How about some easy DIY bacon?

[billd766]

4 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Not sure if they are US or UK lol? I know the cup sizes are different but didn't know spoons were. In any case I wouldn't worry too much. If you trust your scales use them and of course you can copy or use the recipe. thats why I posted it ????

 

The old cooking thread seems to have gone dead the last couple of years. Would have thought there would have been more people at home cooking and looking for ideas

 

 

Perhaps people don't have the equipment or the knowledge to make bread, bacon, pate etc anymore. I get a lot of food ideas from the web and save some of them to use later.

 

For the last couple of weeks I have been trying unsuccessfully to make sourdough bread. The first one didn't wise at all and the second one doubled in size but as still flat and heavy.

[Kenny202]

22 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Perhaps people don't have the equipment or the knowledge to make bread, bacon, pate etc anymore. I get a lot of food ideas from the web and save some of them to use later.

 

For the last couple of weeks I have been trying unsuccessfully to make sourdough bread. The first one didn't wise at all and the second one doubled in size but as still flat and heavy.

It is amazing how easy (and much better) some of this stuff is to do without tools. Bacon and bread are a perfect example. And plenty of knowledge on the web combined with a bit of trial and error. We all got lazy buying commercially produced stuff from supermarkets ????

[james.d]

Getting a little bored of eating loin bacon and only found 1 decent slab of belly pork in the last couple of months.

Anyone doing collar bacon?

Is it called pork butt cut or shoulder here?

 

Thanks  

[billd766]

12 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

if u put chop in freezer a bit will harden up and easier to slice....

 

press down and cut from bottom....not near your hand

 

sharp knives are a chefs helper

 

Really good advice.

 

Always remember that the fingers under any sharp blade are YOURS. Blunt knives will make cutting harder and cause more damage to your fingers.

[Kenny202]

13 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

Really good advice.

 

Always remember that the fingers under any sharp blade are YOURS. Blunt knives will make cutting harder and cause more damage to your fingers.

I do commercial quantities of bacon. I wouldn't freeze it. Better to put it in the fridge on a tray / rack and let it sit uncovered for 2 or 3 days. Your bacon flavor will intensify and easier to slice. I actually do mine in the oven very slow (about 140 C) for an hour or so, just when the bacon is starting to feel firm then let it sit in the fridge to dry for 2 days. Get great results on the slicer and absolutely no loss of flavor

[james.d]

2 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

I do commercial quantities of bacon. I wouldn't freeze it. Better to put it in the fridge on a tray / rack and let it sit uncovered for 2 or 3 days. Your bacon flavor will intensify and easier to slice. I actually do mine in the oven very slow (about 140 C) for an hour or so, just when the bacon is starting to feel firm then let it sit in the fridge to dry for 2 days. Get great results on the slicer and absolutely no loss of flavor

What cuts do you do Kenny? As l said, I've being do only loin. What cut would you use for collar bacon?

 

Cheers.

[Kenny202]

1 hour ago, james.d said:

What cuts do you do Kenny? As l said, I've being do only loin. What cut would you use for collar bacon?

 

Cheers.

Not sure mate, I have just stuck to loin. My wife uses it commercially in her restaurant and I don't want one kilo of streaky middle bacon to end up as 100 grams of crispy bacon and a 900 gram pool of fat on the griddle. Just bot commercially viable and too messy for us. Also very difficult to slice properly unless really dried out. If you want a bit more fat one end (thicker end) of the loin is fattier than the other end. Makro is great for that as they usually have 1kg pieces, just select the ones you want. Look for marbling or grain in the actual meat too (like Wagyu). Some of the pork here is just too lean.

 

Not sure about collar but I can't see why not? Best way is to get a kilo or two and try it. I am sure it will still be nice. I think collar (neck) here is one of the most expensive cuts right? Where as back home would be one of the cheapest. Like chicken breast here. great for us foreigners who cook at home ????

Edited July 15, 2022 by Kenny202

[billd766]

4 hours ago, james.d said:

What cuts do you do Kenny? As l said, I've being do only loin. What cut would you use for collar bacon?

 

Cheers.

Here are 3 drawings of pork. Perhaps you could work out which cut you need, print it out and circle it, then either get your wife or the pork butcher to either cut or order the cut you need,

[james.d]

Thanks Kenny and Billd.

