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200C is way too high. 200-225F is the right temp. You want it to slowly come up to temp like it would be if it were being smoked. Oven bacon will NEVER have that smoked flavor and will always kind of be more like ham or English rashers than American bacon. But you can really play with the flavors and get something fun going. IF you want to get a little smoke you can get an oven smoke box and tea smoke the bacon, I have done that and it gives it an interesting flavor. When doing it in the oven you need to make sure your oven is actually 200-225 degrees. Chuck a probe thermometer or an oven one in there to make sure, your oven might be off a bit. When you take it out it isnt going to look or feel liek store bought stuff. The fat wont be stringy and loose, it will still have a firm texture and look kind of glossy. You arent rendering anything during this process you are bringing it up to temp to be safe to store. After it hits the right internal temp you cool it, slice and fry low and slow, dont toss it over high heat and try to burn it like store stuff, put the heat on medium low and let the bacon slowly render its fat out and become crispy. It takes 30 minutes at least to cook home made thick cut bacon.
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Jan 24, 2013 23:25
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Armed Neutrality posted:For those of you who've made Duck Proscuitto, how long did you hang it? Ruhlman says 7 days, as do quite a few blogs, but mine have been hanging in 50-55 degrees/65-75% humidity for almost twice that and have lost just under 15% of weight in that time. They still feel slightly squishy, one more so than the other, but they've definitely firmed up and everything smells good. Any advice? We had to hang ours for about two weeks, more for the breasts that were a little larger. Someone earlier in the thread told us to pinch the thickest part of the breast and push your fingers in different directions. If the meat "pivots" under your fingers then it's not done yet. Following that test of done-ness got us really good stuff!
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Jan 25, 2013 03:04
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thunderdome winner
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The Midniter posted:That looks incredible. It was amazing in the one true carbonara.
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Jan 25, 2013 03:52
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Generalissimo
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Errant Gin Monks posted:200C is way too high. 200-225F is the right temp. You want it to slowly come up to temp like it would be if it were being smoked. Oven bacon will NEVER have that smoked flavor and will always kind of be more like ham or English rashers than American bacon. But you can really play with the flavors and get something fun going. IF you want to get a little smoke you can get an oven smoke box and tea smoke the bacon, I have done that and it gives it an interesting flavor. This is all super helpful and explains a lot of what I did wrong. Thank you!
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Jan 25, 2013 05:39
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I took down and tried the firmer of my two duck breasts after 16 days and 15% weight loss. It was pretty delicious, slightly moist in the middle but no more so than most prosciutto I've had. I'll give the other breast another week or so.
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Jan 25, 2013 23:37
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It has been 1 week so far for my pancetta. I am going to probably going to give it 10 total days in there before I weigh it and see where it is at.
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Jan 26, 2013 21:58
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From a 12lb pork belly to a cold smoke at <100* for 6 hours with hickory and apple wood,  to the fridge for 2 days for the smoke to mellow out and to firm up for the slicer,  then finally a giant pile of bacon.  I love the woman in the newspaper ad just staring at the bacon. Full blog post for instructions, basic Rulman savory recipe. http://buckmeat.blogspot.com/2013/01/savory-bacon.html
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Jan 28, 2013 23:37
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dms666 posted:From a 12lb pork belly I gotta ask, where did you find such good looking pork belly? I live in a decent sized town in south Texas and after going to over six meat markets and butcher shops, I had to settle for really fatty pork belly at a Mexican grocery store.
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Jan 30, 2013 18:31
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Frog Lip posted:I gotta ask, where did you find such good looking pork belly? I live in a decent sized town in south Texas and after going to over six meat markets and butcher shops, I had to settle for really fatty pork belly at a Mexican grocery store. It didnt all look as good as the pile of bacon in the last picture, parts of it were almost 75% fat. Someone I was talking to recommended a butcher shop about 40 minutes away from me in the middle of nowhere. It still was a lot better than the belly I got from a store in Pittsburgh.
