New Expirements in Food Science: Bacon!
Since all the cool kids write in their livejournals on Friday nights, i will talk about bacon.
I recently made Maple-Rosemary Bacon in the style of this.
So i started out with about 2 pounds of fresh pork belly, 2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt, 0.25 cup of pure maple syrup and about 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary (from my plant).
I washed the pork and dried it as well as i could with paper towels, then rubbed on all the salt that would fit.
Then i poured the maple syrup and rosemary on, as well as it would go. I guess maple syrup isn't as sticky as i thought...
Then into a tupperware and into the fridge for a week. I poured off the liquid every day (except the first day, in the hope maximizing mapleyness) and added a little more salt.
After seven days, i dumped off the last of the liquid and rinsed and dried the meat as completely as possible, then let it sit uncovered in the fridge for thirty minutes per side.
Then i cranked up the smoker with two chunks of hickory and smoked the belly at about 200F for around two hours. At that point, the smoker was losing heat, so i wrapped the belly in foil and finished it in the oven, heating it to 165F, resulting in...
Delicious Bacon!
Cooled and sliced, it definitely looks like bacon... But i need a more effective slicing tool.
Fried up, tastes like bacon! Pretty salty, but the rosemary comes through. The maple didn't really. Maybe i'll just use brown sugar next time...
I recently made Maple-Rosemary Bacon in the style of this.
So i started out with about 2 pounds of fresh pork belly, 2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt, 0.25 cup of pure maple syrup and about 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary (from my plant).
I washed the pork and dried it as well as i could with paper towels, then rubbed on all the salt that would fit.
Then i poured the maple syrup and rosemary on, as well as it would go. I guess maple syrup isn't as sticky as i thought...
Then into a tupperware and into the fridge for a week. I poured off the liquid every day (except the first day, in the hope maximizing mapleyness) and added a little more salt.
After seven days, i dumped off the last of the liquid and rinsed and dried the meat as completely as possible, then let it sit uncovered in the fridge for thirty minutes per side.
Then i cranked up the smoker with two chunks of hickory and smoked the belly at about 200F for around two hours. At that point, the smoker was losing heat, so i wrapped the belly in foil and finished it in the oven, heating it to 165F, resulting in...
Delicious Bacon!
Cooled and sliced, it definitely looks like bacon... But i need a more effective slicing tool.
Fried up, tastes like bacon! Pretty salty, but the rosemary comes through. The maple didn't really. Maybe i'll just use brown sugar next time...