Tuesday, May 31, 2011

PORK BELLY SOAKING


An eleven pound pork belly is soaking in a marinade of 'Love.' This a nitrate free bath of salt, apple juice, sugar and molasses. That is all she wrote. "The Great White Hunter" has commissioned me to make a nitrate free slab of bacon. This brine will work its magic for three days and a hot smoke stoked with Hickory wood will transform this piece of swine to a magical treat. Stay tuned!
  • 10 pounds of pork belly
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 cups kosher salt.
  • 16 ounces molasses
  • 1 gallon of water
  • 2 quarts of apple juice or cider
  • 4 tablespoons of black pepper
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16 comments:

  1. Chuck M.May 31, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    CB,

    Pork belly is definitely one of the items on my "short list" to make. Did you have to trim that up at all, or did the butcher take care of it for you?

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  2. cookiecrumbMay 31, 2011 at 5:11 PM

    I'm just negotiating here. Do you need all that sugar?

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  3. ChilebrownMay 31, 2011 at 5:40 PM

    Chuck M, I just quarterd this belly.

    cookiecrumbs, It is the marinade of salt snd sugar is necesarry. The combination of sugar and salt is the question? Can you combine sugar salt and smoke and make the killer bacon. I can!!!

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  4. ChilebrownMay 31, 2011 at 5:50 PM

    Chuck M, I bought a whole pork belly from Prime Smoked Meats.


    The price was 2.19 a pound for a 11 pound beauty. No trimming necesary

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  5. ZoomieMay 31, 2011 at 6:37 PM

    Won't hot smoking cook the bacon?

    @cookiecrumb, the sugar and salt are both preservatives as well as flavor-enhancers.

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  6. ChilebrownMay 31, 2011 at 6:47 PM

    Zoomie, Yes, I will bring the bacon to 150 degress. This will cook it and make is safe to eat. Of course it it will taste a little better if you fry a rasher or two.

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  7. cookiecrumbJune 1, 2011 at 2:07 PM

    I cure mine with sugar too, but not in that proportion. I gots no objections, chief!

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  8. AnonymousJune 1, 2011 at 4:05 PM

    I can't wait to hear how it turns out!

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  9. liteluvrJune 1, 2011 at 8:02 PM

    Outta curiosity... what's the reason for omitting the nitrate?

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  10. ChilebrownJune 1, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    cookiecrumb, I am following a recipe and it has worked for me. The right balance of sugar, salt, and smoke can be a balancing act.

    Zia, Me too.

    liteluvr, This bacon is for the Great White Hunter and he needs to not ingest nitrates for health reasons.

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  11. cookiecrumbJune 1, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    Have you heard you can get some nitrate-y effect from celery juice? And I say, why?

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  12. ChilebrownJune 1, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    cookiecrumb, Yes, I have heard of celery juice concentrate. It contains naturally occuriring nitrates. Some companies use celery juice concentrate and advertise that their product is nitrate free which is untrue.
    You ask why? because if you cold smoke bacon with out nitrates as a preservative you risk creating botulism, I will be using a hot smoke so that will not be a problem

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  13. cookiecrumbJune 2, 2011 at 6:00 AM

    I also hot smoke, to 150 degrees. It amazed the socks off me the first time, to realize the bacon is cooked before you fry it. And ho yeah, I use the pink salt. (I've grown celery. It can taste really nasty. Wonder if that's the nitrate action.)

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  14. GregJune 2, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    All you had to say was bacon and you have my attention.

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  15. SandyJune 3, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    Hey Chile next time try the same recipe and throw in some Uncle Joe's blend. Yum!
    Sandy

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  16. ChilebrownJune 3, 2011 at 7:35 PM

    Greg, Could you smell the bacon this morning while it was smokin?

    Sandy, That sounds like a great idea.

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