You had me at bacon

[maunahaole]

Roll your own. I think this needs to be done.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/di...acon.html?_r=1

[summilux]

Oh man, I am so on this. The local Chinese grocer sells lots of pork bellies. Got to find pickling salt.

[maunahaole]

Please update on your results.

[SpeedyChix]

This might convince me to eat bacon again. Love it but stay away from it.
Here's a fun look at bacon: CleverGinger : Men's Bacon! Tee

ginger_Bacon_MensTee.jpg

[Derek Raymond]

Bacon Eternity:

The bacon coffin: How bacon-lovers want to spend eternity - baltimoresun.com

[rphetteplace]

The receptionist where I work husband is the head of quality for Jones Dairy Farms (fine pork products). When I found this out my response was "Your husband's job is to taste bacon? How awesome is that!"

[summilux]

Please update on your results.

I'm literally salivating just thinking about this, but it has to cure like a week in the fridge.

[maunahaole]

Did you start your cure already? How are you curing? Any flavor aside from the salt?

[Too Tall]

Most awesome thread ever. Pics?

[robin3mj]

I'm a big fan of bacon but damned if it isn't turning into the food equivalent of a fixed gear bike.
There's no denying there's some good applications beyond breakfast or the track, but some of it is a little forced.

"let's find a magic gear for this carbon $5k cervelo tt frame!"
"we should grind bacon with the coffee beans!"
"special track-inspired geometry created just for Urban Outfitters!"
"this is our interpretation of Mexican street food- bacon ancho mole, wrapped in bacon instead of a tortilla, topped with Bacos"

[summilux]

I'm on a low carb thing, so bacon is my friend. Check out the carnitas thread for more fun pork fat things.

I struck out trying to find pink salt for curing last night, so I believe I will try a recipe (see below) that is nitrate-free and uses my green egg for smoking. Tonight, I buy the pork bellies. I'll try to post some pictures, BUT the snow is finally clear of the Champlain lookout ride here in Ottawa/Gatineau so I believe I will be riding the shit out of myself this weekend.

Let's Make Something Awesome › Home Cured Bacon Without Nitrates

[maunahaole]

Time to go back to Camden Yards.

Camden Yards offers ‘Bacon on a Stick’ - DC Sports Bog - The Washington Post

Summilux, hows the bacon coming along?

[summilux]

So I did this. Easy-peasy to do. About 10 minutes prep work plus smoking. It came out VERY VERY tasty, if a little too salty. A bit too salty to go just with eggs, but salty enough to cut through a pancake/waffle/syrup breakfast. It's kick ass with collards and for those with Germanic tastes, it makes a great addition to braised cabbage. The texture is great: when fried, its chewy and crisp at the same time. Definitely a repeat. Next time I'm going to reduce the amount of salt I add and reduce the salt cure time.

-5lbs of pork belly from Chinese grocer. I left the rind on (don't be squeamish about the nipples). 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar. If you like sweeter bacon, add more sugar. At this mixture, the bacon is not noticeably sweet.
-Rub it all in and massage
-Everything goings into a Ziploc bag and stays in the fridge for 6 days.
-Rinse and leave uncovered in fridge overnight.
-Smoke on BGE (or other), rind up for 7 hours at 200 degrees F. Handful of maple chips in the smoker. I turned the bellies a few times during the smoke. If you have a large BGE, 5lbs fits easily, 7.5 lbs would be the max. 5lbs of belly became 3.5 pounds of bacon after smoking.
-Slice thin and fry.

One note of warning: if you have a dog in the house you must guard the smoked bacon at all times and you must cook some for him/her.

[robin3mj]

Nice!
Looks like English bacon.

[maunahaole]

Looks awesome. I have to try that.