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Jan 30, 2013 19:01
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You should all just start using pork loin for bacon instead of getting mostly fat in your bacon
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Jan 30, 2013 22:54
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I have no options for doing a proper smoke (apartment), but I have the Smoking Gun. Any suggestions on how to combine the oven and the smokegun for the best effect?
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Jan 30, 2013 23:40
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Scott Bakula posted:You should all just start using pork loin for bacon instead of getting mostly fat in your bacon Wait, what is this? Because its been hard for me to find good pork belly too, even at the local whole foods or whatever. What do I ask for and how does it work?
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Jan 31, 2013 15:11
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Petey posted:Wait, what is this? Because its been hard for me to find good pork belly too, even at the local whole foods or whatever. What do I ask for and how does it work? Pork loin can bought anywhere, just ask your grocer for a big rear end piece of it. It's used in Canadian Bacon. You can leave the cap of fat on it (I do) or take it off. It won't give you American bacon, but it will make some really tasty Canadian stuff. Also fat is the best part of bacon 
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Jan 31, 2013 15:17
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Scott Bakula posted:You should all just start using pork loin for bacon instead of getting mostly fat in your bacon Isn't that british-style bacon? I find traditional american/streaky bacon to be so much more flavorful. The fat is what makes it so good, and the lack of which makes canadian and british bacon pretty underwhelming in comparison.
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Jan 31, 2013 15:17
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Pork loin will make back bacon. Should just need to ask for that or find it pre-butchered at a supermarket or whatever. When I buy it at least it I can just get it off a shelf and it also comes without skin I generally can't taste much difference between streaky or back bacon I've made so I go with the back bacon. I find the cure is far more important. Jose fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Jan 31, 2013 |
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Jan 31, 2013 15:18
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Armed Neutrality posted:Isn't that british-style bacon? I find traditional american/streaky bacon to be so much more flavorful. The fat is what makes it so good, and the lack of which makes canadian and british bacon pretty underwhelming in comparison. If I recall correctly, British bacon is the loin with a section of fatty belly attached. American bacon is just the belly, while Canadian bacon is just the loin. They're all called bacon, but really, they're not interchangeable. I love Canadian bacon, but it's definitely not something you can use in place of American bacon is most recipes. It's just a different cured meat product that happens to have the same name.
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Jan 31, 2013 15:41
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You can use pork shoulder for "buckboard bacon", which will be fattier than its loin counterpart. Pretty popular on smokingmeatforums.com
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Jan 31, 2013 15:57
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I made my first ever batch of bacon, done in the oven as I don't have a smoker. Gotta say, kicked a gigantic amount butt, way better than anything I've bought in the shop. Much easier than I would have believed, so I'll be making a habit of it rather than buying the store bought stuff. Pork here (Japan) is generally the cheapest meat available, and pork belly is plentiful, but what they call bacon makes me want to cry. Thanks to everyone for the tips on delicious low fuss bacon. BACON
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Feb 1, 2013 01:59
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Happy Abobo posted:If I recall correctly, British bacon is the loin with a section of fatty belly attached. American bacon is just the belly, while Canadian bacon is just the loin. British bacon is also less commonly smoked, even 'smokey' bacon isn't that smoked in the UK (at least compared to smoked bacon I had in the US). 
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Feb 1, 2013 02:29
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So I do plan to give pork belly bacon another shot, but something I'm unclear on: is it still going to be good if I don't have a smoker / just an oven? Everyone here seems to smoke stuff so I'm just wondering whether I'll be able to notice the WORLDCHANGING DIFFERENCE that other people seem to.
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Feb 1, 2013 06:09
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Its not necessary to use the oven if you can't smoke it. It'll stay in the fridge for a while regardless because of the curing so once its out of the cure you can slice and fry as needed. Smoking it makes a massive difference to the flavour though
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Feb 1, 2013 10:03
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The difference from ordinary store-bought stuff will still be night and day even unsmoked.
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Feb 1, 2013 10:08
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Don't discount the effect that making something yourself will have on your enjoyment either. I have no idea how my corned beef would stack up against commercial varieties in a blind taste test but goddammit it's the greatest corned beef I've ever had because I made it, it isn't available here, and I haven't had any in close to a decade.
