I went to Costco yesterday and picked up a 9.5 lb. skinless pork belly. I cut it in 2 and now have a 5 lb. piece in the brine/cure for bacon (only my 2nd attempt) and I have a 4.5 lb. chunk that I plan to cube up and make some burnt ends tomorrow. I was going to do the burnt ends today but Barbara wants to go out for sushi, so . . .
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I love PB and that looks like a beauty. -
Looking good! Make sure to fill us in on the details!Comment
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That is mighty lean pork belly for bacon. The best is 50/50 lean to fat or 60/40 lean to fat. The fat is also running the wrong way for bacon. It should run with the muscle not across the muscle. I suggest you buy your pork belly from a butcher around Stoudsburg than from Costco. I also see no fat cap that would normally be under the skin.
Having buchered a few of these I think I know of what I say.Comment
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Almost every single time I have made bacon I use slabs from Costco. They always work great. Worry not, my friend. Dewesq55
Have you ever bought any pork bellies from Costco? I have bought many bellies from Costco over the years. I have never had any issues. I find them to be just as good, if not better, than anything I get from a "local butcher." And they are always consistent. mountainsmoker -
Well Spinaker I wish I could but the nearest Costco is 3 hrs away. LOL. Instead I will do with my butcher that can get heritage hogs.Last edited by mountainsmoker; October 4, 2019, 04:27 PM.
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Gorgeous!
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Spinaker I don't have the fortune of having e Costco within 3 hrs of me. I do have a butcher that can get me any type of belly I want including heritage. If you read Meathead discussion on bacon he also suggests a 50/50 blend or no more than a 60/40. The Costco pork belly is no where close to that. It is sold for restaurants to be served to clients not for making bacon. There appears to be very little fat fine for restaurants not for bacon.
I have been making bacon for 25+years and here Costco comes along and sells pork belly and you think you can make bacon from it. I just checked Costco and there average pork belly weighs 11lbs.
I use a pork belly as suggested by all recipes of about 6llbs. This takes about 6 days to cure with nitrite and your salt and other seasonings and flavors. For an 11lb you need to go to Dr. Blochers calculator to make sure you do not under brine your belly. I would estimate 15 days but don't take that as firm.
A good pork belly for bacon is 1 75-2 inches thick. Can't tell what the Costco ones are, but sure look thicker.
Any way get your self some good belly not the stuff Costco sells for restaurants.
Well ya all have a good week end and maybe learn how to really make some good bacon.LOL.
Last edited by mountainsmoker; October 4, 2019, 07:04 PM.Comment
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And here we go again. Although you've been told that others have had great success using pork belly from Costco to make bacon, you denigrate their efforts and insist that it be your way or the highway. You repeatedly prove the old saw that a leopard can't change his spots. Incredible. Read your post again and try to realize how arrogant and condescending you come across.
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An average pork belly off a 250 lb hog weighs 12 lbs.. I can cure a pork belly over night with a my vacuum tumbler and phosphates. Now mountainsmoker I know you know your stuff.. but your way isn't the only way.. you may have access to stuff lots of other people don't but that doesn't mean what they are doing is wrong.. some people don't "know a guy" that can get them a pork belly.. they have to buy one at Costco.. so quit putting them down. Damn man this is supposed to be a fun website to share and learn..Comment
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THIS POST is in the spirit that keeps me coming back to this site.
Is there a reason to answer the post above in an aggressive back at you manner? I would say yes.
do we see that happen often on this site? Unless I am missing something I would say very rarely.
There is a lot of experience shared on the site, and I'm going to venture 99.55% is shared and accepted and discussed discussed with civility.
nice response Mr. Backroadmeats.Last edited by Cheef; October 4, 2019, 08:52 PM.
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I cooked my first pork belly Monday, it was 9.5lbs. I did half as sliced pork belly and half as burnt ends and have been enjoying it all week!
FWIW, mine came from Costco and I loved it...although I've only ever had pork belly one time before and that was in burnt end form from a restaurant.Comment
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Dewesq55 I used Malcom Reed‘s PBBE recipe. Only things I did differently, I used the Jerod Broussard variation to Meathead's Memphis Dust for the rub and a store bought sauce.
Henrik also has a good video I found helpful.
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Again, mountainsmoker you have not even seen the bellies in person. How do you know? Make the trip, buy some and make it. You might be surprised. (Use our calculator and not All Recipes.)
The fact that you have been making bacon for 25+ years and you can't get them locally, doesn't mean that one can't make bacon out of bellies from Costco. (not sure where that logic is coming from)
Additionally, we don't comment on recipes from other cookbooks and sites because most of them are flat out wrong and they are not telling how to do it correctly and/or safely. (Again, that is why we have the calculator)
I am glad you mentioned Dr. Blonder's calculator..... have you used it? The numbers suggested above show that you have not or you have calculated incorrectly. Curing time is about thickness, NOT weight. I would, and do, advise anyone to use Dr. Blonder's calculator when curing, that is why we have it. An 11-lb belly that is an inch thick will take just as long to cure as a 6-lb belly that is an inch thick. Use Dr. Blonder's calculator and check for yourself. Respectfully, your assumptions are incorrect. Meathead also mentions the importance of determining the thickness in The Science of Curing Meats Safely, "As the thickness of the meat increases you need both more time and more cure. A rule of thumb is that the salt will move at about 1/4" per day, but that can vary depending on temp, fat content, and total thickness (it moves slower the deeper it gets)."
