Bacons done
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Bruce 0 said in Bacons done:
Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce I’ll post the procedure I used when I get home next week as I don’t have all my notes with me. My wife and I are currently on vacation celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary.John Belvedere
That’s so awesome you folks are celebrating your 46 th year as my bride and I are celebrating our 45th this year and I wish you the best and congratulations for staying the course -
Cured a 11lb. Pork belly for some bacon. Once the curing time was finished into the smoker for 8hrs. With hickory, Cherry and maple. Now it’s all sliced up, vac sealed and ready to fry up. Thanks for looking


John Belvedere just beautiful
. Congrats 
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Bruce 0 said in Bacons done:
Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce I’ll post the procedure I used when I get home next week as I don’t have all my notes with me. My wife and I are currently on vacation celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary.John Belvedere happy anniversary to you both

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Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce 0 said in Bacons done:
Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce-0, We are back from our little vacation and as promised this is how I made the bacon.
To figure out the amount of cure, salt and sugar I use this cure calculator
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
You just enter the weight of the meat and the calculator gives you the correct amount of cure needed. I usually buy a whole pork belly (around 11-12 lbs. and I cut it in 1/2. I weigh each piece and then use the calculator. I change the amount of salt on the calculator from 2% to 3% (personal preference) . I also change the amount of sugar from 1% to 3% (again personal preference). When I get the amount of sugar needed I weigh 1/2 of the amount needed and use regular sugar and the remaining 1/2 of the sugar weight I use maple sugar (not maple syrup). Once I have all the ingredients weighed I mix them throughly. I then lightly coat the pork belly with maple syrup and I then evenly apply the cure mixture to both side of the pork belly including the sides. It should be noted that the pork belly I use does not have the skin on. If the pork belly you use has the skin on then I would put the majority of the mixture on the skin side and just lightly coat the skin side as the cure has a hard time penetrating the skin. Once I have coated the pork belly with the cure mixture I apply a heavy dose of coarse black pepper and then another coating of maple syrup to the pork belly. Once the pork belly is fully coated in place it into a large zip lock bag and I then place that bag into another zip lock bag to prevent any leakage if the first bag should leak.
The bags are then placed into the fridge in a tray for 14 days. Most web sites state 7-10 days but I do it for 14. I flip the bags every 3 days making sure that whatever liquid is in the bag stays around the meat.
After 14 days I remove the pork belly from the bag and thoroughly rinse off the cure mixture. Once the cure is rinsed off I pat it dry and apply a coat of black pepper. I then place the pork belly on a wire rack in a tray and then I put it back into the fridge over night to dry.
The next day I start my smoker at 100 degrees and hang my pork belly in the smoker to dry for an hour. After the hour has passed I bump up the temperature to 130 with what ever wood I want to use. I use a mix of apple and hickory. After 2 hours I bump up the temperature to 160 and let the pork belly cook until the internal temperature of the pork belly is 145.
When the pork belly reaches 145 degrees I remove it from the smoker and place it on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature. Once the pork belly is cool I wrap it in plastic wrap and place it back in the fridge for a day or two to let the smoke do it’s thing. Something of note if the pork belly you used has the skin on it now is the time to remove it. It’s much easier to cut the skin off when the pork belly is warm then it is when cold.
After it’s been in the fridge for the day or two I slice it up and package it into 1lb. batches.
I know this is a long post but I wanted to give you the whole process. I hope this helps you. I will also post this in the recipe section so it’s easy to find. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. -
Bruce 0 said in Bacons done:
Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce-0, We are back from our little vacation and as promised this is how I made the bacon.
To figure out the amount of cure, salt and sugar I use this cure calculator
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
You just enter the weight of the meat and the calculator gives you the correct amount of cure needed. I usually buy a whole pork belly (around 11-12 lbs. and I cut it in 1/2. I weigh each piece and then use the calculator. I change the amount of salt on the calculator from 2% to 3% (personal preference) . I also change the amount of sugar from 1% to 3% (again personal preference). When I get the amount of sugar needed I weigh 1/2 of the amount needed and use regular sugar and the remaining 1/2 of the sugar weight I use maple sugar (not maple syrup). Once I have all the ingredients weighed I mix them throughly. I then lightly coat the pork belly with maple syrup and I then evenly apply the cure mixture to both side of the pork belly including the sides. It should be noted that the pork belly I use does not have the skin on. If the pork belly you use has the skin on then I would put the majority of the mixture on the skin side and just lightly coat the skin side as the cure has a hard time penetrating the skin. Once I have coated the pork belly with the cure mixture I apply a heavy dose of coarse black pepper and then another coating of maple syrup to the pork belly. Once the pork belly is fully coated in place it into a large zip lock bag and I then place that bag into another zip lock bag to prevent any leakage if the first bag should leak.