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Feb 1, 2013 10:22
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Scott Bakula posted:Its not necessary to use the oven if you can't smoke it. It'll stay in the fridge for a while regardless because of the curing so once its out of the cure you can slice and fry as needed. Smoking it makes a massive difference to the flavour though Wait, really? So as long as I'm going to fry it properly, I can just slice and fridge/freeze -> fry after the cure is done? Does it change anything? What's the point of Ruhlmann saying to cook in the oven in his recipe, then? Does it do anything for the bacteria?
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Feb 1, 2013 21:46
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Cooking it will almost certainly make it last longer. Other than that I can't help you. Its perfectly ready to fry/freeze after curing. I'd recommend it personally if its not being smoked since you're not gaining anything otherwise. You can just fry it to however well you like bacon done. You'll also gain more out of aromatics in the cure since they won't be quite so overpowered by the smoke
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Feb 1, 2013 22:37
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dms666 posted:It has been 1 week so far for my pancetta. I am going to probably going to give it 10 total days in there before I weigh it and see where it is at. What's your curing chamber there? Did you find the wine fridge you'd mentioned looking for earlier in the thread? How's that working out for you? I'm currently weighing my curing options. I'd really like to do some dry-cured stuff by the end of the year.
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Feb 1, 2013 22:44
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Petey posted:Wait, really? So as long as I'm going to fry it properly, I can just slice and fridge/freeze -> fry after the cure is done? Does it change anything? What's the point of Ruhlmann saying to cook in the oven in his recipe, then? Does it do anything for the bacteria? Cook it in the oven. There is no reason not too. Just follow the instructions for time and temp and make sure your oven is reaching the right temp. http://www.chow.com/recipes/30156-oven-smoked-bacon You can try this method to smoke indoors, just follow it well. Also dont throw away the skin, that person is a dumb.
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Feb 2, 2013 18:51
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Errant Gin Monks posted:Cook it in the oven. There is no reason not too. Just follow the instructions for time and temp and make sure your oven is reaching the right temp. Well, my oven is broken, so I'll have to find someone's house to schlep it to; that's a reason. But probably not a good enough reason to avoid the marginal increases in longevity.
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Feb 3, 2013 04:15
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Happy Abobo posted:If I recall correctly, British bacon is the loin with a section of fatty belly attached. American bacon is just the belly, while Canadian bacon is just the loin. "canadian" bacon is american bacon too. Seriously, why do you guys have to call it Canadian bacon.  Sadly I too am trying to find a really great looking belly provider. First couple country places either had small chunks or nothing. Toast fucked around with this message at 08:39 on Feb 3, 2013 |
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Feb 3, 2013 08:34
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Toast posted:"canadian" bacon is american bacon too. Seriously, why do you guys have to call it Canadian bacon. Woops, I think I was talking about peameal bacon: isn't there actually a separate pork product in the US called "Canadian bacon" that's more like a ham deli meat or something?
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Feb 4, 2013 01:36
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Happy Abobo posted:Woops, I think I was talking about peameal bacon: isn't there actually a separate pork product in the US called "Canadian bacon" that's more like a ham deli meat or something? Yes. quote:Called back bacon in Canada, this lean smoked meat is a closer kin to ham than regular bacon. From the lean, tender eye of the loin, Canadian bacon is sold in cylindrical chunks.
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Feb 4, 2013 01:53
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nominal posted:What's your curing chamber there? Did you find the wine fridge you'd mentioned looking for earlier in the thread? How's that working out for you? I'm currently weighing my curing options. I'd really like to do some dry-cured stuff by the end of the year. Yeah I found a wine fridge on Craiglist for $50. I think it is around 36"h x 24"d x 12"w. The one nice thing is it is made to run in the correct temperature range. I set mine at 60* and my thermometer says it is at a constant 57*. Humidity is the only thing you have to worry about. The tray of wet salt in mine usually keeps it in the 70-75% range, but I still check it daily to make sure it isnt too high or low. The only thing I am worried about is when it gets really hot and humid here in the summer and keeping the humidity stable.
