This past weekend project bacon reached it’s inevitable conclusion with the smoking of the first 2.5 pound slab.
After sitting in a honey, vanilla and pink peppercorn-laced cure for a week, I was surprised at how little liquid was expelled. I partially attribute that to my decision to run the sea salt through a spice grinder first, which yielded a finer powder than I was expecting. The honey was also particularly viscous, and did not adhere well at first. In the end though, the cure seems to have penetrated the meat fairly well. When I retrieved it from the cure for it’s day of pellicle formation, the bacon gave off a sweet, heady aroma that was vaguely floral, possibly owing to the honey.
The next morning, the slab was tossed into the smoker with 3 hours worth of assorted wood pellets, in an equal blend of maple, apple and cherry. Not thinking the smoking process through fully, I began before we were going out, which meant that at the end when I retrieved the smoked product, the odor of wafting smoke clung to me so heavily that I had to take a quick spin through the shower before we could leave. It’s amazing how easily that smoke sticks to your clothes, hair, etc.
Though I found the smell overpowering when I first removed the meat from the smoker, once I fried up a test slice I was pleased with my initial porky results. The flavours melded nicely, and none of them overshadowed the other, though in hindsight it could have used a touch more pink peppercorn for bite. For a first effort I’d say it was a home run, and I’m certainly looking forward to all of the sweet and savoury applications. Since the larger rooftop tomatoes are just about coming into their own, I definitely see some toasted tomato sandwiches in the near future… oh, the decadent possibilities…
Until next time…
Tags: bacon, New Projects, pork, Preservation, smoking
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