The bags are then placed into the fridge in a tray for 14 days. Most web sites state 7-10 days but I do it for 14. I flip the bags every 3 days making sure that whatever liquid is in the bag stays around the meat.
After 14 days I remove the pork belly from the bag and thoroughly rinse off the cure mixture. Once the cure is rinsed off I pat it dry and apply a coat of black pepper. I then place the pork belly on a wire rack in a tray and then I put it back into the fridge over night to dry.
The next day I start my smoker at 100 degrees and hang my pork belly in the smoker to dry for an hour. After the hour has passed I bump up the temperature to 130 with what ever wood I want to use. I use a mix of apple and hickory. After 2 hours I bump up the temperature to 160 and let the pork belly cook until the internal temperature of the pork belly is 145.
When the pork belly reaches 145 degrees I remove it from the smoker and place it on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature. Once the pork belly is cool I wrap it in plastic wrap and place it back in the fridge for a day or two to let the smoke do it’s thing. Something of note if the pork belly you used has the skin on it now is the time to remove it. It’s much easier to cut the skin off when the pork belly is warm then it is when cold.
After it’s been in the fridge for the day or two I slice it up and package it into 1lb. batches.
I know this is a long post but I wanted to give you the whole process. I hope this helps you. I will also post this in the recipe section so it’s easy to find. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.I can vouch for the cure calculator from diggin dog. It is the one I use and John Belvedere process should give you very consistent results.
I have yet to try home made maple bacon, but John’s recipe sounds delicious.
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Bruce 0 said in Bacons done:
Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce-0, We are back from our little vacation and as promised this is how I made the bacon.
To figure out the amount of cure, salt and sugar I use this cure calculator
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
You just enter the weight of the meat and the calculator gives you the correct amount of cure needed. I usually buy a whole pork belly (around 11-12 lbs. and I cut it in 1/2. I weigh each piece and then use the calculator. I change the amount of salt on the calculator from 2% to 3% (personal preference) . I also change the amount of sugar from 1% to 3% (again personal preference). When I get the amount of sugar needed I weigh 1/2 of the amount needed and use regular sugar and the remaining 1/2 of the sugar weight I use maple sugar (not maple syrup). Once I have all the ingredients weighed I mix them throughly. I then lightly coat the pork belly with maple syrup and I then evenly apply the cure mixture to both side of the pork belly including the sides. It should be noted that the pork belly I use does not have the skin on. If the pork belly you use has the skin on then I would put the majority of the mixture on the skin side and just lightly coat the skin side as the cure has a hard time penetrating the skin. Once I have coated the pork belly with the cure mixture I apply a heavy dose of coarse black pepper and then another coating of maple syrup to the pork belly. Once the pork belly is fully coated in place it into a large zip lock bag and I then place that bag into another zip lock bag to prevent any leakage if the first bag should leak.
The bags are then placed into the fridge in a tray for 14 days. Most web sites state 7-10 days but I do it for 14. I flip the bags every 3 days making sure that whatever liquid is in the bag stays around the meat.
After 14 days I remove the pork belly from the bag and thoroughly rinse off the cure mixture. Once the cure is rinsed off I pat it dry and apply a coat of black pepper. I then place the pork belly on a wire rack in a tray and then I put it back into the fridge over night to dry.
The next day I start my smoker at 100 degrees and hang my pork belly in the smoker to dry for an hour. After the hour has passed I bump up the temperature to 130 with what ever wood I want to use. I use a mix of apple and hickory. After 2 hours I bump up the temperature to 160 and let the pork belly cook until the internal temperature of the pork belly is 145.
When the pork belly reaches 145 degrees I remove it from the smoker and place it on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature. Once the pork belly is cool I wrap it in plastic wrap and place it back in the fridge for a day or two to let the smoke do it’s thing. Something of note if the pork belly you used has the skin on it now is the time to remove it. It’s much easier to cut the skin off when the pork belly is warm then it is when cold.
After it’s been in the fridge for the day or two I slice it up and package it into 1lb. batches.
I know this is a long post but I wanted to give you the whole process. I hope this helps you. I will also post this in the recipe section so it’s easy to find. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.John Belvedere great sounding recipe. Thanks for sharing it.