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Feb 4, 2013 16:28
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I took down my pancetta tesa (dry-cured pork belly) and coppa at the beginning of January, but didn't get the chance to enjoy them until this past weekend. (Army training) The coppa was way too loving salty. Not sure how it got like that, but it was bad. I'm keeping it, thinking I'll cut it into chunks and use it in a sauce. Hopefully the salt will leach out into the sauce and the chunks won't be little salt-explosions. The pancetta tesa came out beautifully. I've served it on an appetizer plate a couple times and everyone has loved it.   edit: I'm starting the cure for a lonza tomorrow. I'm thinking of doing the black-pepper cure in Ruhlman and Polcyn's Salumi. The only thing I'm not sure about with the recipe is that it doesn't have pink salt in it. I think I'm gonna mix some into the kosher salt for the cure, just to be on the safe side. Martello fucked around with this message at 06:29 on Feb 5, 2013 |
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Feb 5, 2013 06:07
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Martello posted:edit: I'm starting the cure for a lonza tomorrow. I'm thinking of doing the black-pepper cure in Ruhlman and Polcyn's Salumi. The only thing I'm not sure about with the recipe is that it doesn't have pink salt in it. I think I'm gonna mix some into the kosher salt for the cure, just to be on the safe side. Looks good. I am not 100% sure on this, but from reading I want to say that since it is a whole muscle cut that is not being rolled, just liked the Tesa, that you should be fine without pink salt. I think it is only used in rolled pancetta since there is a chance of there being a dead air space in the middle, which botulism needs to grow.
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Feb 5, 2013 16:36
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dms666 posted:Looks good. I am not 100% sure on this, but from reading I want to say that since it is a whole muscle cut that is not being rolled, just liked the Tesa, that you should be fine without pink salt. I think it is only used in rolled pancetta since there is a chance of there being a dead air space in the middle, which botulism needs to grow. Ah, okay, that makes perfect sense. Thanks!
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Feb 5, 2013 17:28
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I searched the first two and last two pages to see if anyone had posted this website: http://lpoli.50webs.com/ It is a fantastic resource from someone who makes really fantastic charcuterie.
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Feb 6, 2013 18:18
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The lonza is in the fridge, curing with Kosher salt, pepper, cardamom, and a little bit of pink salt just to be on the safe side. I'm using Ruhlman's recipe from Salumi, and contrasting the long fridge-curing times in Charcuterie, he instructs to only cure for 1 day per 2 pounds of meat. The lonza I'm using is 3.5 pounds and still has the bone. Does 2 days still sound right for the cure? Has anyone ordered Mangalista meat from Mosefund or anywhere else? I'm wondering if the 12+ dollars per pound cost is worth it. I'm looking into local sources of hand-raised pork since I just ran out of the family grower pigs, but there's nothing very close or convenient that I've found yet.
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Feb 7, 2013 12:53
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I made a brine for corned beef today (corning counts as charcuterie, right?) and realized that I absolutely NEEDED pink salt for my endeavor. However, by the time I realized this I had already made my brine, sans-pink salt. My question to the thread is how long is my (unused) brine good for? Long enough for an amazon shipment (Monday) of pink salt to get to me?
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Feb 8, 2013 02:26
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The lonza is up and hanging. This will hang for 3 more weeks.
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Feb 8, 2013 03:05
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I read this thread a couple of weeks ago and got inspired to order some pink salt and take a crack at making bacon. I threw a medium sized pork belly, a bunch of different fresh herbs and some pink salt into a bag, figuring that after a week I'd either end up with a bag of bacon or botulism. It came out perfect despite me not being quite as meticulous about washing the salt off before finishing it in the oven. Next time I'm thinking about tossing in tamarind paste, cinnamon bark and star anise in with the cure. I know it's not really going to make a massive difference to the meat but maybe it'll add a touch of aromatics when being cooked. I'm normally not a bacon fan but I think the combo of DIY curing and being able to control how intense the meat tastes has got me hooked. Thanks GWS!
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Feb 9, 2013 10:23
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