Bacon Making

Having recently attended this Kevan Palmer fermentation workshop (with my first attempt at lacto-fermentation here) I not only came away with a clear idea of how to tackle this subject with more confidence but I'd also got my eye on a Sage and Thyme salt mix for making bacon.

I have done this page which records my attempt at bacon making to a) Have a record for personal use b) Show you, the viewer, just how easy it is. You can get the mix from www.coldsmoking.co.uk's sister page www.smokedust.co.uk. I have based my attempt on their bacon making how to page (which is here)  with an instructional video here.

Strip a layer of fat off a piece of pork loin (or belly for streakier bacon). 

The trimmed bit looks nice and lean.

The salt mix is measured out at 5% of the meat's weight. This piece was a kilo so 50g.

The mix is then patted on the top, bottom and sides with 75% on the meat and 25% on the skin sides. Put any spare on the two cut ends.

It then goes into a sealed bag, placed in a tray, in the fridge and needs turning regularly. The amount of time it cures is dependant on the meat's thickness which is a day per half inch of thickness plus an extra two days over and above.

It then had the salt mix washed off...

It is then patted dry... 

It is then returned to the fridge in the sealed bag and tray to mature. again, I left this piece in for an extra day.

The slices can easily be frozen after packaging them using my vacuum sealer. 

 

The final product felt drier than standard shop bought bacon and certainly didn't have all the messy white slop oozing out once the heat was put under the slices. The herbs in the salt mix weren't overpowering and the slices almost tasted more of gammon than bacon.

To finish with here's a Youtube video I did on the subject where I also smoke the bacon too, using a mixture of Beech and Apple.