I failed at taking pictures of the process, but there is (supposedly) actual bacon in my fridge now.
I didn't get the smoker going, but one source I had said that I should put them in the oven at 200* for 20 minutes. I did, and I don't think that was enough overall. Next time, I think the meat thermometer will come out and I'll go with that method. Also, I should sharpen the knives, because removing the skin was a massive pain.
I did cut off a slice, and it seemed to taste okay, so there's that. I'll try this again, change things up a bit, and fix the process.
We now return you to Fabris, already in progress. Yay!
Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
Bacon!
Let's take a quick break from rapier A&S and go to tasty tasty A&S. Yay bacon!
So I was reading about curing meats online (hooray Goons With Spoons) and the description of how to make bacon seemed pretty easy. Specifically, the nice person who posted it took this recipe from Ruhlman:
So I was reading about curing meats online (hooray Goons With Spoons) and the description of how to make bacon seemed pretty easy. Specifically, the nice person who posted it took this recipe from Ruhlman:
5 lbs fresh pork belly!
I've never seen pork belly in the flesh (ha, ha) before. It's pretty neat.
2 ounces (1/4 cup Morton or Diamond Crystal coarse kosher) salt
2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1
4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 bay leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup
5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef's knife
2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)
5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
2 teaspoons pink curing salt #1
4 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 bay leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey or maple syrup
5 cloves of garlic, smashed with the flat side of a chef's knife
2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)
5 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
This smelled pretty great.
Then, the recipe says:
"Put your belly in the zip-top bag or on a sheet tray or in a plastic container. Rub the salt and spice mixture all over the belly. Close the bag or cover it with plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator for seven days (get your hands in there and give the spices another good rubbing around midway through).
After seven days, take it out of the fridge, rinse off all the seasonings under cold water and pat it dry.
Put it on a sheet tray and put it in the oven (put it on a rack on a sheet tray if you have one) and turn the oven on to 200 degrees F. (if you want to preheat the oven, that's fine, too). Leave it in the oven for 90 minutes (or, if you want to measure the internal temperature, until it reaches 150 degrees F.).
Let it cool and refrigerate it until you're ready to cook it. But I know. You won't be able to wait. So cut off a piece and cook it. Taste it, savor it. Congratulations! It's bacon!"
So I did that! I have no idea if I used too much or not enough cure on the proto-bacon, but I covered it in the mix and put it in the bags. Maybe I needed to really pour like half of it in there? I'll try that next time, but I used most of it on the two bags, so I don't feel like it'll be too bad. Anyone know if I should do that, next time around, though?
"Put your belly in the zip-top bag or on a sheet tray or in a plastic container. Rub the salt and spice mixture all over the belly. Close the bag or cover it with plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator for seven days (get your hands in there and give the spices another good rubbing around midway through).
After seven days, take it out of the fridge, rinse off all the seasonings under cold water and pat it dry.
Put it on a sheet tray and put it in the oven (put it on a rack on a sheet tray if you have one) and turn the oven on to 200 degrees F. (if you want to preheat the oven, that's fine, too). Leave it in the oven for 90 minutes (or, if you want to measure the internal temperature, until it reaches 150 degrees F.).
Let it cool and refrigerate it until you're ready to cook it. But I know. You won't be able to wait. So cut off a piece and cook it. Taste it, savor it. Congratulations! It's bacon!"
So I did that! I have no idea if I used too much or not enough cure on the proto-bacon, but I covered it in the mix and put it in the bags. Maybe I needed to really pour like half of it in there? I'll try that next time, but I used most of it on the two bags, so I don't feel like it'll be too bad. Anyone know if I should do that, next time around, though?
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