[bang saen guy]

On 7/15/2022 at 4:00 PM, Kenny202 said:

Not sure mate, I have just stuck to loin. My wife uses it commercially in her restaurant and I don't want one kilo of streaky middle bacon to end up as 100 grams of crispy bacon and a 900 gram pool of fat on the griddle. Just bot commercially viable and too messy for us. Also very difficult to slice properly unless really dried out. If you want a bit more fat one end (thicker end) of the loin is fattier than the other end. Makro is great for that as they usually have 1kg pieces, just select the ones you want. Look for marbling or grain in the actual meat too (like Wagyu). Some of the pork here is just too lean.

 

Not sure about collar but I can't see why not? Best way is to get a kilo or two and try it. I am sure it will still be nice. I think collar (neck) here is one of the most expensive cuts right? Where as back home would be one of the cheapest. Like chicken breast here. great for us foreigners who cook at home ????

Shoulder makes nice bacon. Less fat than belly but more than loin. I smoke mine. Easy enough using pellets

Edited July 17, 2022 by bang saen guy

[KannikaP]

I am about to cure my next Pork Loin (dunno what's wrong with it ! ), but see so many different ratios of salt/sugar/Prague ranging from 2:1: 0,2.5, to 27gm/2.0gm/2.5gm per kilo.

From you experienced Baconers, which is the best please?

[Crossy]

9 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

I am about to cure my next Pork Loin (dunno what's wrong with it ! ), but see so many different ratios of salt/sugar/Prague ranging from 2:1: 0,2.5, to 27gm/2.0gm/2.5gm per kilo.

From you experienced Baconers, which is the best please?

 

For a dry cure the calculator linked to on the original page works just fine for me (and I've not grown an extra arm or anything) ???? 

 

https://www.localfoodheroes.com/my-favourite-bacon/

 

For 1kg it gives this: -

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

36 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

For a dry cure the calculator linked to on the original page works just fine for me (and I've not grown an extra arm or anything) ???? 

 

https://www.localfoodheroes.com/my-favourite-bacon/

 

For 1kg it gives this: -

 

 

 

Just put some in the bag using your ratios, but with an added flavour............a good squirt of HP Sauce! Will tell you next week if it is any good.

[Crossy]

8 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Just put some in the bag using your ratios, but with an added flavour............a good squirt of HP Sauce! Will tell you next week if it is any good.

 

It will be the longest week of your life!

 

Don't forget to turn and massage every day.

[Crossy]

A quick re-visit (ok, shameless bump) as I've just started bacon and ham which I've been rather remiss with and Madam (plus grandkids) are complaining about the store-bought stuff

 

I'll probably make some crumpets too.

 

EDIT Instructions for crumpets

https://www.warburtons.co.uk/news/crumpet-recipe-revealed/

[billd766]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

A quick re-visit (ok, shameless bump) as I've just started bacon and ham which I've been rather remiss with and Madam (plus grandkids) are complaining about the store-bought stuff

 

I'll probably make some crumpets too.

 

EDIT Instructions for crumpets

https://www.warburtons.co.uk/news/crumpet-recipe-revealed/

Oddly enough I am just about ready to make another 2.5kg of honey and mustard bacon tomorrow Dry curing the bacon is easy, but at 80 slicing the bacon is not, so I get really thick slices but with out bits of finger if I try for thinner slices.

 

 I cannot post my recipe here as it is in MS word and not an acceptable format here so here is the link it came from.

 

https://tasteofartisan.com/how-to-cure-bacon/

[Crossy]

5 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Dry curing the bacon is easy, but at 80 slicing the bacon is not, so I get really thick slices but with out bits of finger if I try for thinner slices.

 

Nothing wrong with thick slices of deliciousness!!

 

We bought a machine which at least reduces the amount of extra finger (but it still won't get to US-style transparent bacon) 🙂

 

EDIT I may make some "streaky" with the next batch.

 

 

[HighPriority]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

Nothing wrong with thick slices of deliciousness!!

 

We bought a machine which at least reduces the amount of extra finger (but it still won't get to US-style transparent bacon) 🙂

 

EDIT I may make some "streaky" with the next batch.

 

 

What is the difference between “middle rasher” and “streaky bacon” I assumed it was where it came from on the pig ?

[billd766]

2 hours ago, HighPriority said:

What is the difference between “middle rasher” and “streaky bacon” I assumed it was where it came from on the pig ?

That is true. Also middle rashers have more pork meat than fat, and  streaky is about 50/50 or less pork meat.

[HighPriority]

6 hours ago, billd766 said:

That is true. Also middle rashers have more pork meat than fat, and  streaky is about 50/50 or less pork meat.

And thus more flavor 👍🏼

A Swedish woman put me onto the streaky bacon and I’ve been buying it for about 10 years now.

[Crossy]

On 9/9/2024 at 4:36 AM, HighPriority said:

And thus more flavor 👍🏼

 

The streaky I just sliced has come out OK.

