[fish]

well its preserving and the pigs did eat some of my allotmnt veg!

if you go to sainsburys in the week take a look at the bacon isle,everything from basics at 99p a pound to dutchy originals dry cure bacon at over £28.00 per Lb!!!!!!!!!!! most bacon these days isnt realy bacon as we think of it,pork is injected with brine and left for 24 hours then sliced and packed,thats what the white scum is when you cook it! also the brine adds weight!so you are paying for water!!!!  also mixed into the brine are artificial preservatives,the product needs this as isnt realy cured and there fore will go off when not in a vac pack! even dry cures contain preservatives in the salt rub.I for one am allergic to the preservatives and cant eat bacon baught from the shop!!!
  last year i worked at a farm shop cutting plant and there i  was given the job of bacon curer,and it is realy easy! i cant see how the shops can get away with the price! i started to make my own bacon at home,minus the preservatives in the rub as i now make my own rub(see lets make bacon baby in this forum for the recipe).
 i often make  20lb of dry cured streaky bacon and it takes only 30 minutes! it will take 4 days to cure then i shall smoke it.
below is the basics of bacon making.pork,rubs and knife


firstly the ribs need cutting off and put aside for the BBQ,your butcher will gladly do this for you.also trim the flare fat and trim any mis-shaped edges off the piece.

next turn the meat skin side up,and stab/ pierce the skin all over with a knife point,dont go too deep 1cm should do!(It helps to think of 'psyco'shower scene!)


next sprinkle the rub mix liberally onto the skin side and rub in hard ,pushing the rub in with the heel of yer hand:

next turn the meat over and repeat the process,ensuring that you rub the mix into all the seams and folds.


not forgetting the sides of the meat,use plenty of rub,dont be shy!!!

and here you have the final product ! best hung in a fridge or outside in the winter,when hanging outside i put it in a pillow case to keep the bugs off! this time of year i just pop mine in a bag and place in the bottom of the fridge for 4 days,at which time i pat it dry with a cloth and smoke it,its ready to try now and is fine if you like 'green' bacon.

[Manlea1]

I love bacon in a big way so im defo going to have to try this  how much would a piece of pork like that cost to buy by the way? 

Lee

[fish]

a whole belly costs around £14.00 but a trimmed one from the butchers would be about £8.00.

heres my recipe for the rub:

dry cure rub for bacon and gammons:

2lb salt,
6 cloves,*
12 bay leaves,*
8 table spoons juniper berries,*
8 table spoons thyme,*
1 table spoon black pepper corns,*
2 table spoons dark brown sugar,
* grind to a course look.
then mix all together,this cure can benifit from leaving for a couple of days for the salt to drawout the juniper ,but i have used it streight away.this amount of rub should do up to 6 loins,or more!

[rock_chick]

This looks amazing! What method of smoking do you use? Have you tried doing your own air-dry ham?

[titch]

i think i will give this a go at some point...........who knew making bacon was so easy 

[fish]

This looks amazing! What method of smoking do you use? Have you tried doing your own air-dry ham?

i have a 50 gallon drum,i lay a stick over the top and suspend the bacon on it,in the bottom is 2 inches of oak shavings,the barell is on 2 breeze blocks and i light a small fire underneath,place a bit of board on the top and leavit for 4 hours,job done!

not done the air dried ham thing as i dont actually like the stuff!

[8doubles]

Do you hand slice the bacon ? I do love real bacon but i like it thin and though handy with a knife i know i will end up paying £100+ for a bacon slicing machine. I will also need another shed for it and the smoker, biltong drier and other stuff.

[fish]

Do you hand slice the bacon ? I do love real bacon but i like it thin and though handy with a knife i know i will end up paying £100+ for a bacon slicing machine. I will also need another shed for it and the smoker, biltong drier and other stuff.

yes i hand slice it,the best method is to part freeze it then with a very sharp knife slice as thin as you wish.

[agingchick]

Hi just finish making my own bacon using this rub smoked it in my barbecue it is delicious no more buying bacon for me just can't beat making your own, especially when it is this easy.
Diane