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Bruce 0 said in Bacons done:
Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce-0, We are back from our little vacation and as promised this is how I made the bacon.
To figure out the amount of cure, salt and sugar I use this cure calculator
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
You just enter the weight of the meat and the calculator gives you the correct amount of cure needed. I usually buy a whole pork belly (around 11-12 lbs. and I cut it in 1/2. I weigh each piece and then use the calculator. I change the amount of salt on the calculator from 2% to 3% (personal preference) . I also change the amount of sugar from 1% to 3% (again personal preference). When I get the amount of sugar needed I weigh 1/2 of the amount needed and use regular sugar and the remaining 1/2 of the sugar weight I use maple sugar (not maple syrup). Once I have all the ingredients weighed I mix them throughly. I then lightly coat the pork belly with maple syrup and I then evenly apply the cure mixture to both side of the pork belly including the sides. It should be noted that the pork belly I use does not have the skin on. If the pork belly you use has the skin on then I would put the majority of the mixture on the skin side and just lightly coat the skin side as the cure has a hard time penetrating the skin. Once I have coated the pork belly with the cure mixture I apply a heavy dose of coarse black pepper and then another coating of maple syrup to the pork belly. Once the pork belly is fully coated in place it into a large zip lock bag and I then place that bag into another zip lock bag to prevent any leakage if the first bag should leak.
The bags are then placed into the fridge in a tray for 14 days. Most web sites state 7-10 days but I do it for 14. I flip the bags every 3 days making sure that whatever liquid is in the bag stays around the meat.
After 14 days I remove the pork belly from the bag and thoroughly rinse off the cure mixture. Once the cure is rinsed off I pat it dry and apply a coat of black pepper. I then place the pork belly on a wire rack in a tray and then I put it back into the fridge over night to dry.
The next day I start my smoker at 100 degrees and hang my pork belly in the smoker to dry for an hour. After the hour has passed I bump up the temperature to 130 with what ever wood I want to use. I use a mix of apple and hickory. After 2 hours I bump up the temperature to 160 and let the pork belly cook until the internal temperature of the pork belly is 145.
When the pork belly reaches 145 degrees I remove it from the smoker and place it on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature. Once the pork belly is cool I wrap it in plastic wrap and place it back in the fridge for a day or two to let the smoke do it’s thing. Something of note if the pork belly you used has the skin on it now is the time to remove it. It’s much easier to cut the skin off when the pork belly is warm then it is when cold.
After it’s been in the fridge for the day or two I slice it up and package it into 1lb. batches.
I know this is a long post but I wanted to give you the whole process. I hope this helps you. I will also post this in the recipe section so it’s easy to find. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.John Belvedere Thanks for sharing.
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J Jonathon referenced this topic on
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Bruce 0 said in Bacons done:
Would you mind listing how you did your bacon on the forum here so that I could copy that it looked awfully good to me and I’d like to try it for the first time I have never done bacon
Bruce-0, We are back from our little vacation and as promised this is how I made the bacon.
To figure out the amount of cure, salt and sugar I use this cure calculator
http://www.diggingdogfarm.com/page2.html
You just enter the weight of the meat and the calculator gives you the correct amount of cure needed. I usually buy a whole pork belly (around 11-12 lbs. and I cut it in 1/2. I weigh each piece and then use the calculator. I change the amount of salt on the calculator from 2% to 3% (personal preference) . I also change the amount of sugar from 1% to 3% (again personal preference). When I get the amount of sugar needed I weigh 1/2 of the amount needed and use regular sugar and the remaining 1/2 of the sugar weight I use maple sugar (not maple syrup). Once I have all the ingredients weighed I mix them throughly. I then lightly coat the pork belly with maple syrup and I then evenly apply the cure mixture to both side of the pork belly including the sides. It should be noted that the pork belly I use does not have the skin on. If the pork belly you use has the skin on then I would put the majority of the mixture on the skin side and just lightly coat the skin side as the cure has a hard time penetrating the skin. Once I have coated the pork belly with the cure mixture I apply a heavy dose of coarse black pepper and then another coating of maple syrup to the pork belly. Once the pork belly is fully coated in place it into a large zip lock bag and I then place that bag into another zip lock bag to prevent any leakage if the first bag should leak.
The bags are then placed into the fridge in a tray for 14 days. Most web sites state 7-10 days but I do it for 14. I flip the bags every 3 days making sure that whatever liquid is in the bag stays around the meat.
