Pigs Fly'. Where did this saying come from? There is a new mascot at Mad Meat Genius. It is the flying pig. It was picked up at the Gravestein Apple Festival. The flying pig was present during the smoking of the latest bacon. This bacon was cured with salt and maple sugar. It was then smoked with Sugar Maple Wood chunks. Boy oh Boy!, the sweet smoky smell of bacon permeates the house and patio. The results are in and we are more than pleased.
Makin Bacon III started the process last week. On Sunday the salt was rinsed off of the bellies. They were placed in a big pot of water and soaked for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. They were rinsed again and dried. I put them back in the refrigerator on a cookie rack. They were left overnight. The next day they were removed and brought to room temperature. I fired up my Weber Rocky Mountain Smoker and brought it to hot smoking temperature. (225-250 degrees). They were smoked for a couple of hours until the internal temperature reached 150 degrees. They were then cooled on cookie racks. While they were cooling you could smell them through out the house. WOW!
We of course had to try the bacon on a BLT. It passed with flying colors. The soaking really made a difference. It was not overly salty. You could definitely taste the Maple flavor. "When Pigs Fly". They sure did at our house.
Cool-I'll have to try the soaking method. My bacon turns out good, but a bit salty, which is fine if I'm using it as a base for things like soup, but not so good on its own.
ReplyDeleteThink I'll explain to the wife that BLTs might be good on Sunday as I'm smoking 10 lbs of belly on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteThis is truly drool-worthy! Man, that looks _good_!
ReplyDeleteI guess I got lucky on my first try; didn't have to soak.
ReplyDeleteBut you, sir, are the master.
We used our first batch on BLT's too. Only thing you can do, eh?