Help, British Bacon

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So I lived in the UK for about 4 years and fell in love with British Bacon (it's kinda like 2 bacons in 1, US and Canadian in texture but with a nice run of fat around the length of the thing). There is a single butcher within a 45 minute drive of me who sells pre-cured British Bacon at a very high cost, but one of the things I want to do often with my new smoker is make my own bacon. There are plenty of recipes to follow for US style bacon, but I can't find a recipe for American terminology AND smoke. There's a few great articles like the one I will link that is just a wet cure and no smoke and I would assume that after that part I just follow the smoking practices used for US style?

1. What do I need to tell a butcher in NC (assuming slang and cuts vary by even US region) I want to get the correct cut of meat? The article below has one option, but it's fairly wordy when there may be a better way to describe it to my butcher.

2. Does anyone have links to a recipe with smoke, maybe a different brine? Have you done it yourself?

3. I'll share what I make in a few weeks, and actually have some British expat friends I can get an unbiased review from

https://www.thepauperedchef.com/arti...ritish-rashers

[Ahumadora]

Use Shoulder bacon. (De boned pork shoulder) So you get the typical bacon with lots of meat then the strip of fat and skin on the outside. Use meatheads recipe here and adjust for the weight.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Yep, it's just about the cure, then the smoke. A different cut, is all. You may have to cure longer because of the thickness of the cut, of course, but it should be pretty straightforward. It is definitely a different style. I might have to try this, since I can't really find pork belly that is thick enough to be worth my while to make bacon. Little thin strips like an inch wide or less just make me sad....

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

If I get it right, actually even if I get it wrong, I'll share. I find that I like British bacon better on a BLT than US bacon. I prefer US bacon on burgers, salads, or anything that requires crisp/crunch. You only get a crunchy tail with the UK stuff unless you want a burnt tail to crisp up the meatier part.

[FireMan]

Do keep us posted as to what transpires in your quest. This is what makes this site Amazing. British bacon, never knew it existed. And of course advice would come from Argentina & Oklahoma. 👍 👍

[holehogg]

We also got South African bacon this side of the water. The cuts are back bacon and streaky bacon and shoulder bacon and bacon rounds and bacon bits.

[FireMan]

Ok, someone is going to have to catalog this & give it all a try. British bacon, Canadian bacon, US bacon, South African bacon & I wonder if there’s such a thing as Argentine bacon? Ahumadora ? Maybe even an Antarctican bacon.

[Ahumadora]

Argentine bacon is called Panceta. Too salty and dry for my taste. If i end up with some I usually just toss it in a soup instead of adding salt. New Zealand and Aussie bacon are great too.

[coupster]

I'd never heard of British bacon, but the Googleverse tells me that it is pork loin with a stub tail of belly. Unless you're real good friends with your butcher that works with local meat, I doubt if you'll find that cut in the US. But as already suggested, go with a boneless shoulder. Its my new favorite bacon. Too bad its not the family's. It half way between Canadian and American bacon. A bit more chew and much more flavor and its cheaper than belly.

[EdF]

This may help - apparently your fat is "flare fat" in the UK - from inside the belly. This guy knows his stuff - I learned a lot about meat from his River Cottage Meat Book. https://www.rivercottage.net/recipes...-streaky-bacon

[surfdog]

British bacon is the best. Sadly, I have no clue how to make it... Might be time to check out some UK cook sites.

[JimLinebarger]

If I understand you correctly, you are trying to find the right cut of meat here in the US (NC) to make British style bacon. If you have a Costco, Sams, URM, Cash & Carry (SmartFoods) you can purchase an entire pork loin which still has that dribble of meat attached similar to the British bacon in that link you provided. You would use the loin (light colored lean end) end not the rib end (dark colored meat).

The issue then is the smoking. The loin is a lean cut so typically you would not want to bring it up past 145F because it will dry out. That is for hot smoking. The British may do a cold smoke because the cut is so lean. They may also dip it in a smoky brine solution for that smoke. Cold smoking is not something that Meathead recommends because of the dangers involved. I just found some British Smoked Pork Loin bacon (rashers) on Amazon and it states that it is uncooked and lightly smoked, or has added wood smoke flavor (possibly just liquid smoke added). So maybe after you cure it, smoke it like you would a pork loin roast.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Yeah the smoke temp is the one thing that's almost as difficult as finding the right cut. Did you see those prices on Amazon?!?! Thus the quest to make my own

[Potkettleblack]

While Meathead is down on the cold smoke, You could, if you were possessed of a sous vide rig, then repasturize without applying much cook to the product. Or to apply a cook, either way. I have a post coming next week about what I consider a safe long cold smoke.

[rattle_snakey]

Hello from England! I’m not an expert and certainly don’t profess to be one. However, to hopefully help with your questions in conjunction with the above posts/replies:
1. A UK term for the piece of meat needed for back bacon is long-back pork. That said, it can be called other things. Here’s a link to a butchers I use in London for a piece of meat that they call pork sirloin and this is effectively the same thing as long-back pork and curing this would get you back bacon:

https://www.turnerandgeorge.co.uk/pork-sirloin.html

The picture in that link may help.
In US terms, I’d describe this as pork loin with fatback/back fat left on. Going back to the UK term of long-back pork I would maybe ask your butcher whether they would be able to provide you with a long pork loin with fatback left on and you could show him the picture in that link. The largest chunk of meat is the loin, it then has a bit on the end (hence the term long cut) and the fatback is left on the outside of the meat.
I haven’t cured pork to make bacon (as yet!) but would guess that you’ll need a good sized piece to start with, say anywhere between 3 and 5 pounds in weight when you buy it.

2. Recipes I’ve come across previously in the UK use a dry cure mix of sugar, salt and curing salt and some even hang the bacon to air dry/cure AFTER a period of being sat in the dry cure mix. From what I’m aware, in the UK, smoked bacon has been cold smoked (anything 90F or less), so when we buy it it’s literally been kissed by smoke and is virtually 100% raw and needs cooking (pan frying, grilling etc.).
One other tip I’ve seen is that for cold smoking (to get the temperature that low, something like a Pro Q cold smoke generator may help, although I’ve never used one.
I hope this helps along with the other replies.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing the results.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

It's funny, I've used T&G to direct people to certain cuts of meat before... I didn't even think to check them to help in my own needs though not ordering from them. By the way, if you're near Huntingdon check out the following for some interesting cuts of meat. A great family day away as well with their "zoo". http://www.johnsonsofoldhurst.co.uk/

[holehogg]

SA bacon is very similar to UK bacon and is cold smoked.

[rattle_snakey]

Thanks for the Johnsons link 👍

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

So living in not only pork country, but also within a short drive of Smithfield it has been all but impossible to find pork belly. There's one place left to check, but I found my trial cut for British bacon first! I thought it would be the other way around honestly. Went with Meatheads standard bacon recipe but lowered the pepper and put in some rosemary. Gonna let it go 4 days I think and smoke it just to see what we get.







My knife skills could use some work, but I didn't waste too much meat. A filet knife is in my future for sure, right tool for the job and all that. If it wasn't Thanksgiving I would smoke up the bone along with some jerky I think.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Sliced two pieces before smoking

Smoked to 150 then freezer for slicing and then into the pan.




Unsmoked is on the left and was the closest to the real deal. The smoked came out more Canadian style IMO, and while correct Brit Bacon is similar to Canadian for the top bit it isn't the same. Both tasted great but I'll have to find a different cut of meat, the tails weren't streaked with enough fat.

While it didn't quite work out for breakfast purposes, the slices will make perfect sandwiches later in the week.