You will notice if you read his article that no where does he mention weight as a factor when concerning nitrites traveling to the center of the meat. This is also why he mentions, "If the recipe is for 3 pounds and you are making 6 pounds, multiply all ingredients except Prague Powder #1 by 2" The other ingredients in the recipe are merely surface treatments. The regular salt will penetrate and the sugar a little, yes, but those are not the active ingredients needed for curing. So their values can be played with, but not PP#1. What is important is that you do not add too much nitrite or allow too little or too much time to cure. An 11-lb belly that is an inch thick will cure in the same amount of time as a 6 lb belly that is 1-inch thick. (Also, please read Dr. Blonder's article from his own website on the science as well. He goes even further in depth.)
My uncle has been raising hogs in Iowa for 35+ years and I assure you he knows a thing or two about raising quality hogs. I have gotten many farm fresh bellies from him over the years. So you are certainly not the only one around that knows quality.
I hope that you will learn to use Dr. Blonder's calculator, correctly, and cure your meats safely in the future.Comment
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Backroadmeats a 250 hog provides a 12lb pork belly. I don't believe you or we are not talking the same cut. Is that 2 6lb pieces or 2 12lb ones. A 250 lb hog dressed has only about 140lbs after final cutting. I have raised hogs off and on from Ohio to NC and the size of the pork belly has always been in the 6-8lb range. If larger I have never seen them. The latest Berkshire-Duroc had 6..5 bellies and weighed 325 when we took them in. I think I just figured it out, the belly here is only htaken from under the ribs which is a smaller area than the whole belly area.
I apologize to those that can only get there belly's from Costco. Some of which my brother tells me is now blade tenderized. So be careful what you buy at Costco.
Look I feel very strongly about making the best bacon you can and if you can't don't do it and buy it from Nuesskes. You will save money in the long run.
Here is my last batch of maple flavored bacon.
It is at least 60/40 and we had to be careful how we cooked it.
Well you have a success up there on your project.
Let's learn to live together.Comment
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Backroadmeats just sent it. Couple of notes. I use maple wood, I take the temp up to 150-155 before I pull it. I stick my probe in a meat layer in the middle of the belly. You can reference the picture of mine.Last edited by mountainsmoker; October 8, 2019, 11:07 AM.
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Ok to clarify.. a 250 pound hog will produce two 12 pound pork bellies.. one from each half.. the cut I call the belly is all made into bacon.. people want the most bacon they can get when buying a hog. So I trim the fattier stuff off the back end and square up the belly to make it easier to slice after smoking and the average size is about 12 lbs. I would also bet that the homemade bacon made from a Costco belly is 10 times better than the bacon you can buy at Costco..Not only that you learn to cure and smoke it!! mountainsmoker how many people know how to cure meat anymore?? I know your generation had to know this stuff and when your generation is gone we are going to lose a ton of knowledge. But I am 40 years old and I don't think I know more than 1 of my friends that would even know how to cure bacon. So to anyone that want to try I would applaud and help them just for trying. Heck I have spent many weekends making a and smoking sausage just to throw it away because it was terrible.. I did not know what I was doing and had very little help. Well on AR you have all the guidance and help you need..Comment
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Okay understood how your getting that size belly. I am just taking the premium meat section because I can and do not care about yield. Two of my bellies last the wife and I a year.Last edited by mountainsmoker; October 5, 2019, 09:54 AM.
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First off... to the OP: I apologize for having to go on a rant on your thread...
That looks awesome and I can't wait to one day try this myself.... alas I don't have the real estate that I need right now to try this yet...
Now on to addressing a less pleasant issue:
mountainsmoker , The irony of this statement coming from you is on a whole new level. The pit seemingly lives together quite well or it at least used to until someone:Originally posted by mountainsmoker View Post
1. Thinks/acts like they know everything about everything and that their knowledge is superior to everyone else’s... and they insist on expressing that.
2. Has an opinion about everything and inaccurately assumes that everyone should and/or wants to hear it.
3. Doesn’t realize that they are the one causing discord.
4. Can’t differentiate between "there" and "their" or use them correctly. (Which as a side note: completely voids them and their superior, know all post of any possible credibility).
So please stop coming into the pit and p!ssing on people, their posts, experiences, etc... and then telling us "let’s learn to live together" when what you really mean is you want everyone to learn to live, act, have the same options as, and do everything like you. All the OP did was come in and try to share what he is doing and you immediately started with the negativity.
​​​​​​​Let us not forget that you were the one that after having been in the pit 5 minutes was telling people that have been here 5 years to get out of the pit and that they needed to leave because of their using Sous Vide.
Please spare us the martyrdom.Last edited by Nate; October 5, 2019, 08:14 AM.Comment
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Ah, guys I love ya. Backroadmeats and I have figured out what the difference is.
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If I've not mentioned it I love pork belly.
It can be any size shape or form as long as it's cooked right.
Looking forward to your cook results.Comment
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