I Love Grilling Meat September 2018

A True Cold Smoking Classic Dan ' s Buckboard Bacon Ingredients

1 pork belly, divided in half to make two slabs weighing 5 pounds each (NOTE: this recipe is for one 5-pound slab) 21 ounces sea salt, canning salt, or kosher salt

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16 juniper berries, crushed 4 teaspoons coarse black pepper

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1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

1 cup sorghummolasses

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the salt, sugar, crushed juniper berries, ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and coarse black pepper. 2. Cover surface of the pork belly with mixture, making sure no meat remains showing. 3. Place bacon in container, meat- side-up, and sprinkle with a little more of the salt mixture, setting aside any that remains. 4. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 2 weeks, making sure to drain any juices that accumulate. Add more salt mixture, if necessary. Note: If you live in an area that gets down to 34 to 40 F, you can hang the bacon (wrapped in cheesecloth) outside or in a garage — just make sure the meat is covered with salt!

5. After 2 weeks, wash bacon 3–4 times to get all salt off. To reduce excess saltiness, place bacon in a pot of boiling water. Boil for 2–3 minutes. Remove, cool, and pat dry. Then, add any extra spices you like. Finally, brush a light coating of molasses over the bacon. Cold Smoking The smoker temperature must be below 100 F. If it gets too hot, you won’t get the best smoke flavor. I recommend hickory wood for buckboard bacon, but feel free to use what you like. Start your smoker with your chips and charcoal. I put about 4–5 briquettes on the bottom, then top themwith the wood chips to bring the

there for about 8–10 hours, or until the bacon is the color I’m looking for.

Just be sure to not oversmoke. You want a medium brownish-yellow coloring, and once you have your desired color, pull the bacon out of the smoker and let it rest. Then place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours before slicing.

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smoker temperature close to 100 F. I hold it

–Danny McTurnan

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