Unfortunately the pork-belly from makro seems to be mostly "streak", so only one slice per serving (and a couple of back slices of course).

[MarkBR]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:16 AM, Crossy said:

IMPORTANT UPDATE 25/04/22 - All of the guides etc. are now at https://www.localfoodheroes.com/ the links are later in the thread but since we are seeing interest again I've edited the OP.

 

As a Brit I like my bacon sliced a bit thicker than is commonly available here at a sensible price. I'd also rather have "back bacon" not the "streaky" which seems the norm.

 

So I had a go at curing my own.

 

Instructions here http://www.localfoodheroes.co.uk/?e=541 do follow the quantities accurately.

 

Prague Powder #1 from Lazada - https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i168877082-s209361163.html

Ziploc bags, Lazada again (I got the biggest I could find) - https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i2330372790-s7881063502.html

I left out the optional sodium ascorbate 'coz I couldn't find it.

 

Pig loin from makro, looked for a piece with a bit of fat. I did just a 1kg piece just in case it went wrong, this was a mistake, should have done more 

 

After 6 of the longest days in my life we have a result.

 

Looks, smells and tastes just like the real thing.

 

 

 

 

Deemed totally acceptable by Madam, we've nearly scoffed the lot already.

 

Hand slicing, even with Madam's razor sharp cleaver wasn't perfect. Slicing machine on order.

 

 

 

Looks delicious.

[Crossy]

25 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

Looks delicious.

 

It is, and it's so easy to make that even an engineer (me) can have success!!

 

[MarkBR]

On 5/21/2022 at 6:08 PM, billd766 said:

Perhaps people don't have the equipment or the knowledge to make bread, bacon, pate etc anymore. I get a lot of food ideas from the web and save some of them to use later.

 

For the last couple of weeks I have been trying unsuccessfully to make sourdough bread. The first one didn't wise at all and the second one doubled in size but as still flat and heavy.

I have the same problem with my sourdough.  Must keep trying.  Think it is a temperature issue, just too hot at ambient house temperature.  So need to alter all the timings of keeping the sourdough ferment alive.

Would also love to make bacon & pate but that is for the future.

[Crossy]

5 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

Would also love to make bacon & pate but that is for the future.

 

There really is no time like the present!!

[Bday Prang]

For me this is arguably  one of the best threads on the entire forum  Thanks to @Crossy for starting it.  I don't bother with western food generally but as a Brit I will still take any opportunity to indulge in a full English of which Bacon is the primary component.  I have often considered having a go myself  but never seemed to get round to it , and then an Australian guy near me started doing it semi - comercially so I just got lazy and bought it off him. not cheap but better than the miserable offerings from CP and the "american " bacon tey sell in the local Makro   he also bemoaned the lack of availability of a decent slicing machine and was considering importing one.  He's packed it in now and I think he has recently returned to Aus due to ill health

       So my enthusiasm has been reborn,   If it works out for me I may be sorely tempted to try my hand at sausages next or even black pudding

[Bday Prang]

On 8/15/2021 at 5:01 PM, Crossy said:

An off topic trolling post has been removed.

 

Not the best of ideas to troll a thread started by a mod, like everyone else we get notifications when someone posts.

I know its over 3 years after the event but I just read this and I am speechless . What possible reason could anybody  have for trolling a thread about gods greatest gift to mankind ?     Must have been a vegan, a Jew  or a  Muslim    either way I think a life ban would have been the only acceptable punishment for such blasphemy

[MarkBR]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:37 AM, Crossy said:

 

We lived in Italy for several years (I met my Thai wife in Rome!). I really like prosciutto but I'd go up the wall waiting 6 weeks for it ???? 

 

Now I'm drooling at the thought of prosciutto, artisan mozzarella-di-buffala and fresh bread with a bottle (or two) of the local liquid on a Sunday lunchtime. Watching the poor fools getting hitched at the local church.

 

They should make artisan mozzarella-di-buffala in Thailand, enough water buffaloes.

[Crossy]

4 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

I know its over 3 years after the event but I just read this and I am speechless . What possible reason could anybody  have for trolling a thread about gods greatest gift to mankind ?     Must have been a vegan, a Jew  or a  Muslim    either way I think a life ban would have been the only acceptable punishment for such blasphemy

 

I'm sad enough to go back and check, it was Option-1.

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

 

There really is no time like the present!!

I have 2 1/2 kg of honey mustard slowly marinating and it should be ready by the weekend.

 

Pate is a job for another time as my mate got me some sausage seasonings from the UK so I must make a start on sausages and pork pies soon.