After 14 days I remove the pork belly from the bag and thoroughly rinse off the cure mixture. Once the cure is rinsed off I pat it dry and apply a coat of black pepper. I then place the pork belly on a wire rack in a tray and then I put it back into the fridge over night to dry.
The next day I start my smoker at 100 degrees and hang my pork belly in the smoker to dry for an hour. After the hour has passed I bump up the temperature to 130 with what ever wood I want to use. I use a mix of apple and hickory. After 2 hours I bump up the temperature to 160 and let the pork belly cook until the internal temperature of the pork belly is 145.
When the pork belly reaches 145 degrees I remove it from the smoker and place it on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature. Once the pork belly is cool I wrap it in plastic wrap and place it back in the fridge for a day or two to let the smoke do it’s thing. Something of note if the pork belly you used has the skin on it now is the time to remove it. It’s much easier to cut the skin off when the pork belly is warm then it is when cold.
After it’s been in the fridge for the day or two I slice it up and package it into 1lb. batches.
I know this is a long post but I wanted to give you the whole process. I hope this helps you. I will also post this in the recipe section so it’s easy to find. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.John Belvedere John, what slicer do you have that you can slice bacon the whole width in one motion?
I just finished my 2nd batch of 25ish pounds of bacon and I have to cut them in half. 50 pounds of bacon in the last 5 weeks and I only have 5 pounds for my self lol.
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John Belvedere John, what slicer do you have that you can slice bacon the whole width in one motion?
I just finished my 2nd batch of 25ish pounds of bacon and I have to cut them in half. 50 pounds of bacon in the last 5 weeks and I only have 5 pounds for my self lol.
@dennyo said in Bacons done:
John Belvedere John, what slicer do you have that you can slice bacon the whole width in one motion?
I just finished my 2nd batch of 25ish pounds of bacon and I have to cut them in half. 50 pounds of bacon in the last 5 weeks and I only have 5 pounds for my self lol.
Jumping in here if that’s ok. Here’s what I did. Took the plastic piece off the carriage and kinda hand fed it through. Be careful though.

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@dennyo said in Bacons done:
John Belvedere John, what slicer do you have that you can slice bacon the whole width in one motion?
I just finished my 2nd batch of 25ish pounds of bacon and I have to cut them in half. 50 pounds of bacon in the last 5 weeks and I only have 5 pounds for my self lol.
Jumping in here if that’s ok. Here’s what I did. Took the plastic piece off the carriage and kinda hand fed it through. Be careful though.

PapaSop Thanks I’ve wondered about doing that. In cutting full length slabs sure is going to add time to my slicing when I’m doing 25 plus pounds at one time.
papasop, I see you slice yours at a 2.25ish setting, I do a 3. What is your blade diameter?
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Cured a 11lb. Pork belly for some bacon. Once the curing time was finished into the smoker for 8hrs. With hickory, Cherry and maple. Now it’s all sliced up, vac sealed and ready to fry up. Thanks for looking


John Belvedere That is a nice looking batch of bacon.
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PapaSop Thanks I’ve wondered about doing that. In cutting full length slabs sure is going to add time to my slicing when I’m doing 25 plus pounds at one time.
papasop, I see you slice yours at a 2.25ish setting, I do a 3. What is your blade diameter?
@dennyo said in Bacons done:
PapaSop Thanks I’ve wondered about doing that. In cutting full length slabs sure is going to add time to my slicing when I’m doing 25 plus pounds at one time.
papasop, I see you slice yours at a 2.25ish setting, I do a 3. What is your blade diameter?
Without looking,I think it’s the Walton’s 8in, or 8.5.
As far as thickness, tried a couple of different ones until I found the one I liked. Personally,I like the thinner sliced. Just works for me. -
Your slicer is then the same as mine in a LEM brand. A lot of them are very similar with maybe a different paint job or a slight modification or two.
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John Belvedere John, what slicer do you have that you can slice bacon the whole width in one motion?
I just finished my 2nd batch of 25ish pounds of bacon and I have to cut them in half. 50 pounds of bacon in the last 5 weeks and I only have 5 pounds for my self lol.
@dennyo said in Bacons done:
John Belvedere John, what slicer do you have that you can slice bacon the whole width in one motion?
I just finished my 2nd batch of 25ish pounds of bacon and I have to cut them in half. 50 pounds of bacon in the last 5 weeks and I only have 5 pounds for my self lol.
DannyO, sport it took so long to get back on your question. I do the same thing Papa Sop does. I remove the plastic guard and hand feed being REAL careful. The slicer I have is the Walton’s 10” slicer.
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