I smoke pork belly which has great flavour but tends to be tough. I slice it a little thicker than the normal store bought bacon but other than slicing it thinner not sure what else I could try. Any thoughts?
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Is it possible that you're over cooking it? I take mine to about 165 degrees just to get the smoke flavor. Later, I'll slice it and finish in a pan -
If you sous vide bacon it works well. I've done this with success several times.
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I'm with Skip . Sous vide makes some of the tenderest bacon I've ever had, and the thicker the slice, the better it is. Sous viding it in its sealed package (whether storebought or home-smoked) for about 12-16 hours at 147° works well. That's one of the recommended Joule settings.
It's great because I can put it on just before I start to prep for dinner and forget about it until morning. Or I can sous vide it ahead and store in the fridge or freezer. Ready-to-sear bacon at my fingertips.
I don't eat breakfast myself, and husband's breakfasts are usually coffee, fruit, half a bagel and a protein of some sort, but this method is wonderful when the house is full of our visiting daughters and their families. They love the convenience. And the crispy and tender bacon.
Kathryn
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Thanks for the tips!Comment
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So this is really interesting... I never thought to sous vide bacon!
Kathryn and Skip do you find when you sous vide it, then freeze it, it cooks faster in the pan later? I would think it would, as you've spent a lot of time rendering out a lot of the fat beforehand. Does it get crispy crispy?
One reason I haven't done my own bacon in a long time is I cannot get it to get crispy. It always has a hamlike texture. You know, you can fry ham until it's dry as dust and it won't get actually crispy, it just gets more firm and chewy.
I need to know how to overcome this. I don't want breakfast ham, I want crispy bacon.
I tried some "butcher's cut shoulder bacon" the other day I had picked up at someplace... maybe Aldi.
It tasted pretty much like ham, and had a ham consistency. Very disappointing for like... I dunno, $8 a pound or something.
I am perfectly willing to do my own bacon - but my results, while TASTY, have just been hammy-textured, and I cannot get over it. Will sous vide yield me different results in this respect? Do you smoke it first, then sous vide, or not bother smoking at all?Comment
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I also have cooked bacon in a skillet with water and when the water has cooked off it is ready to be browned for preferred doneness.
YouTube has loads of videos on Water Cooked Bacon. It works for me.Comment
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Smokerguy you don't say how you cure your pork belly. This could be your problem. Take a look at your curing ingredients and the time it takes for the cure. Do not use excess cure or go past the recommended time for the cure and turn it every day to get a thorough even cure. My cure takes 6 days, I use maple sugar, and some other ingredients, including pink salt a preservative.Comment
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I'm a dry cure for bacon guy. When doing that uf you let it dry out in the curing stage or the smoking stage it gets tough. If you don't have a curing rig that you can control humidity, you can cheat with a big plastic bag in the fridge. Again. When smoking, don't let it dry out too much or you get bacon jerkey.Comment
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I use a recipe by Bearcarver which uses Mortons tender quick. I cure in freezer bags in the fridge for the recommended minimum time, usually about 9-10 days. I smoke for about 8 hrs-maybe too long? Recipe link attached: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/th...-smoky.108099/Comment
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Yeah probably too long in the smoke. What temp for 8 hours? -
I agree with texastweeter. An 8 hour smoke is probably your culprit. The couple of times I've made bacon I've smoked it at 225-250 grill temp until the internal temp was 165. It took 3 or 4 hours.
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